Borealis Watches drama...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rDLCesOCbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMfEQC1Ldd4

TLDR; company accused by several YouTubers of essentially having final cut for sponsored content.

They are not the only ones who do this and very well known channels have no issue taking the money or products and presenting something as a review when in fact it is nothing but sponsored content. Happens in every industry. I stopped subscribing to any channel that lives solely on “sponsored/paid” content. I’m glad they exist and provide an outlet to see lots of watches, but ultimately they are still ads.

If you see a wave of “reviews” by of a new microbrand and they all have the same regurgitated talking points, it’s a good sign to ignore them/the brand, especially if many of those reviewers are repeat culprits.

That's so interesting; the way they've been posting on Instagram makes you think they were caught doing something illegal or worse.

That’s the internet. In this day and age no one likes to feel taken advantage of. Having YouTube personalities folks blindly trust to give them honest reviews only to find out it was less than that is bound to ruffle some feathers.

Is the Borealis brand one of the Chinese ones?

One reason why I like urban gentry. He's made clear that he won't review some brands, precisely because of stuff like this.

They are from Portugal 🇵🇹

What's missing these days is the second video Elle made, after Borealis contacted her and threatened legal action. She really cracked it in the second video and gave it back to them. Pulled no punches. You don't want to mess with Elle. Resulting in the guy who runs Borealis realising his company was stuffing up the situation really badly and stepping in and bringing it all back to earth. As a result, she deleted the second video, and also removed the 'Borealis Sucks' lettering from the first video's thumbnail.

Of course, speaking about videos from Elle that are hard to see these days, this now joins the video she made, eviscerating fellow YouTuber, Design Atelier, for something he said about her recently. He did say a stupid thing, but her reaction was extreme. That video isn't deleted, but is unlisted now. I think as a relatively new YouTuber, Elle is maybe starting to learn to not make videos in the heat of the moment.

I like Elle a lot. I think she's an interesting voice in the watch space, both in the sense she's not a middle aged white guy unboxing watches on a workbench, and also in the sense that she's clearly heavily influenced by TGV and the Urban Gentry, and tries hard to give her videos an aesthetic that's quite cool*.

(*When she's not losing her mind at someone.)

I don't really get involved in all of the YouTube drama stuff... But I have reviewed their Bull Shark V2 around the time all of this was going on. Here's that review and I briefly talk about my experience dealing with Borealis too. There's a pinned comment going into more detail as well.

https://youtu.be/GpATavHMCzk

Thanks

Yup, anybody with a smart phone or podcast equipment, some time and the will to compose and post is an overnight “expert”.

That is why I pay little attention to podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, etc.

I appreciated her second vid. More creators need to put these companies on blast. Those in the know know who is and isn’t on the take for vids. Some creators don’t try to hide it, whereas others play ignorant. Kudos to both channels for saying something and I’d encourage all influencers to do so, but I’d be naive to think they’d all give up money for integrity.

This is why I've enjoyed Elle's videos in the past. She even dubbed herself, 'the industry outsider' early on in her YouTube videos as she was so far removed from being part of 'the scene', that her opinions came across as very much, "Here's what I think, as a newbie and a total nobody..." sort of thing. Of course, that's starting to change, now that she's being made offers and sent watches from vendors. Although I don't think she'll 'sell out' to the degree that some channels do, I think the content will shift a little.

What's missing these days is the second video Elle made, after Borealis contacted her and threatened legal action. She really cracked it in the second video and gave it back to them.

Sounds like that's a video I would watch. Oh well.

Meh, not a brand I pay any mins to. Nor the nonsense that exists in YouTube.

Paid, not paid, it matters not - what is clear though is that we’re talking about it :)

I think the Borealis marketing folks confused YouTube watch channels with Instagram influencers (who have no problem shilling and sharing on the income). The most that the usual YT watch channel will do is say that the video is sponsored if they get to keep the review watch or have an affiliate link... but that the opinions are their own and the watch co. had no input into their review.

Yeah, I been eying the Sintra white dial/orange seconds

Agree, even the term 'influencer' is one I recoil from, and I'm not even a watch YouTuber. If I was a watch YouTuber, I think I'd take more offence at being called that, or thought of as that, than anything else.

shrugs

And now Borealis have basically closed shop. Right when they were marketing for pre-sales for that new watch (the Bull Shark, I think?)

FWIW, I don't have experiences with their watches but I owned a strap from them (the isofrane clone) and it was absolutely phenomenal quality for the price. I like some of their designs but for the most part have moved on from that price bracket and movement tier. The way the company handled it was atrocious and you can absolutely tell they f'd up and don't know how to backtrack gracefully. I try to shy away from the sponsored content reviews...I want to know what you think, uncensored and unedited. If that means you can't get that piece to review...fine by me, there will be others. The quid pro quo nature of youtube reviews makes long for a total paradigm shift in the marketing practices of these companies.

Looks like it is temporary, but honestly, they are not alone in this approach, which is sad.

They certainly make use of all the typical corporate jargon. "Take a step back and re-evaluate" and "refreshed with a new North Star" are really cringe-worthy.

Hopefully, they learn from it, but the community has a long memory. IE, the first comments on every Tag release.

That's my take too. Borealis pissed off an influencer who went to basics and found themselves in hot water of their own making.

Lesson to take here? Don't try pissing off Americans with social media presence if you can't take the heat. Pity, they made good watches but of all the traps to fall into, it's the trying to stiff an American with free gifts of all things.

Goes to his corner to chuckle

My only experience with Borealis is them offering a large discount to make a purchase.

I took advantage of that discount and made the purchase. Then they canceled the sale and tried to get me to purchase an inferior design.

No good reason for canceling the sale, other than them saying that the watch was out-of-stock but was somehow not recognized as such by their system and thus was listed as available for sale. Yeah - right.

My guess is another sale of that watch came in for full price and they bounced mine because it was steeply discounted.

First and last time I dealt with Borealis. This only confirms why it is best not to d business with them.

Too bad because some of their dials are really attractive...but not enough to deal with this kind of nonsense. Life is too short.

I have a Sintra and love it. The quality is top notch, it gets a lot of looks and questions. I spoke to the directly and via email and the Customer Service has been exemplary. I have had zero issues and nothing but praise for them. The internet finds a way to blow everything out of proportion and mis-inform so I how everyone does their own homework if they are interested in Borealis. Would I buy another? If one catches my eye, in a hot minute.

Same. I remember seeing that watermelon watch on one YT channel… an oddly glowing review over a watch that’s not really the channels normal thing. Then I seen it on another channel…. Then the next and so one. All same points.

Re: Borealis re-tooling itself at present, I'd suggest it goes beyond the Elle situation, too. I had somehow ended up on a mailing list of theirs some time back... and it was the pushiest mailing list I think I've ever witnessed. I'm on a lot of watch mailing lists, too. Generally just to stay in touch with new releases across the board. And none of them are as remotely pushy as the Borealis list was. So I dare say they're changing up the way they do that sort of thing as well, not just their ham-fisted attempts at talking to YouTubers.

You’re talking about Elizabeth Grant, right?

Certainly am! She uses both names. Even in her first reply to Borealis, she signed as Elle.

No. It's based in Portugal. That is not too say their components may not be made in China.

Ok , thank you.