Breil Watches Review – Italian Styling and Swiss Quality

Breil Watches – Italian Looks; Swiss Build

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Breil watches - women's Precious rose goldAs fashion companies go, Breil is a bit unusual.  They’re based in Italy, but Breil watches and the company name are Swiss.  The company was founded in the 1930s and added watches to their product line not long after, so they’re hardly new at the timekeeping business.

They don’t make clothing; just jewelry, timepieces and assorted fashion accessories.  As such, their timepieces aren’t really an add-on product; they’re part of the company’s identity and a featured product. They’re of better quality than a lot of wristwatches that one sees from fashion companies, and they’re attractive, as well.

They’re also quite affordable, and offer a good mixture of styling, build quality and pricing.   Breil watches are well worth considering if you’d like a designer watch.

Read on for the full Breil watches review.


Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary

Breil Watches Build Quality

The build quality is quite good, especially considering their price range.   Most of their models use stainless steel cases, and their watches use a mixture of either mineral crystal or sapphire crystal, depending on the model.  Water resistance varies, but we’ve seen models in the product line offering water resistance of up to 300 meters, so that should be good enough for just about anyone.  These are well-made timepieces that should offer a long life.

Movements

The movements are Swiss-made and are either automatic mechanical or quartz electronic.  Most of their less expensive models are quartz, but their higher end and limited edition models are automatic.

Innovation

You won’t see a whole lot of innovation in Breil watches, but they do offer several interesting chronograph models as well as a few models with extra complications, such as day and date.  They do offer some surprisingly rugged diving watches, with good water resistance and screw-down crowns, so these are not just fashion pieces.

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Styling and Features

Breil watches - men's Aviator silverAs Breil watches reflect fashion, the styling ranges from traditional to contemporary.  You won’t see a lot of crazy styling as you will with a few other companies such as Corum, but they do offer nice splashes of color as well as a generous number of gemstones for women’s models.

Their chronograph models have interesting styling, as well.  Displays are all analog, even for the quartz models.  The line includes more than 100 different models, so chances are good that they’ll have something that catches the eye of just about everyone.

Care and Maintenance

There are two groups regarding maintenance, depending on the movement in your model.   Quartz models will require little in the way of care; they only need to have their batteries replaced every few years.  Automatic models should be inspected every two years by a jeweler to ensure that the watertight seals remain intact.

While the company makes no specific recommendation regarding maintenance, most makers of models with automatic movements recommend that they be returned to the factory every five years or so for service.  You may wish to ask your dealer about this.

Otherwise, you should store them away from extremes of temperature and strong magnetic fields.  Automatic models would ideally be stored in a watch winder to keep them working properly and keeping the correct time.  With proper care, you’ll find that your watch should run for many years with little trouble.

Breil Watches Warranty

The warranty offered with sale is for two years against defects in materials and craftsmanship from the date of purchase.  If something goes wrong, they’ll repair or replace your defective timepiece at their option.  In practice, these are thoroughly tested watches and chances of encountering a defect are rare.  We’ve found that two years is the average duration of warranty for most luxury watch makers.

Prices

Breil watches - women's lilac KnockYou’ll find that prices are quite reasonable, giving their good build quality and elegant design.  Part of the reason that they’re affordable is that they don’t go overboard with diamonds, gold or platinum, as other watchmakers do.

They favor stainless steel and gold plate, and while these are certainly sturdy materials, they’re a lot less expensive than gold.  Retail prices range from a low of about $250 to a high of about $2500, which makes them relatively inexpensive and designer watches go.

The high end models are quite well made and are certainly attractive and can compare favorably with watches selling for twice as much.  All in all, we think they are quite a bargain.

Where to Buy

You can find the brand for sale at a number of brick and mortar retailers, including jewelry stores and high end department stores.  You will likely find them for sale at any store that carries the company’s other products, such as their jewelry.

You can also find them for sale at a number of online retailers, which is your best opportunity to buy at a discount.  Pricing tends to be a bit more rigid at the brick and mortar stores, but the online retailers offer quite a bit more flexibility.  We’ve noticed that it’s pretty unusual to see any single retailer offering more than a few of the company’s products, so be prepared to shop around for a bit if you’re looking for something in particular.

Breil Watches Summary

We find that this brand fills a nice market niche.  They offer interesting Italian styling without going overboard with the wacky design elements that we’ve seen from other Italian companies. They offer good build quality, and use reliable Swiss mechanical and quartz movements.

If you like sports models, they offer a few with exceptionally good water resistance and they offer nice splashes of color and gemstones in their women’s models for those who like a flashy look.  Their warranty is more than adequate, and the pricing is quite appealing.

In fact, depending on your budget, you may find Breil watches affordable enough that you may want to buy more than one.  All in all, we think they offer good quality and value and that makes Breil watches a good buy.

Click here to shop for Breil watches at Amazon.com