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Bremont - all marketing and no trousers?

  1. tyrantlizardrex Mar 8, 2016

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    Bit of an odd one this - I was mooching around in the Royal Exchange and got chatting to a lovely chap in the Bremont Boutique - I knew nothing about the brand, or the watches, but judging by the prices, I can't afford one.

    Having had a read through lots of posts on other forums, and the Blog to Watch article on the "not so in house" movements, I'm left wondering if there's more to Bremont, or if you're just paying a lot of money, for a ton of marketing?

    I got given an invite to a launch event they're holding on Thursday, so will be going along for a nose - just wondered what the general perception is, and if we have any owners?
     
  2. Darlinboy Pratts! Will I B******S!!! Mar 8, 2016

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    Nothing wrong with them, not my cup of tea. Was some controversy about their claim of "in house" movements a while back (they're clearly not a movement manufacture.

    IMO, pricey for what the are, but seem to be successful in their niche, whatever that is.
     
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  3. davidswiss Mar 8, 2016

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    It's not that they sell bad or ugly watches but for me they're very expensive bitsas (a bit from this and a bit from that).
     
  4. STANDY schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collector Mar 8, 2016

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    Bell & Ross is their uncle.

    Another brand Trying to build on a aviation connection they have never had. Thinking that this connection gives them the right to charge crazy prices for average watches.
    Followed their marketing over the years as have a marketing background and have to laugh how many times they have come undone due to slip ups.

    They do have a fanboy following of believers that paid bid dollars that will defend them to the hilt ( more due to justifying they didn't get suckered)
     
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  5. abrod520 Mar 8, 2016

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    Agreed - they just started up out of nowhere what, 10yrs ago? Nothing special, just gimmick after gimmick.
     
  6. chunkythebulldog Mar 8, 2016

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    All businesses start from nowhere, even Omega.

    I owned a Bremont MBII but needed to offload it to pay for another pickup. It was a good looking watch and drew a bit of attention mainly due to the orange barrel as not many people had ever seen one.

    The only issue I have with them is that I think some of the models are overpriced. £8450.00 for the Jag model is fairly steep. You can pick up a lot of watch for that sort of money but as their turnover nearly doubled last year they must be doing something right.
     
  7. watchknut New watch + Instagram + wife = dumbass Mar 8, 2016

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    Interesting thread, as a friend and I were discussing it the other day...especially the pseudo-aviation connection and rich history.

    To me, they are they are girl with a somewhat lowbrow name, wears too much eye make-up, whose clothes leave little to the imagination...a solid "6er"...you don't mind taking her home from the bar, and may even take her a restaurant where you are sure to never see anyone you know, BUT you will never date her.
     
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  8. dx009 Mar 8, 2016

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    Haha, spot on introduction right there. I'd say it's one of those brands that appear out of nowhere, invest heavily in marketing, and hope to sell, especially in the ranks of those that know nothing of watches but want to buy one for themselves or as a gift.
     
  9. uvalaw2005 Mar 8, 2016

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    I think their MSRP are ridiculous, but you can find pretty good deals on used Bremonts, and from what I've seen they age pretty well. I've owned a Supermarine and a Solo, thought the build quality on both was excellent, but they both wore a little larger than I typically enjoy. Otherwise I was very impressed with them, but they were both purchased used and I think I paid ~50% off of retail.
     
  10. tyrantlizardrex Mar 8, 2016

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    I tried on most of their range... and they feel good on the wrist, I just couldn't get over the impression that you were paying Ferrari money for a Ford... an RS maybe, but still a Ford.
     
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  11. Ray916MN Mar 8, 2016

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    Nice marketing, nice watches. As I recollect, Gemnation was clearing out SuperMarine S500 models at ~$2600 recently. Still too much to pay, but getting closer to a sensible price....
     
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  12. watchknut New watch + Instagram + wife = dumbass Mar 8, 2016

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    They are a perfect example of "who in the fcuk would pay MSRP for that, when there are so many other options...", and the answer is clearly a newby or someone with more money than sense.

    Buying one used at 50%+ off of retail makes sense to me, as they are pretty cool watches that scratch a very specific itch.

    I agree with @Ray916MN, there is a price that makes sense for these watches, what that is, who knows, but it is less than a fraction of retail.
     
  13. tyrantlizardrex Mar 8, 2016

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    Their diving watch for example, on a bracelet is close to £4500... I'm just not sure why you'd buy that when there are so many other options.
     
  14. chunkythebulldog Mar 8, 2016

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    I always thought second hand they retained their value quite well. I paid £2200.00 for an MBII with list of £3295.00, sold it 6 months later for £2400.00
     
  15. abrod520 Mar 8, 2016

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    You're correct that everyone starts from nowhere, but not all start from nowhere and immediately co-opt history to claim their place. Omega built their history and thus has every right to trade on their connections to space flight and sport etc, but Bremont had nothing to do with the Enigma Machine or the Wright Flyer or British rocket-ejection-seat makers etc.

    I mean, look at Nomos - started in the 1990s, just making good products (like Omega did at first) without any gimmicks, and now they enjoy a well-earned reputation as builders of great watches.
     
  16. Jones in LA Isofrane hoarder. Mar 8, 2016

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    I've never wanted a novelty watch as much as I want the Codebreaker. But at $20k+ for stainless steel it's a bit much for me.
     
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  17. chunkythebulldog Mar 8, 2016

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    I know what you're saying and agree with you on most points but the quickest way to get your name out there is to spend heavily on marketing, which Bremont have done. Then all people say is that they're a marketing company that sells watches. Hence the title to this thread.
    If people like the watches they'll buy them, if they don't then the company will fail.
     
  18. ConElPueblo Mar 8, 2016

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    ...So it's a £3399 watch that loses roughly 25% value in six months? ;)
     
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  19. Atalien2005 Mar 8, 2016

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    Bremont was my gateway drug into the world of watches. I did all the research and read all the articles on them (good and bad). I was looking for a specific niche that only them and Breitling cater to and that was a C-17 Globemaster watch. I have a few friends/colleagues that either own one or the other. I chose the Bremont because it felt well constructed, came in the exact colors I was looking for and they offer a 50% discount to military. So I received a brand new watch for less than half of what others are commenting that they paid for a used Bremont. image.jpeg image.jpeg image.png
     
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  20. chunkythebulldog Mar 8, 2016

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    Should have stated I bought the watch second hand and was approx 12 months old, don't all watches lose that sort of value as soon as you take it out of the shop? With the exception being a Silver Snoopy