On the matter of Bremont....

I just wish they don't pretend to be very prestige with the prices.

I try to like them , but am often just not blown away by their stuff.

I like some of their designs. That GMT is really nice looking IMHO. It's just the price. If I'm spending that kind of money, it's most likely going to be at an Omega store. That said, I've seen a few on the used market at very reasonable prices and I have been seriously tempted. 

I looked at their range of models and my impression is that this is a company that still struggle with its brand image and identity. Maybe in a few years they will develop their own design language, focus on models that represent their ethos and have interesting stuff to show, something that is sadly lacking from their current offerings.

Agree with you and @Catskinner - they have a huge model range, and although there's some distinct themes, the implementation is mixed at best. I've been excited by their designs twice, and bought twice (although to be fair, the S500 is a Bamford design!). 

Regardless of the rest of the range, I have the most profound respect for the mechanical and finish durability of the MB - it's impressive.

Great story annd well-earned patina on your MB. I think an individual watch can find a place in your life well out of proportion to what brand it is. Overall I think Bremont is too wide in their catalogue and many of their designs don’t do much for me. Looks like you have a couple of winners for you and that’s what it’s about. 

I’m not offended by Bremont, and I’m always very amused by those that are. Marketing is marketing, it’s the Devil‘s Dance, and if a young brand wants to stand out and wrestle for a piece of the “posh watch pie” then they need to aim high and come out swinging. Don’t do a Tag cal.1887 though, even if it’s common or legit, don’t try and pass off as in-house if you are collab or remixing, some people will seemingly never forgive you. They are a lot more prevalent than they were, so something must be connecting with the market in order for high-end boutiques to carry them.

I am a fan of the Martin Baker, and whilst I am slightly annoyed I can’t get the 01 (never been ejected from a fighter plane, don’t qualify 😂) I am quite partial to the design. The Broadsword is a lovely watch as well. At the end of the day, it’s my money, it’s my wrist, it’s just a watch, if I buy one I don’t care what you think, I’m happy.

I've had the pleasure of attending the opening of Bremont's boutique in Manchester, and my impression is that Nick English (one of the co-founders) has a genuine passion for watches that is infectious. I was quite inspired by the brief discussion we had. I would have bought one, if it wasn't for my problematic wrist size. 

I think their military inspired designs are top notch. It's clear they have an affinity with the armed services, and perhaps in my mind, that's where their design strength truly lies. However, they are significantly undercut by Hamilton's historic-military inspired offerings, so they must work to capture the imagination of the general public. Also it's hard to do that now the military all seem to wear G-Shocks, so a contemporary designed mechanical military watch is somewhat an anachronism. 

With their new in-house movements, I think they definitely deserve a place in the watch industry. Have they carved their niche yet? I don't think so. But I wouldn't bet against them. 

Strange how forgiving some of the community is towards a brand from the west but mis-aligned bezels/re-hauts from the east, with an actual in house movement and appropriate price tag, gets the devil’s whiplash 🤷🏻‍♂️

Who is this aimed at? 😀

If it’s me I‘d rather you called me out directly, especially since my views on Seiko are pretty-well documented, seemingly defend Bremont on the regular, and I’m an easy-target with my hands tied behind my back. I like to know who’s shooting at me. I do not believe they are fairly priced, as they have rocketed in value in recent years, and I also do not understand how they can make QC errors at certain price points. This isn’t a lone view, it’s been raised time and time again by others more forgiving and with bigger platforms. My love affair with the NH35 movement is also a recent thing, so I do appreciate Seiko Instruments contribution, and having started to get my hands dirty with modding and building I am incredibly grateful as to how easy this movement is to install. 

And no… I’m not anti-East, I’m a big fan of Citizen and the Eco-Drive, adore a number of Japanese microbrands, and I am particularly partial to a Chinese watch or two, even an homage. I was very positive towards Pagani Design in a recent post regarding my PD-1690. I’m also not a blind-fan of Western watches, my disdain for certain brands is well-known and gets me into a lot of hot water. I like to think I’m relatively well-rounded and grounded, but happy to let others think I’m not.

It's the 21st century. We're able to land probes on distant meteors. We regularly manufacture integrated circuits to tiny tolerances and in huge volumes. 

A mis-aligned bezel is unforgivable. 

just a general opinion from a long time observer/lurker on WC/Reddit/WUS. not a fan of bremont in the slightest, but also not the biggest fan of seiko either… but comparing evils, at least i get to choose the right Seiko watch with the best alignments. 

@Richierich it is the 21st century and we still have quartz haters. U cant win them all! 😂

This thread wasn't about Seiko, was it? It wasn't about quartz, was it? It wasn't even about misaligned bezels, but you dragged that into the thread, too. 

You might want to not drag your own insecurities into unrelated threads.

It wasnt, and stop making like it is lol. 🤣🤣 

Woops, just saw your updated comment. i know you love a good debate :) but sadly, it was just a general comment from what ive been observing. But thanks for making my general thought “seen”. Its not always that i get this confronted, must be my lucky day… apologies OP, i did not mean for my general comment to be this noticed. i swear my comments dont usually get this far 😂😂

The ones you dug?

Probably not… 👍

😂😂 aww too cute. go!

We’re getting off-topic 😂

Curious though, from your comments, do you think there is a genuine anti-Eastern watch brand vibe on the platform? Do you think Western brands get a pass, and if so who seems to be benefiting the most?

Just a silly bit of banter mate, pls dont take it seriously 😂

yes I do but let me make a separate thread. may take a day or two, you know, life 

I‘m not, this is banter.

sure… let’s pick this up down the line.

The buying public will either buy Bremont or not. Sales will be the actual determining factor if they are good or not, but to me it's just another expensive watch.

I had a chance to see their new sports model at Watchtime NY (pic here). They're nice people and I like what they're trying to do.

What's it like? I've not had a chance to see one in person yet.

I think it is decent, I like that it has the new caliber in it. I'd heard some folks express concerns over quality on the bracelet but I didn't look closely enough. 

thanks - great picture btw - looking at the finsihing, it may have been better if they had used rotary, rather than linear, brusing on the bezel - may have matched the dial better. Anyway, thanks for sharing - planning to pop over to Henley next week to have a look at Bremont HQ...

That California sandwich dial is to die for!

So true haha

Bremont do provoke a lot of reaction in the watch community, but no one can deny their massive success! to get to over 10k watches a year in only 15 years while consistently moving the prices up is incredible. I run a watch community and the interest levels and demand for Bremont events is higher than anything else, apart from maybe IWC. We are holding our second tomorrow and hope there will be many more. I love the MBII, the supermarine, and the Bronze broadsword, but don't currently own any of them.

I have the MBII and a Supermarine Bamford (pictured). Price is an issue sometimes with Bremont, but for the MBII , it was worth every penny - it's an through-and-through tool watch and I've beaten it to hell with zero mechanical impact. The movement is ok, but the shock protection and the sheer durability of the case has saved it time after time. 

If you have a group together, Christine Borg-Mirza is the Head of Retail at the Wing - they organise group visits, including tours of the manufacturing facilities, if you;ve not already done so. 

I have a U2 U22 and it's a love hate relationship, when I'm not wearing it I want to sell it,but when I put it on no chance