The incredible Simon Brette

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I didn’t know Peterman Bedat was already working on their third. That’s impressive.

Also I really like this summary. Really captures how fast these new watchmakers are working. Thanks for sharing.

PB has recently hired a talented watchmaker to work with them at their new workshop. The next few years are going to be interesting

[JMac6]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

The majority of these upcoming watchmakers (I omitted watchmakers who have started more than 10 years ago) already have their "second acts", or third, etc ~
Petermann Bedat: 1967 (dead-beat), 2941 (split second chrono), working on 3rd model
Theo Auffret: 1st watch is a tourbillon; 2nd act is a sports tourbillon
Julien Tixier: 1st watch Tempus Fugit counts down your lifespan; 2nd watch is a secular perpetual calendar
Remy Cools: 1st 2 watches are both tourbillon
Sylvain Pinaud: 1st watch is a chrono; 2nd watch is Origine
Krayon: 1st watch is Everywhere, 2nd is Anywhere

Below watchmakers recently released their 1st watch and are presently working on their next ~
Xhevdet Rexhepi: 1st watch has a complication that most people do not understand. Designing his 2nd watch
Simon Brette: He is working on a complicated 2nd watch
Vincent Deprez: 1st watch is a tourbillon and currently working on his 2nd watch

Also, I think that Sylvain Berneron can / should be added. He is in a slightly different position, given he is not a watchmaker, but the Mirage is still my favorite from an independent and I welcome more people who approach watchmaking from his perspective.

[John Doyle]

Such a tough crowd...
Again i said i do like the way it looks, i just can't rationalize the purchase. For me a wristwatch should be timeless, something I would never get bored of looking at. This Simon Brette Cracked Wheat looks stunning, but I would be bored of wearing it. Again that's my view on it and many other independents.
Anything that looks too extreme or artistic, in my views, loses the timeless factor.
This has been proven with sports watches that look more or less basic, but stood the test of time, and that's across the board.
Agree on the comment that AP and Rolex have models that all look super similar - never disputed this.
Regarding Journe, he has the same style for all his watches, and I happen to not like this style. This strange round shape that ends narrow, the numerals he uses, the design of his watches - they do nothing to me.
Finally i'd like you to define Innovation for me. To me, the amount of watchmakers that are "innovating" is tiny. This term is being thrown left and right on this forum with no clarity on how the watchmaking field is innovating. Definition of innovation: Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity, realizing or redistributing value".
How is this watch "innovating"?

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

I’m very big on Simon Brette but there is definitely a discussion to be had about independents and longevity. Even MB&F was struggling up until a few years ago. There’s obviously no guarantees in the watch industry. What’s successful today can be gone tomorrow. It also doesn’t help that the watch industry overall is on shaky ground right now.

I can’t speak for any current or potential Simon Brette owners but part of my interest in the brand besides just the people and watch is the idea of getting into a young independent. There is an obvious risk with this. What if I get a watch from them and they are out of business in 5 years? Will I still truly love the watch then? Or will I be upset that it’s worth significantly less and that I also can’t send it back to them directly to get serviced?

I’ve thought about this before and still think about it from time to time and to me it’s worth the roll of the dice. I don’t mean to minimize the cost involved. These are not cheap watches. But for me, for what I want to do with my collection. This potential purchase makes sense. That’s what everyone here is doing on an individual level.

The cracked wheat comment was funny btw. Just like I can’t get past the genitalia looking movement on Kudoke watches, you can’t unsee the cracked wheat. I’m ok with cracked wheat. I think it looks amazing.

I think this is an interesting point. Not to dump on SB, the watch is amazing, but there's so much hype about the next hot new watchmaker and the newest hottest thing. RR, SB, and all the new makers are still young, they'll make more watches and those watches will keep getting better.

Just a counter thought, for me I'm excited about watches from the people that have been there and done that. Indies that have experienced all the ups and downs and have made it and have watches that reflect a depth of experience in life and in horology that some of these new makers can't even fathom. At the very least, a brand that's had to eat their own dogfood and repair and restore their own watches for a decade or more. It's surprised me that in a hobby that's so much about tradition and history that customers have been so quick to drop six figures on such young brands/makers.

[Ichiran]

SBCA Souscription series is CHF 50,000.
The Winter series is CHF 65,000.

They are nowhere near the figures some have bandied about here. On the retail price, I would have agreed CHF 65,000 is expensive for a 3-hander if it is machine finished and does not involved 12 artisans spending their time perfecting the watch and decorations by hand. One established manufacturer commented to Simon he is crazy to sell the SBCA at such a low price given the handwork involved. The reality is there are enough collectors willing to match the ask and many more do not have the chance to even pay for it.

[vliberman]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

SBCA Souscription series is CHF 50,000.
The Winter series is CHF 65,000.

They are nowhere near the figures some have bandied about here. On the retail price, I would have agreed CHF 65,000 is expensive for a 3-hander if it is machine finished and does not involved 12 artisans spending their time perfecting the watch and decorations by hand. One established manufacturer commented to Simon he is crazy to sell the SBCA at such a low price given the handwork involved. The reality is there are enough collectors willing to match the ask and many more do not have the chance to even pay for it.

If u are arguing that in today’s market collectors are willing to pay for nth degree of finishing, I don’t think you find the other side. The argument is whether such high initial outlay leads to lasting value and insures firms survival. I don’t think it does. As a matter of fact, every successful indie today that produces more than 100 watches per year had to innovate. Except for select few like GB, none are nth degree finishing houses. They are all significant innovators in the industry.

[llngoc]

Originally Posted by rockdrock

The back side. Hard to photograph.

Curious if Simon number his watches (as in 8/12) or just marked as '1 of 12'?

[FrugalGreubel]

Just thought I’d add a quick update.

So on January 31st I sent an email through the Simon Brette website. It was a much longer inquiry than the one I did back in April of last year. I explained who I was, why I was interested in the brand and what owning one of their watches would mean to me. In a sense I was just trying to maybe set myself apart from other potential buyers. It was a long email lol. Silly to do but I thought why not?

Anyway I finally got a response back 12 days later.

It was the same boilerplate email I got the first time. Pretty much an auto reply that took 12 days saying how thrilled they are for the interest in the brand and how they are still working on the allocation process. It included a link for a form which I had already completed back in May of last year. They definitely didn’t read what I wrote because I mentioned having filled out and submitted the questionnaire already.

So yea, not the response I was hoping for lol.

I’d go on a mini-rant about how some of these independents need to work on their customer service skills but whatever.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Just thought I’d add a quick update.

So on January 31st I sent an email through the Simon Brette website. It was a much longer inquiry than the one I did back in April of last year. I explained who I was, why I was interested in the brand and what owning one of their watches would mean to me. In a sense I was just trying to maybe set myself apart from other potential buyers. It was a long email lol. Silly to do but I thought why not?

Anyway I finally got a response back 12 days later.

It was the same boilerplate email I got the first time. Pretty much an auto reply that took 12 days saying how thrilled they are for the interest in the brand and how they are still working on the allocation process. It included a link for a form which I had already completed back in May of last year. They definitely didn’t read what I wrote because I mentioned having filled out and submitted the questionnaire already.

So yea, not the response I was hoping for lol.

I’d go on a mini-rant about how some of these independents need to work on their customer service skills but whatever.

Have you entertained flying in and meeting in person? Seems like a necessity to get anything these days. I don’t have the desire to do such things but god bless those who do. Maybe before I had a family I would do such things. Not anymore. I too have received boilerplate responses from SB. I’m fine with that as I’m sure many have put far more effort into it than me.

[dchang81]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Have you entertained flying in and meeting in person? Seems like a necessity to get anything these days. I don’t have the desire to do such things but god bless those who do. Maybe before I had a family I would do such things. Not anymore. I too have received boilerplate responses from SB. I’m fine with that as I’m sure many have put far more effort into it than me.

Is this like a college acceptance where the little envelope (generic reply) is a rejection and a big envelope with a real response is an acceptance letter?

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by dchang81

Is this like a college acceptance where the little envelope (generic reply) is a rejection and a big envelope with a real response is an acceptance letter?

Idk lol to be fair I didn’t reach out until weeks after the announcement of the original artisans so by then the ship has sailed.

If I wanted more watches I’d just have to learn French and be willing to fly to europe to kiss A** twice a year. The formula seems simple.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Have you entertained flying in and meeting in person? Seems like a necessity to get anything these days. I don’t have the desire to do such things but god bless those who do. Maybe before I had a family I would do such things. Not anymore. I too have received boilerplate responses from SB. I’m fine with that as I’m sure many have put far more effort into it than me.

I appreciate the suggestion but that’s not feasible for me.

I went from being pretty annoyed to thinking it’s kind of funny.

I really would like one of their watches but I’m not gonna beg. I’m very happy for those that get one and feel for the ones who don’t. It’s not a huge deal, it is just a watch.

Now onto thinking about maybe an MB&F……….

[llngoc]

Originally Posted by llngoc

Will keep everyone posted if I get the good news.

As promised. I have update for some good news.

I got allocations for a late 2026 and an early 2027 delivery. Now I just have to wait patiently. Simon was very pleasant to work with and cannot wait for the new complication announcement in 2026.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by llngoc

As promised. I have update for some good news.

I got allocations for a late 2026 and an early 2027 delivery. Now I just have to wait patiently. Simon was very pleasant to work with and cannot wait for the new complication announcement in 2026.

Wow major congrats!

[llngoc]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

Wow major congrats!

Thanks!!

[enjoythemusic]

Epic congrats!