The purists- Opinion
By: andrewG (registered) Wednesday, March 26th, 2008Hello all,
A long time lurker here deciding to start posting and asking a questions but perhaps some background first
As a lurker who has collected watches for about 5 years (since I turned 21) I have enjoyed reading the purists reports, interviews, technical discussions and introduction of new watches to market. To me the purists offers a easy conduit to a pulse on the watchworld- living in Ireland watch collectors are few and far between (or they hide out very well!!). So my comments below must be taken in the context for my love of this website.
I have noticed over the last few years the lack of the community expressing "opinion". One of the cornerstones of this website and people seem to have forgotten the fundamental right of each human- to hold one’s own thoughts. Opinion comes in two forms- either negative or positive. If one expresses a positive opinion their reasons / justification are never questioned. If one expresses a negative opinion they are asked to justify extensively, to reason, to support, and to build a case for having that opinion.
I have noticed that negative opinion usually attracts the most involvement of this community- which is a good thing. The reason negative opinion creates such wildfires is because it sometimes goes against the grain or is contrary to our opinion and we demand that the person explain and prove us wrong (an impossibility since there is never right or wrong with opinions).
So in an attempt to encourage people to express their true opinion it would be an exercise in humility to let everyone talk about their most hated watch with or without supporting their opinion. And let no one, no matter how offended by the others opinion they are rebuke them for it.
I am not trying to "flame" this form but rather stimulate one of its primary virtues- we have passion, we have information but often our true "opinion" is never expressed.
So here is my opinion on the B&R01- formed by myself, in my own head and copyright of my brain:
The BR01 is a failure in watch design for me for a number of reasons. In my mind the combination of price, design, build and emotional worth go together to make a watch.
A typical example of success is the Seiko burger- the price balances with build, while the design and emotional worth blend to create a beautiful item.
The BR01 falls short on price and build: the sum of its parts does not match the price tag. I could go into an in-depth review but I do not have the time.
The BR01 falls short on design: what design? It takes the concept of "big" is good and integrates it with a cost effective case
Emotion- the BR01 has plenty. It is visually impressive and impossible to miss on someone’s wrist. It is promoted by expensive dinners and beautiful ladies. B&R have managed to kick up a marketing fuss over something so simple that the owners are the only promotion it needs
Whether the BR01 is a fad or not is irrelevant- if the BR01 becomes the next panerai is irrelevant. For me the BR01 will never form part of my collection due to design flaws, cost and emotional worth.
And finally I must apologies if my opinion angered any of the BR01 owners but a counter point is need and hence given.
The words love and hate are as powerful as each other but it is easier to say love
everybody has one. What makes it credible, is as Nicholas mentioned, backing up and articulating your opinion. By saying that "its a failure in design" no matter whether people agree or not, is too much of a motherhood statement, and how do you justify such a failure? For example, the square case is highly distinctive and instantly recognisable. If my criteria for design was those two points, then by my value judgement, the BR is a success. Having said that, I applaud you for backing up your statement by outlining your criteria of price, design, build and emotional. 
