DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Watches

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DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Watches

Post by SCM64 » Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:44 pm

Hi Guys.

I recently had a chance to meet Mike Pearson, the Bremont North American Brand Manager, at a watch event here in Tampa hosted by Old Northeast Jewelers (you know, the one I never posted pictures from because I suck. Well and the lighting was no great, so the Iphone pics sucked). Mike is a young Englishman who has lived in the U.S. for 5 years, and has a true passion for watches and Bremont. Mike was a pleasure to chat with, and was excited that I even knew the name of the Supermarine!

Well I have also been following Bremont/Mike on Facebook and have seen how busy he has been running all over the country as they introduce Bremont through various high end retailers in North America. This guy is busy! He is also very cool, and you can tell how enthusiastic his is about Bremont.

Well I reached out to Mike about doing an exclusive interview with DWC, to share a bit about Bremont and what they are doing in the market. Not only did he glady answer my questions, but responded in about 3 hours.

So it is my pleasure to present below, the DWC exclusive interview with Mike.


11 Question with Mike Pearson (North American Brand Manager) of Bremont watches:

1. How long have you been with Bremont, and were you in the watch industry before joining the company?

I have proudly been with Bremont for a little over a year now. I previously worked for another watch brand (Ernst Benz) for four years as their International Business Development Manager and before that I worked for a promotional company in the Caribbean and Alaska promoting watches and Jewelry for the shops in the ports of call for a couple of years.

2. Are you or any of the other folks at Bremont members of any online watch forums, and do you keep up with what collectors have to say about Bremont online?

Well Nick and Giles are only just getting used to Facebook so they dont go onto the forums too often but we all keep an eye on the forums and the chatter because it is very important to see what we are doing right as a brand but we can also learn about what we can improve on.
I am not really active on the sites mainly because I feel that forums are a place for enthusiasts and fans to honestly air their views on an industry they care about but we are all very easy to get a hold of so if anyone ever has a question for myself, our marketing team or even Nick and Giles (co-founders) then we will always answer.
I have answered a couple of questions on Watchuseek and the Bremont forum http://www.Alt1ude.com before but as a whole I think the forum is a place only entered when invited and it's like the teachers coffee room where you can really say what you think.

3. You are very active on Facebook and Twitter, which I think is great. Many watch companies seem to have no clue regarding social media marketing. Have you seen any evidence that this has increased sales for Bremont, or it is just a way to better interact with owners at this point?

It is true that I do love social media just purely because I believe in what I am doing with Bremont and I want people to see what I see.
In a world that is so over saturated with 'in your face marketing' I think Social media is wonderful purely because it gives people a choice. If they like what is being written on our Bremont Facebook page or Twitter (@BremontWatchCom) feed or my North America Bremont MikePearson/Twitter (@MikePearson6) pages then they will not 'unlike' the page or 'unfriend' me or stop follwing our tweets but if they do then that is not a problem and everyone is happy and life moves on.
It is also nice to see a personal side to the brand. The brothers often give each other digs on Twitter and you can see their great adventures when flying their family around in the Bremont bomber or my long looong journeys across the USA going from State to state visiting retailers which also includes alot of baseball.
I do go on quite a bit about Tigers Baseball, Aston Villa and my music quite alot too on Twitter which is not always to everyones taste!! SORRY.

I do believe social media will HELP increase sales in the end purely because the story, the history, the brothers, the collection, our retail partners etc...are all featured very heavily so consumers know where to go, what to look for and possibly understand a little about why we build Bremont the way that we do.

4. You have certainly been busy getting Bremont into various retail outlets. How many new retailers are now carrying Bremont, and how many more do you planning on adding in 2012?

Thank you, its been quite a journey and in the last 13 months I have learnt more about myself than at any time in my life.
Selling and brand growth is of course the main goal for any company but for me I tried not to think of it in that way when starting with the English brothers and Bremont.
We are building a brand over here and with Bremont being so new to many people in North America, all I wanted to do was educate the retailers and their customers and then we could go from there.
I was very politely shown the door on more than one occasion over the past year but also met some incredible retailers who are hungry to give their customers something special and different, they believe in what we are trying to do and I have been blown away by the positive response from stores across the continent.
I think we are up to around 40 locations across North America (Caribbean included) with around 20 added in the last year. We only produce 4000 pieces per year so growth is proportionate to our size but I would love to have a presence in every state within the next three years if that is at all possible.

5. Is the focus on getting Bremont into new retailers a strategy specific to the USA/North America, or is this a global strategy. Is the USA currently your largest market?

I believe that holding a timepiece and falling in love with it is the best and only way to buy a watch and so the retailers who choose to work with Bremont are incredibly important to me. I look after North America for Bremont but I think Nick and Giles only want to work with people who share their vision and so the message is pretty consistent across the world as we grow.
The UK is still Bremont's leading market but I am creeping us closer to them every month which is something I am very proud of.

6. Are the retailers you are adding for Bremont sales, also authorized repair centers, or would any service work need to be sent overseas?

Customer service is the most important and proudest part of my job and because we are still able to look after each watch with incredible detail I still want our UK factory to repair a damaged or broken timepiece before anyone else.
There some amazing stores who sell Bremont that have state of the art service facilities but with so few watches coming back for service at this time I really enjoy the fact that our watch makers in the UK can fix, repair, refinish etc...any Bremont with lightning speed.
The team back in the office are wonderful and we all want to ensure our customers are happy with their 3 year warranty experience.

7. The Supermarine is really the watch that seemed to put Bremont on the map with the feature article in WatchTime last year. Is that currently your best selling model, and if so, can you share with us how many were sold in 2011?

In regards to our best selling piece I can honestly say that within our core the Orange MBII was our best selling model for last year and I think the ALT1-C (in any color was a close second) the S500 seemed to add a wonderful weight and credibility to the Bremont collection and did amazingly well for us to the point where we were on backorder for the longest time in 2011 especially in the all black version and the decent limited edition.
The breakout watch of the year was 100% our P-51 limited edition made from original parts of a P-51 Mustang from 1944. We made 251 of the special watches and it was sold out in three weeks which was unbelievable!!

8. Congratulations on recently winning the 2012 Breakthrough Brand, at the recent Luxury Briefing Awards. Are there any other awards you would like to make us aware of?

Again thank you but that was all down to the team in the UK. Nick and Giles, Sarah (marketing), Stephen (who does my job in the UK), the entire office staff and watch makers worked their socks off to achieve this award and that also goes along side Bremont being the WINNER OF WATCH BRAND OF THE YEAR, UK JEWELLERY AWARDS 2011 and WINNER OF BEST EMERGING BRITISH LUXURY BRAND, WALPOLE 2008!!
I have no clue what awards are out there if I am honest but will gladly accept any that come our way :)

9. There are only a few brands that take the extra steps to have their cases hardened beyond the normal 316L steel hardness, such as Sinn, Damasko, and one or two others. Can you share what technique is used to harden the Bremont cases, and is Bremont going to continue to look at advanced technologies as part of their strategy for the future?

The great thing for me about Bremont is that I can pop any of our models next to any watch that is within our price range ($5000 average) and I can show you what we have tried to improve on with the traditional ingredients of a luxury timepiece such as the treated Crystals, the movement finishing etc but the secret to Bremont is all in the case.
The trip-tic case protects the movement in a way like no other and with the hardened steel, you also have a watch that can not only last forever but look amazing for a life time.
All of our cases are hardened in the UK by a specialized company that finishes and treats the jet turbine blades for leading engine manufacturers. We use a similar technology where the cases are diffused with Carbon at very high temperatures to make the underlying substrate harder and then finished with a number of other proprietory treatments to Bremont. The result of this time and effort is a stainless steel case which is 2000 Vickers in hardness which is about 7 times harder than a normal stainless steel case plus it has a wonderful, natural satin finish.
We have an amazing technical team who help Nick and Giles realize their goals when building Bremont.
Peter Roberts (http://youtu.be/8uT16ERpNCY) who is our technical director will keep pushing the boundaries for us I am sure.

10. You released a very cool limited edition at Basel this year, the Bremont Victory Watch, that will contain parts of oak timber and copper from one of the most famous sailing ships in history, the HMS Victory. Can you tell us a little about how that collaboration came about, and how the timber and copper will be used in the watch?

I am huge fan of our Norton series, the complex case of the MB, the classic finish of the ALT1-C series but their is something really special about using historical artifacts inside something that (if looked after) can last forever.
The Bremont Victory is my favorite watch that we have introduced but will not be out until December and I have never seen an actual finished model yet!!
One of our retailers actually said "it was the best watch I have never seen" at this years Basel fair and I completely agree.

The EP-120 and the P-51 were huge successes for the brand but to be a part of something so important to Naval and British history is something quite amazing indeed.

Nick and Giles are now working with The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, England where the Victory is shown as a museum piece aswell as a national monument.
In 2010 a major refit was commissioned for Victory and Part of the proceeds of each watch will go towards the refurbishment and preservation of the ship.

There are no pictures of the back of the watch that are available for release just yet but Copper and original Oak from Victory will be incorporated into the back of the watch, the Rotor and the middle barrel.

The first thing you will see when turning over the watch is the exhibition back to our double retro grade chronograph.
When the watch is at the 12 o'clock position, the Rotor and the Crystal will hang to form Lord Admiral Nelsons original seal that we have had special permission to use.
Part of his seal will be etched onto the back of the crystal and the bottom half of his seal will be formed from the copper of Victory on the rotor and is truly lovely to see.
Around the crystal on the back of the watch will be a slim veneer of oak from the Victory and it looks stunning and very very unique.
My favorite part of Victory is the middle barrel. Instead of steel or aluminum like we have used in the past, we will be using copper from a huge nail off of the Victory to form the middle part of our trip-tic case.
We will then cover it with PVD and etch out the word VICTORY in an original font befitting of the time and copper from the ship will be seen beaming out as you look down your left arm or up if you wear your watch on your right arm.

There will be 250 made in steel and 40 have been commissioned in Rose Gold but the Gold are already sold out which is amazing!

http://www.bremont.com/assets/files/Bremont_Victory.pdf

Image


11. Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions, so let’s wrap it up with a fun one. If someone was interested in getting into the business and being a rep for a major or emerging brand, any advice on how to do that?

It was an absolute pleasure.

Hmmm...DONT haha.
The watch industry is a funny business and as a brand manager or a rep you have to have a passion for people, travel, what you sell and able to smile on very little sleep!!
Luckily I sleep with a coat hanger in my mouth...joke!
My biggest piece of advice is asking the companies that you admire and respect to see if they have any positions available and see if you have the skills they require. It has to be right for both parties or it wont last.
I can only sell what I like and if you believe in the product and the company values and you have a good work ethic then you should do really well in this industry.
Nick says I only got the job because I am English and I live in America...lovely man!

If anyone has questions then please email me michael@Bremont.com and thank you for all of your support.


Thank you Mike, I really appreciate you taking the time to share this information with the membership at DWC. Best wishes on what I know will be a successful year for you and Bremont in 2012. :cheers:
Steven

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by dshap » Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:53 pm

:clap:


Great job scoring this interview Steven. Very well done, and thanks to Mike for participating!
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by CGSshorty » Fri Mar 30, 2012 5:56 pm

Very cool interview. Great job Steven.
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by craniotes » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:03 pm

Image

Great job, Steven! Man, if only I could've gotten my hands on one of those P-51s... And that Victory... :love:

These guys are really kicking ass and taking names, no doubt about it. We never managed to get Mike to a Red Bar GTG, but Jae and I will work on getting him to visit once we get a new joint nailed down. You can count on it. :thumbsup:

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by jimyritz » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:21 pm

Well done Steven... :clap: :clap:

Not to jack your thread but here is the new Supermarine 2000

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f444/new-b ... 65911.html


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Mike

Hope it's ok to add it ...

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by SCM64 » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:37 pm

^ cool Mike. Being able to handle the Supermarine in person was really cool, and seeing the entire line was really a treat. I love what Bremont is doing. :cheers:

And as Adam said...the Victory LE. :love:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by ikkoku » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:52 pm

great interview...

I met Mike at Toppers during their grand re-opening and he seemed like a great guy.

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by aikiman44 » Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:07 pm

Great stuff, thanks for this from a Bremont geek.
Almost had a P51 in my hands..
"We'd better synchronize our watches."

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by giosdad » Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:40 pm

Great Interview. I was starting to think The visit to the show never happened.
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by BSears » Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:47 pm

Awesome job, Steven. Derek really needs to reconsider your raise. :lol:

Seriously, though, that Victory LE sounds amazing. I love what those guys have done, and it was very cool of Mike to give us that interview. Helluva job, bro. :salute: And that Supermarine ... :thatshot:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by poppydog » Sat Mar 31, 2012 12:35 am

Seriously cool Steven, well done and thanks for this. :thumbsup:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by rockmastermike » Sat Mar 31, 2012 5:35 am

Well done, Steven and Mike. enjoyed reading that.

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by SCM64 » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:06 pm

Glad you guys enjoyed that.

And in the DWC spirit of seeking info, regardless of the source, I found a really good interview on stuffy old TZ (j/k Adam :bird: ) from about a year ago with on the the Bremont founders.

Well worth checking out. :thumbsup:

http://www.timezone.com/library/tzints/201005173326
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by sharkfin » Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:35 pm

Awesome stuff.
Well done Steven!

:clap:

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by FlyPenFly » Sun Apr 01, 2012 6:38 am

Nice job.

I can't wait to see all of the Victory and hopefully get the chance to photograph it.

I played with an Orange barrel MB2 recently and wow, Stunning watch.

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by ezcheese » Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:32 am

Great job Steven. Let's sticky this for a while. :thumbsup:
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by SCM64 » Sun Apr 01, 2012 10:40 am

Cool D. :thumbsup:

I'm sure one of the mods knows how to do that. :oops: :doh:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by HR F1 » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:02 pm

Nice read! I purchased two Supermarines late last year and really liked them although I let both go not too long afterwards. With the updated version shown above, I can see myself adding a Bremont to my collection again (although I'll take the solid-caseback version!).

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by jimyritz » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:40 pm

HR F1 wrote:Nice read! I purchased two Supermarines late last year and really liked them although I let both go not too long afterwards. With the updated version shown above, I can see myself adding a Bremont to my collection again (although I'll take the solid-caseback version!).
=========

Welcome HR F1..

:cheers:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by HR F1 » Sun Apr 01, 2012 4:06 pm

jimyritz wrote:
HR F1 wrote:Nice read! I purchased two Supermarines late last year and really liked them although I let both go not too long afterwards. With the updated version shown above, I can see myself adding a Bremont to my collection again (although I'll take the solid-caseback version!).
=========

Welcome HR F1..

:cheers:
Mike
Thanks, Mike! :cheers:

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by aikiman44 » Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:12 pm

Welcome, from another SM500 guy.
"We'd better synchronize our watches."

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by HR F1 » Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:39 pm

aikiman44 wrote:Welcome, from another SM500 guy.
Thanks for the welcome! :cheers:

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by homathetes » Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:24 am

Finally got around to reading this. Awesome work gents.

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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by cali kid » Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:32 am

Great job Steven, way to hook us up! :cheers:
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Re: DWC Exclusive Interview with Mike Pearson of Bremont Wat

Post by FlyPenFly » Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:07 pm

I wish the bezel crystal was rounded not flat.

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