Founder's note
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=jpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=213&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=adda5bc899152ed953fee9691b154e80 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=jpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=320&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=eb860c5c48131393c318fe72b2fc9e50 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=jpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=427&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=933eacbce8844d5c19ae67d8e56630a0 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=jpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=640&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=19c9adc8282933b0583bef2a156cc145 960w)
An introduction to Brathwait’s journal by founder Henrik Torp
April 2, 2014. That was the day Braithwait sold its first watch. That day marked the beginning of a humbling journey. We’ve never looked back.
Each and every one of our customers has played a part in Brathwait’s growth and success. That’s why we’re launching this journal, dedicated to sharing with you our ups, downs, and everything inbetween. We wanted to start 2016 by re-committing to what we hold most dear: transparency, honesty and creativity. The best way to honor this commitment is through bearing it all, right here on this journal, and sharing it with you.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-henrik-torp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=2413434191b4750ba7993bfb520d6736 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-henrik-torp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=3e43927d069e85b1ccbae99dee35c933 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-henrik-torp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=86a1132e34eb7f7b8a30903fddec551e 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-henrik-torp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=fdd6d2db8848562d6793b0e1ebac634a 960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-henrik-torp.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1200&s=c4370ec56be44b04c7ff05e3e17ed4a8 1200w)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=07b82dbe4399046e951009c11a635197 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=85ae51e2280686420d84a90ec3956a35 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=803b39dc94f19d6f66b11d7d9118a7e9 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=bfba2f43e3c34662f2a5390b7527b338 960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1200&s=a0f222f8096721dd0c9bc044623d4279 1200w)
"The expertise and technologies for watchmaking were once exclusive to a handful of luxury watchmakers, which allowed them to charge exorbitant prices for special features and unmatched durability"
Why I started Brathwait
People rarely question the craftsmanship of recognized brands. Why would they? It’s safe to assume companies charge fair prices for their products right? Not so much. More often than not, what you’re paying for isn’t unparalleled quality; you’re paying for their “luxury” advertising. Two watches can be of equal quality and durability but one costs several times more than the other. How is that possible?
The expertise and technologies for watchmaking were once exclusive to a handful of luxury watchmakers, which allowed them to charge exorbitant prices for special features and unmatched durability. Eventually these manufacturing techniques became standard and affordable, but brands refused to reduce their prices to be proportionate to the new, lower manufacturing costs. Even new, non-luxury brands have adopted this practice, charging hundreds for what cost $10 to make. Before Brathwait, you couldn’t find the best possible quality for the best possible price.
I felt uneasy about this discrepancy and wanted to do right by consumers. That’s why I founded Brathwait. I didn’t want to plaster words like “fair”, “honest”, “transparent” and “luxury” on our site but cut corners on production behind the scenes, the way so many other companies do. I wanted these words to be the building blocks for the brand and to influence every decision we made regarding design, manufacturing and working with people who share our values.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=46ae89b28470522ce6a893f2fa8abee2 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=fa736204d7c50284ada4a5da614649fb 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=24efed64d816f5f12455dcf4f3ced550 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=f87686f0116ceb382e8e660ccc3d9f78 960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1200&s=e33ee58ea21d7aabe96c09dd1235a6c8 1200w)
Putting the team together
2014 marked our launch, but in 2015 it was time to build a team; a team of people who wanted to help Brathwait inspire transparency. Esquire and other media outlets took notice of us and our community of like-minded people grew. We saw a lot of success in 2015, but took our fair share of punches as well. One story about our look-book brought us so much traffic we were 30 days away from bankruptcy: yes, for real. We weren’t able to keep up with the onslaught of backorders. But our followers stuck by us and we weathered the storm; came out on the other side more determined than ever.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=0049896cc39a433c498baa0b75d6d7e1 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=b53cf17976176885acdbf0813619e852 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=8381a8fdbf04236962353f65957853a4 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=7dccf8eb54b549ceab7b74610d31fd00 960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/behind-the-scenes-watch-making-1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1200&s=4a9e8c79a7591e5721b5e481b6d03e09 1200w)
Going Forward
So what’s in store for 2016? We’ve told you how fair, honest, and transparent Brathwait is. But going forward, we want to show you just how fair, honest and transparent we are. This is year will bring new designs, exciting collaborations and special edition products. With our journal, we’re going to take you behind the scenes to show you how we do things at Brathwait, and give you an insider’s look at watchmaking. We’re also going to showcase other cool companies who share our values. We are more committed than ever to give our community -- that means you-- what it deserves: quality, style and honesty. While I write this, I am on my way to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of Swiss watchmaking; so we may or may not have a totally Swiss-made line in the works...Stay tuned. We have just begun and we will spare no details along the way.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/watch-box.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=320&s=59e86594e64164c7be16a499a189b31d 320w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/watch-box.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=480&s=12fa8e3d8c6114c1ed9466608eb65d5a 480w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/watch-box.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=640&s=d06bfd932ab635aa8b71450f089d46ff 640w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/watch-box.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=960&s=c60adf50ef585a5ae0dde52ce09e8d01 960w, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.brathwait.com/images/journal/watch-box.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&fm=jpg&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=75&w=1200&s=a52977bea271b99985ecd28b1b9725bb 1200w)