Review: BREDA Bresson watches

Having started life as a private label brand in 2009, watch designer BREDA has come a long way over the years and now operates out of a watch design studio in Dallas, Texas. In fact it has even made big steps forwards during the last 12 months, with its watches addressing some of the design and material flaws we pointed out in our BREDA Valor watches review.

As ever, BREDA is a brand that focuses on creating premium watch designs within an accessible price range, so it's a relief to see that the craftsmanship is finally on par with its reasonable pricing.

The watches we were given to review come from BREDA's Bresson range. While we found the Valor selection of watches a little lacking in terms of the strap material quality, this isn't the case with the bold and chunky Bresson models. Each comes with thick, genuine leather straps that look more than capable of standing up to being repeatedly fastened day in, day out.

The centrepiece of a Bresson watch is its durable case. Just like the stitchless strap, the case has a robust feel and weight to it and is comfortable to wear. And while it's chunky, you won't feel one arm weighing conspicuously more than the other while you're wearing it.

Taking its name from photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, the Bresson watch "captures elements from the lens of a camera." Time itself is displayed with an easy to read matte dial and a white watch face with embossed minute markers. The result is a design that has an elegant functionality that both looks good and meets the practical demands of the user.

The only issue we ran into while reviewing this range was a usability flaw with the buckle. On one model the buckle unclipped itself while the strap was being fastened, but this was easily clipped back into place and the watch continues to be worn just fine.

Bresson watches come in an appropriately minimalist cardboard box and sleeve that store the timepieces flat to keep them safe. This is great as it keeps the leather strap in mint condition. Other BREDA watches are supplied in a square box that wraps the strap around internal packaging, so it's good to see that the attention to detail is carried over from the watch to how it's presented.

Retailing at $90 (or roughly £70), the Bresson watches deliver much more than other BREDA ranges at just a fractionally higher price. With these timepieces you get value for money and quality craftsmanship to boot. The Bresson range could easily suit day to day wear or be saved for special occasions, so be sure to check it out.

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