Burberry has a long and storied history, harking back to the 1850s in Hampshire, England, and that iconic trench coat that founder Thomas Burberry created, and has subsequently made the brand famous. After flattening sales and a loss of interest in the label, the brand fell on some tough times through the 70s and 80s, however the brand has been blowing up on multiple fronts under the stewardship of current Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey. In fact, the Burberry brand was recently named one of the top 100 global brands in the world. Burberry is definitely more than trench coats and their iconic tartan plaid. Fragrances, accessories, a full range of men’s and women’s ready to wear, they have branched out into nearly all arenas of fashion in the past 10 years.
And now Burberry has made the concerted commitment to the timepiece industry, recently releasing their first line of automatic watches, under the moniker The Britain. Fully investing in Swiss movements, The Britain clearly stacks up against a number of other swiss made timepieces. Coming in a range of different styles with a variety of metals, The Britain features design work evocative of other Burberry products, drawing inspiration from the grommets, rings and stitching of their famous trench coats.
The swiss movements are all hand made to the exacting standards of all swiss watch manufacturing, are self-winding, and custom designed for this specific range. Three of the models feature a transparent back, which puts the movement on full display for all to see. And with a price point that is reflective of the craftsmanship but not so great that it will cut into your first born’s college fund, The Britain lives comfortable in two different spheres: it’s a technically exacting example of swiss watchmaking, but at the same time features design work forward thinking enough to differentiate itself from other more classically regarded swiss watch brands.
The Britain can either act as your everyday watch (and a nice investment at that), or can be the start of a nice fine swiss watch collection.
Visit the Burberry website to see The Britain for yourself:
http://us.burberry.com/store/watches/mens-watches/
Or better yet, pay a visit to the flagship store in New York City:
Burberry
9 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022
212.407.7100
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