NEW COLUMN – Cheap Bastard: The Breda Of The Pack

Time+Tide

First up, an introduction as to how this column is going to run and for that a high-end car metaphor is required. The majority of the timepieces that fill this site can, without too much of a stretch, be equated to wrist Ferraris, horological McLarens, an Aston Martin with tourbillons – you get the picture.

This column is the guy who valets those car. He loves fine timepieces as much as the guy who can slap down a triple black and say: ‘I’ll take one in stainless steel for day and the gold for evening, thanks.” But the undeniable reality is that the budget just won’t stretch that far without the sale of a black-market kidney or a severe dent in the quality of his kids’ education.

That said, we see you and thanks to a bunch of refinements both technical and aesthetic, you can now score a timepiece that turns heads for under $500. That is what we celebrate here.

First cab off the rank – or should that be first Uber match – is Breda, an American outfit founded in 2009. Like many of life’s most delightful discoveries, it was stumbled upon purely by accident. The dream was a Tom Ford 001 Rectangular but at $16K had me snorting tea out of my nose in expletive-laden disappointment.

Until that was I stumbled upon Breda’s Virgil with a lizard-embossed leather strap in the gold/black/gold colour scheme. At US$115, it had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief. An action that was repeated when it fetched up on the doorstep a few days later.

Developed for a project with American GQ, the rectangular case sits at a slim 26mm and is plated in 18K gold. Points too for the creamy brushed gold dial which is just a shade or three lighter than the hands and case to be properly complementary. Some other details associated with far more expensive wrist candy include the arrowed hands and fluted crown.

Guts wise, you’re obviously not going to find fireworks, but instead you get a serviceable quartz movement from Miyota, a brand which has powered everyone from Citizen to Festina.

Should you find the black on gold a bit too much of a contrast and want a colourway that’s more suited to day wear, the tan leather band dials things back a touch without sacrificing elegance. There is also the option of a silver case with a chocolate brown strap.

So, all in all, a certified motherflippin’ bargain that looks like a far pricier item. All that remains in to wear it with the correct attitude. And that, is one thing we can’t help you with.