Trendy Watch Brand Freezes Time

Breda — the watch giant known for sleek, modern pieces — just launched its Fall 2018 collection. The company made headlines for its collaborative, custom Dallas soccer jersey with Hance Taplin’s By Way of Dallas earlier this summer, and now it’s starting off the upcoming season with a bang.

Still Life, the theme behind Breda’s new collection, demonstrates the importance of something almost all of us need to work on: being present. Breda art director Kendall Falcon likens it to manipulating a scene and taking a snapshot at a certain point in time.

With that in mind, their Bresson watch incorporates the same elements as the lens of a camera – it’s also named after legendary street photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. The Baer watch, named for artist Jo Baer, is designed to mimic the same essence as the minimalist painter herself.

To make matters more interesting, Breda gleefully welcomes a new square-faced watch (the Visser) into the mix as well. The design taps into the square motif that artist Carel Nicolaas Visser is recognized for — it’s an abstract take on a timeless piece of jewelry.

Most of Breda’s pieces range in price from $80 to $120, a complete steal in the watch world. Each Breda watch is made with a genuine, no-stretch leather band. But wait, there’s more.

PaperCity spoke to Breda’s art guru Falcon about the idea of freezing time and what still life means in a watch.

Do you have a method behind choosing your inspiration for the collections?

For new BREDA collections I often begin by exploring the idea of time itself and try to view it in a new way. I get some ideas down, let them play out in my head over some time and ask, ‘Is this telling a whole and complete story?’ As I start to feel that I have a fully formed concept in my hands, I start stringing the pieces together.

How, specifically, did you come up with the theme of “Still Life”?

It began by the idea of time standing still, manipulating a moment, the way that a painting or an image has the power to do so. This gave way for the visual aspect of the campaign, capturing the process of arranging elements in a composition.

What goes into the process of creating these new pieces?

When designing our watches, we focus on simplicity so that in turn, the wearer has versatility and freedom of personal style. This is a guiding principle in our process of creating a new watch. I am able to work hand-in-hand with our talented designers from concept to product, and I focus on fitting all of the pieces together to tell a story. Our designers are researched and meticulous in perfecting even the smallest of details and creating a product of the highest quality possible.

What can we expect from Breda in the future?

More creativity and more collaboration. In everything we do, we hope to continue building our community and connect others through our brand. We’re always seeking new ways to tell stories and give creatives a platform to tell theirs.