Twysden Moore and Frank Spurrell have revived the venerable English watch and clock brand, Dent & Co. Founded in 1814 by Edward J Dent, the company provided seafaring timepieces for Charles Darwin, and major public clocks, including the clock at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, by which all clocks in the British Empire were set. His most famous commission was the Houses of Parliament's Great Clock, better known as Big Ben.

• Spurrell and Moore bought the firm after years of "gentle negotiation" with the previous owner. Says Moore, "The gentleman we took it over from continued to make three or four clocks a year. The whole process from world domination to sweet, artisan clock making is typically British."

• Spurrell came across the brand when he ran Watch magazine. "I fell in love with Dent and decided to do something with it. I asked the chap if he would sell it. It took a process of four years, having tea with him every two or three months, to convince him." In the meantime, Spurrell's school friend Moore had come on board.

• The business is about to deliver the largest public clock in Europe—an 18ft-diameter clock for the new Eurostar terminal at London's St Pancras station. It was a timely boost for the Derby-based clock-making side of the business.

• Spurrell and Moore have also launched Dent's first watch ranges for 40 years, with a director of watch-making overseeing the process in Switzerland. "We'd love to bring the watch-making back to Britain, but there are significant barriers, mainly in terms of skills and personnel."

• They have done well to get the watches together in two and a half years. "It's better to get it made properly and compromise on the location than try and rush into a British manufacturing solution that's not going to deliver the very high levels of quality we require."

• It's a very British set-up. "All of the ownership and senior management, from us to the chap we've appointed as CEO, to the finance director and the director of watch-making, are British. All the design direction is British. We are making sure that everything fits into that British ideal."

• The new watch ranges draw on the brand's history. Big Ben inspired the Parliament range, while a chronometer from 1848 that saw 100 years of service with the Royal Navy inspired the Ministry range. Yet while the influence comes from the past, the watches look and feel modern. "They are antiques now, but everything the company made was bang up to date. That's an important part of the company."