I know that Bremont have a mixed reception on here but, unless I’ve missed it, I was surprised that there has been no comments about their rebranding.
Launched today, along with some new models, the whole thing is almost a compete rebrand/ relaunch post the venture capital investment.
Personally, I think that it is not a great looking new logo and the whole new direction seems confused and a little lost - appropriate given the new model is ‘adventurer’ inspired.
Personally, I think that Bremont may be on the slippery slope……
Thoughts?
Crouchy
It’s fear it could be a disaster for them.
The rebrand has resulted in a generic logo, generic font and the generic redesigns have taken away what made Bremont a Bremont. Whilst polarising at least no one could accuse a Bremont of being boring, their case materials, case and dial design were all distinctive.
I really like the old Supermarine, the new version is dull and uninspiring.
Some pretty spicy comments in the New Releases thread
Just taken a look at the site. A missed opportunity to do something different. This looks like the beginning of the end for Bremont.
Seems very much like 'out with the old and in with the new'. I've been a fan of Bremont for quite a while primarily for what the founders principles are but also that I like most of the previous watches. There was obviously a limit to what could be done without major financial input but unfortunately that financing seems to have pushed more toward profit and less toward ideology. It's going to take some time for me to soak up all the new designs and information but my initial reaction is that it's all quite bland and nothing jumps out. Hopefully the new marketing department know what they're doing beyond the watch fans on forums.
I thought it must have been mentioned somewhere, but I think it’s not just the new releases - it’s the whole shockingly bad rebrand.Originally Posted by Matt.D
Maybe Bremont just decided that they ‘wanted to get the badge in’.
Terrible rebranding in my opinion, it looks super generic almost microbrand-esque.
The new models dont appeal to me either, the Terra Nova reminds me of some of the Hamilton watches and the Supermarine is a Breitling wannabe.
Oh dear, oh dear.
Such a shame, the brothers really brought an innovative case, with some great watch faces, altP/ altZ (gmt) with great colours & with 3/6/9, or 6/9/12 dial options. The 'Triptych' case was a great design and made for a great, tough 'pilots' watch. I was never bothered about the 'field&farmer' story because the watches then really caught my eye.
I love this watch & is a cast iron keeper, been on holiday for the last couple of years & will again this year, God willing.
It's so versatile, looking great on any fabric, but superb on bracelet too.
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That alt1-p is just the ticket, need to pick one up at some point.
I’m unconvinced by what I’ve seen which is a shame because I was interested in what was coming. I have an MB2, the brand stuff that irks many passes me by so I’ve always been up for buying another. I’ve always liked the trip tick case design too.
It certainly needed some intervention. The early collections were very attractive tool watches in my view. I started to lose interest with aged lume, vintage like details and always a minor detail here and there on every new watch that made it a deal breaker. The range became vast. That said, I also think there was increasing refinement in the execution, the early stuff was quite simplistic, even if that’s what appealed to me.
That seemed to be acknowledged as part of the relaunch so I was hoping to see a return to a more coherent design, slimmer collection and ditch the vintage but keep things like the base design, which I think really differentiates.
Maybe the new designs will sit along side some of the traditional designs but that won’t address the needless diversity in the range. Or they’ll drop that and end up with something quite generic. Maybe generic will sell better which after all is what it’s all about.
So, new stuff not for me but still interested in where this goes for now.
Last edited by matt74; 9th April 2024 at 20:05.
Bremont's operating profit has been negative since 2015. The new CEO had previous hinted at what was to come:
"The whole entry part of this new line is below 3,000 pounds, between 2,500 to 3,000 pounds, which for me is where, in this premium segment, the soft belly of the market is. This is where consumers are. I love this segment, it’s difficult, it’s competitive — for less money, you have to do everything that more expensive brands do with the same level of sophistication, sexiness and precision."
I suspect with the downturn in the maket, they are trying to pitch into what they see as the safer bet and try and take some of the Tudor marketshare.
I've never been a Bremont fan as I think they marketed themselves out of nowhere, but I can see the appeal of the altp and MB2. The new models look crap though and risk devaluing the whole brand.
to be fair, operating profit is irrelevant for a growing company with investors on board. Arguably showing a profit isn't a good idea as you have to pay tax on whatever you make so better to reinvest that money if you can and if you want to grow. Remember all the media reporting on the tech companies who claimed tiny profits to avoid paying tax.
the new CEO had indeed wanted to push toward the lower cost sector of the market which I personally thought was a bad idea but probably made sense financially as it's where the volume sales are. I doubt it had anything to do with the downturn in the market though as it's the same principle that he used in his previous roles (apparently)
Rather perversely the new Bremont models and logo give me strong Christopher Ward vibes of old - whilst the new Christopher Ward logo and models have found an identity and are going a bit Bremont (whilst generally offering much better vfm). In fact not even Christopher Ward produced models or a logo that had such a cheesy microbrand look about them. What a shame.
I don’t want to be dramatic, but these releases are so bad, I can see it being the beginning of the end for the brand.
I haven’t owned a Bremont, but I got really close to buying the First Gen MB2 Orange, and both the ALT1-P and ALT1-Z were definitely contenders.
In a really competitive market, I think they are done for. I’ll be sorry if that comes to pass.
Dave
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I quite like the new chronos - more so than the old - but the new Supermarines are woefully forgettable "me-too" designs. As a new brand, ditching what heritage you have established is demented. It needed developing and refining.
All that said - today Rolex have once again shown that considerable success can be had endlessly issuing the same boring me-too designs with the occasional tweak to the colour-slider in photoshop......so maybe Bremont are on to something?
I wish them all the very best, I'd like them to succeed, but I agree with comments above that Christopher Ward are playing this game much better.
Not a fan of the new logo or font. Need to see them in the metal but the new supermarine looks like an old tag.
They have made some great stuff, the MB range are fantastic
I think you might be right sadly.
I don't mind the re-brand itself, the old logo was a bit naff anyway.
Moving away from the unique car design though makes the new Supermarine a backward step even though I think the dial is an improvement.
The Terra Nova does nothing for me either, though again the dial is to my liking, just not the rest
Looks like a microbrand now. I’m getting a lot of Formex vibes from their new offerings for some reason.
https://www.ft.com/content/40e06076-...9-ff8d9a7ed793
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I thought the designs were a mess before, I think they're a mess now. Where's the problem?
"A man of little significance"
I rather like the new branding - makes me think more of modern Breguet than the previous design that was more Budgens.
They've certainly gone downhill since their heyday of supplying watches to the Armed Forces in WWII and being an integral part of British military heritage......
Last edited by ryanb741; 10th April 2024 at 06:58.
I reckon the brothers Milked the cash cow whilst they could, sold out. Appointed a new CEO and will sit back with there minor percentage of the company whilst the brand goes down the drain.
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Much of what he says should be good for them with lower entry price, more focus in both design & marketing etc.
Not sure the 2 releases demonstrate the coherence being sought though.
Thanks for posting , provides a lot of the back story covered above in this thread. Sad to see the founders have no operational involvement other than a seat on the board. That must make for a lot of tongue biting!
I quite like the simple three hand terra nova. I normally like colorful watches but none of their bright offerings appeal. The Terra nova at around £3k certainly appeals to me.
Never really got on with the brand and honestly I now don’t think I ever will.
I’m firmly in the target market for this new direction and it just leaves me cold.
It’s a shame as I really want to like them!
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I think ISWYDT.
The diver is about as meh as the Montblanc Iced Tea models, sorry, Iced Sea. Nothing offensive about them and probably just the ticket for someone new to watches who wants to buy British, just nothing exciting for us old hands.
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“We are not leaving behind the idea of bringing watchmaking back to the UK and we want to still be seen as a British challenger — but the Britishness will be expressed much more through exploration, designs, colours and references to the golden days of British watchmaking.”
Inspirational stuff
They have nicked the new Logo from my old house hallway
I think that I'd be much more likely to buy one of the Zero West watches rather than anything from the new Bremont range.
They have nicked the new Logo from my old house hallway
https://clipart.com/download.php?iid=494818
It’s a very common icon.
You lived in the NATO HQ?They have nicked the new Logo from my old house hallway
Not a fan of the new stuff. I suppose it’s got us all talking about the brand, but yeah, they’re all a bit “home shopping” or kickstarter for my liking.
Considering what company’s like Farer, or Christopher Ward offer for half the price it’s hard to get on board with these things.
Still, the marketing bods must know what they’re after. As mentioned by another poster I don’t think “we” are the target demographic. They’ve probably got all the enthusiasts on board already, and after running out of manky desks to smash up and stick in the case back maybe it’s time for a new direction.
Dare I say it, but I quite like the Terra Nova Chronograph!
Would need a healthy discount first though.
I'm more interested to see the rumoured terra nova tourbillon dual time.
That just about sums it up doesn't it? Tragic.“We are not leaving behind the idea of bringing watchmaking back to the UK and we want to still be seen as a British challenger — but the Britishness will be expressed much more through exploration, designs, colours and references to the golden days of British watchmaking.”
Inspirational stuff
I've never been a fan of the watches or the faux heritage but definitely supported their desire to bring watch manufacturing back to the UK, but this ...
and then they take on an American surfer as an ambassador......
the 'Britishness' has to be in the engineering. British design and manufacture or at least a desire to be doing that in the future. That's what the English brothers had in mind when they started the company. The new direction doesn't seem to have any Britishness in it as far as I can tell?
I do wonder what Ben Saunders take on the new Terra Nova will be. The original limited edition was released on the back of his record breaking polar expedition. Imagine having a watch effectively named after you then some years later the name being used as a design decision. Sort of reminds me of the 'turbo' label on the Porsche Taycan electric car.
Agree entirely with this. I supported their desire to bring watch manufacturing to the UK.
Whilst I've never owned a Bremont, I respected the Martin Baker series as it was billed as a watch strong enough to survive an ejector seat. It went well with the idea of a tough , tool adventure watch.
These new offerings don't offer the same kind of feeling.
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Awful watches, terrible change of strategy. Meaningless new logo.
The design feels a whole class below where they were previously.
On the plus side retailers will have to discount the now very out dated stock in order to shift it and make way for the new stuff.
I’m picking up a vaguely Breitling Chronomat flavour, with a lingering aftertaste of Invicta or perhaps Rotary.
Agree…I think the MB branding was an excellent move, also making it a watch they’d give to ejectees, much like the MB tie. The watch also looked well designed and original.
Was never really a fan of any of their other watches to be honest…it’s probably because of their lack of history. I tend to like watches that have vintage roots.
I wonder if they will persist with the special editions that have a piece of something random in them. I notice Breitling have started doing that with their new orbiter aerospace.
Laird Hamilton is 60 years old surfer, Jason Fox 47, Military Veteran, Jimmy Chin 51 year old climber. They're certainly aiming for the older watch buyer.
In theory, the TZ audience is Bremont's target market. It's amazing how far off they are. The new branding and products look to be designed by non watch people.
I’m a bit lost with which companies are targeting which demographic. I’d have put TZ mostly as 40-retiree age bracket and a majority Rolex consumers. I though Bremont was chasing the younger market with these watches in the £3-4k bracket…competing with Tudor and Tag etc. I guess my perception might be off.
Good question ... I can't see many under 40s dropping ££££ on a mechanical watch ...
All the sub 40s are either no watch ("I have a phone") or SmartWatch (Apple/Garmin) ... trying to carve out a business for expensive mechanical watches from "youngsters" seems a tough segment to crack ...
I guess we have to look at the company / brand as before and after the 'change'. Since their inception they've had an identity and an ethos. Some haven't liked it but it's been there all the same. You knew a Bremont when you saw one. This new company will operate in a different market and with a different identity. What that identity is, from the watches I've seen in this release, isn't very clear. These new watches are very ordinary and don't retain the ethos or USPs of Bremont IMO.
But a new fanbase will emerge and I'm sure the company will be just as successful or even more so which I assume is the intention. What I cannot for the life of me understand is why the brothers have allowed this to happen. They've worked so hard and for so long to build that brand and following for it to be diminished in this way.
You can't sell your company and expect to retain control, I have seen it happen a number of times, the new owners always wish to stamp their mark on their new acquisition.
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