As an outsider to this whole debate, it's difficult to tell what is really going on, and what personalities and behaviors are driving the discussion.

Watching Bremont, from some distance, it seems that they have done an amazing thing -- creating a worldwide brand, claiming a niche, using some strong imagery, and developing a loyal following. They are good lookign watches and seem to have a near cult-like following. I cannot assess the quality of Bremont watches, as I have never actually spent much time with them, and am not in a position to compare their quality to their claims of quality.

Still, it seems that Bremont does England a favor by flying the flag and bringing any sort of watchmaking to the country. If Roger Smith is producing the equivalent of 10 Stradivarius violins per year, and I am producing 1,000,000 inexpensive kazoos, it seems that I have done something good for the country's musical instruments business, especially if I can use the kazoos as a base from which to build better instruments. Who knows, maybe some day we go from the kazoos to some decent instruments.

As I said at the beginning, it's impossible for me to understand what this debate is really about, but it seems to me that Bremont has done a hell of a thing, in getting to where they are. It will be interesting to see where they go from here.

Just my very poorly-informed two cents.

Jeff

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: It may or may not be the Bremont bashing bandwagon.
: They're a UK brand, making good watches and I hope they one day
: soon have their own in-house movements.
: We need more British companies like this, promoting quality
: engineering and design.
: Construction and customer service is second to none.
: The debate around them will hopefully give the British watchmaking
: industry the kick up the @r$e it needs.
: I have 2 and hardly wear anything else these days.
: I can't think of another 'new' watch I'd choose for the same money
: as my MB or U2 and the fact they're a UK based company is a
: bonus.
: 1 of my boys dropped the MB, face down, onto a stone floor from a
: height of 3 feet and I was stunned to find it unmarked and
: running fine.
: If that had been one of my Monacos or Autavias there would surely
: have been tears (from me, not my boy :-))
: I'm not really bothered who created their movement at this moment
: in time.
: I'm more bothered about the armchair critics, typical of Britain,
: who'd rather expose negatives than promote the positives.
: I still love my Heuers btw, even those with ETA, V/J or Lemania
: movements in them.
: AndyO...
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