THE OFFICIAL WATCH BUYER'S GUIDE - Elite Traveler

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paris-based Bernard richards opted several years ago to create his own luxury watchmaking facility in france, rather than the hallowed watchlands
of Switzerland, when he opened Brm or Bernard richards manufacture. now, just a few miles outside of the city, Bernard richards carries on the
watchmaking traditions that have been passed to him from family members. richards and his team supply specialized services for other watch
companies, and they also build about 2,500 Brm pieces per year. richards takes care in selecting the best metals (he uses long bars of titanium
rather than the standard 18mm thick ramming titanium, for example); his parts are never made by pending but by removal of material only (the
benefit is their molecular structure is perfectly preserved); lugs are screwed onto cases to permit the pairing of different materials and colors; and
all the major operations—fitting, assembling, setting and polishing—are performed by hand. and one look at a Brm watch reveals richards’ passion
for motorsports. The watches are strong and sporty, with interesting hits of color (perhaps on the rotor, or the hands). Some cases even bear the
checkerboard pattern of auto racing’s flag. naturally, professional drivers are great customers of Brm today.
ColleCtion HigHligHt
With the launch of the Tr1-Tourbillon, Brm claims the mantel of offering the only french-made tourbillon. This 48mm titanium watch adheres to
the style codes of Brm, including a skeletonized dial and sport design elements. The automatic movement is suspended on triangle bridges made
from carbon fiber, and shock absorbers with a cone-shaped spring make the delicate piece even more durable. other modern materials the watch
incorporates are ceramic (rotor bearings), aluminum (rotors), tantalum (rotor weights) and stainless steel (lugs). for the sake of comfort, the steel
crown sits at the 2 o’clock position. The piece comes on an alligator strap and is water-resistant to 100 meters ($136,150 with red, yellow or orange
hands).
corporate contact: frederic Gasser, (214) 231-0144; fgasser@brm-manufacture.com; www.brm-manufacture.com