Reply With QuoteSo what? The watches are great and most watch brands stretch their marketing threads quite a bit.
How is it tenuous, they are literally selling thousands of watches to military personnel every year?Originally Posted by davie0146
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So what? The watches are great and most watch brands stretch their marketing threads quite a bit.
They "say" they are but they've said stuff previously which wasn't necessarily correct (or true, for that matter)....
Bremont are on the wrist on a few colleagues, but I’d say that Breitling is still more common amongst military custom dial printed watches.
From personal experience, most of the purchasers have no clue about watches and sign up to a run of custom print watches based on perceived value and savings. “The RRP is nearly 5 grand and we are getting them for 3.5k” is usually the first reason for buying. This is accompanied by “it’s a special limited edition and only 20 will be produced so it will be worth twice it’s value immediately”.
The bit that really turns me off Bremont is that the “less is more” philosophy usually goes out of the window. The dial is usually printed with random numbers by the Arabic numerals to make a Squadron number. If its a helicopter Squadron, turning the seconds hand into a rotor is usually the preferred design. I’m not really a fan of OTT gimmicky designs.
Doesn’t that tell you something? Personnel would rather spend their own money on a Bremont than use the issued watch? Sounds like a good thing to me.
Check out Bremont Military on Instagram...
Like Casio, suunto etc etc etc.
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Yes, and the problem is?
Does buying a nicely decorated luxury watch costing thousands = using it instead of issued equipment?
Bremont can, and does, make some very nice watches. Fully the equal of their competitors. But, for me, they spoil it with endlessly naff marketing. Selling heavily discounted ‘special editions’ to military guys can’t be a long-term strategy.
I expect its about getting customer awareness and market share as much anything else. Certainly, a company needs to have a niche that distinguishes it in the market. Not very different from all the Everest/Bond/Moonwatch hype that goes on with other brands.
Oh I don't know.
Bond, chosen watch by Ian Fleming
Speedmaster, chosen watch to go to the moon
Everest, depends on which watch.
Bremont, lets sell these cheap to the army. "Look we're in the army now, come buy our stuff Walts"
IMO, of course.
Shame, as they do make some watches that I like and can appreciate the engineering, it's the BS that gets in the way. My problem I guess and I'm sure Bremont aren't crying into their soup me not buying one.
Tenuous because their blurb is written in such a way as to suggest military issue, or to the military.
Military personnel buying a watch, is simply an individual or group buying watches who happen to serve. there lies the difference.
I've been a fan of their designs since I first became aware of Bremont (especially the MBII) but was a bit under awed by the special projects side of things until I went on the TZ-UK organised visit a few weeks ago.
I was so impressed by what I saw and what Bremont are doing (and why they are doing it) that I bought one. I've been so impressed with its accuracy that I serviced it at the weekend just to see if there were any redesigns to the movement as it's "only" a Selitta 200.1.
https://thewatchbloke.co.uk/2019/03/11/bremont-mbii/
No it’s not, unless you choose to read it that way as you have a pre-determined view of the brand.
What military would spend £3k on watches, obviously it has been requested by the individuals or groups, but if anything, that’s just as powerful an endorsement of the watches and the brand
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Yep...check Bremont Military instagram.
Absolutely brilliant article.
I would have panicked seeing all the little screws, jewels and the rest.
Thanks for posting and HOPEFULLY some of the Bremont knockers will revise their opinions.
No chance. That's it's own sport around here.
Of course it is, it's written that way, it's called marketing.
A bunch of people approached by a watch company who says "it's worth £000's, more so because we've printed your insignia on it, but you can have it at a huge discount"
How is that a powerful endorsement?
Are they watch experts? Successful investors in the market? Known authorities in watch-land? Nope just a bunch of people who got a great deal just because they happen to serve (for which I am grateful). That's it.
Now Bremont "have" a military "history" it's called product placement.
For someone who clearly doesn’t like Bremont you seem pretty passionate about the brand
Your argument is illogical, so I will leave it there!
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I was never a fan until I actually bought a special edition military Bremont. The main reason I bought it was the price - I got a pretty hefty discount and I knew that if I hated it I could easily move it on without losing much (if anything at all). I'm surprised how much I like it - the quality exceeds everything else I own and it's the little extra details that count. With the old Aerospaces, Breitling used to add a few decals to the dial and that was pretty much it. Bremont make custom rotors, let you have personal details on the back, offer numerous customisation options and invite you on factory tours (which I couldn't make unfortunately).
I personally couldn't give 2 sh*ts anymore about the military heritage. What counts for me is what they are doing for military personnel right now - offering really good personalised watches at excellent prices.
And here's my Bremont MBIII featuring the greatest combat aircraft ever made in all her glory: the twin man, twin fan, nato aluminium swing wing arrow of death.
I popped down to the Canary Wharf boutique this afternoon for a quick look - they had an Arrow (albeit a non-working prototype which has apparently been doing the rounds for photo shoots etc).
I rather liked it. The black painted hands still strike an odd note for me: although they help the bright lume plots “float” over the dial I find the lack of contrast fundamentally annoying. Frustrating because I really liked the rest of it. The dial is a lovely velvety texture, there’s lots of sensibly bright lume including the chrono and sundial hands, which many watches forget, and the deep sloping rehaut is a nice touch of visual interest. I wasn’t expecting to like the case, but the machined grooves work for me, and the height isn’t too bad in the flesh. No worse than anything with a 7750 in it!
But.
The big surprise for me was the anniversary edition MBIII, the one with the white dial. What a lovely thing. All the usual Bremont design cues in terms of case design, the red details on dial and hands work really well and the grey, titanium-look barrel is oddly eye-catching too. It’s nothing flashy or jaw-droppingly new, but a really well integrated design which looks awesome on the wrist. I think a chat with the bank manager is in order
Sorry Duncan, I met all the TZUK guys at the end of the tour and said I didn't think we'd met before but after you left I realised that we have met several times when you've serviced a few of my watches!
You make me chuckle.
Aha, when you said we hadn't met I thought I was losing it! Thanks for confirming I may still have a few of my marbles
Bremont are starting to grow on me, not sold on many of the designs but certainly tempted with a Solo. They undoubtedly make excellent watches despite their marketing occassionally going a bit Walter Mitty/Franklin Mint sometimes. However it's certainly no worse than Omega flogging the 007 connection for years.
Owners must be happy as don't see many used examples appearing on the Sales Corner these days.
I do like the look of the Broadsword (calling Danny Boy) even if it doesn't have a broad arrow, which is not present according to ABTW because it's illegal "by British law." I'll be keeping my PRS-29B under my sleeve in case the MOD Police come calling.
The problem as always with Bremont is twofold. First, is the large amount of guff that underpins their marketing. The half-truths, insinuations and gimmicks simply become tiresome. Other brands also make exaggerated claims and it's entirely legitimate to criticise them as well but Bremont over-egg the pudding every chance they get.
For example from the Armed Forces Collection page; "This marks the first time that civilians can purchase official Bremont Military timepieces." Really? The first time that civilians can buy their watches? Define "official". Define "Military."
Second of course is the price. Yes, they harden their cases. Yes, they adjust and enhance the ETA or Selitta movements they buy in. Yes, some of the designs look good. But I do not appreciate the value proposition they offer. No.
When one of these costs £2,600 I'll stick to my PRS-29B (£400 in 2011) or possibly I could buy a couple of original Smiths W10s, or perhaps even a new Hamilton for £350.
But let me leave the final word to Zach Pina, the author of the ABTW article, who throughout displays a strong reluctance to swallow Bremont's marketing schtick.
"But actual military-issued watches — those with the provenance that make them so highly sought-after in the collecting community — often come from humble, unintentional beginnings. Spartan design, practical, purpose-built capability, and just the right amount of luck are often the magic ingredients that represent a lineage earned, and not bought."
Let's hope Bremont didn't have to pay too much for the rights to stick the armed forces logos on the casebacks...
https://www.christopherward.co.uk/c6...urst-series1-1
https://www.christopherward.co.uk/wa...ces-collection
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
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