Written by Peter Brooker in Brands on the 14th October 2016

Richard Brathwait changed the world in 1631 upon publishing 'The Complete Guide to the English Gentleman.' The author and poet is regarded as the world’s first Gentleman and has provided the blueprint for men's etiquette and style ever since. As a token of their appreciation to the Brathwait legacy, Brathwait wristwatches have emerged as a symbol of the modern man who practices the heritage of the Gentleman.

I've spent the best part of the morning foraging around the Brathwait website admiring their comprehensive collection of wrist watches. The eponymously titled brand looks to dispense with industry short-cuts and cheap solutions; never compromising the product quality, always cutting the costs.

Their underlying philosophy is to offer complete transparency, declaring a 2:1 mark up on the cost of production. They claim to use the same materials and same factories as £500 to £3000 brands, but sell at a fraction of the price. A true game-changer for the industry. The collection is a studied and clean representation of deftly designed sleek minimalism at its purest, with three styles to choose from.

THE CLASSIC SLIM 

The slim wrist watch exudes effortless elegance whilst maintaining a modern aesthetic fused with a masculine silhouette. Inspired by the Golden Ratio, which in my book would be three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shaken very well until ice-cold, adorned with a large thin slice of lemon peel. Sorry I digress. The golden ratio is regarded as the perfect design ratio to the eye and found in phenomena such as the Milkyway, roses, seashell and now the Brathwait classic wrist watch.

AUTOMATIC MINIMALIST 

The automatic minimalist wrist watch follows in the footsteps of the unpretentious design of their classic slim wrist watch. The index markings are debossed into the dial with surgical precision resulting in thin grey lines - shadows from the edge of the debossed indicies. Representing all the hallmarks of the gentleman's humility and modesty.

THE SWISS MADE AUTOMATIC 

In their endeavor to challenge form and tradition, Brathwait has gone head to head against the most conservative and closed part of the watchmaking industry - the world of Swiss Made timepieces. This haymaker is powered by the kinetic movement provided by the movement of your hand. It's the brands pièce de résistance, Swiss made, assembled by hand in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

A great minimal watch brand which has caught our eye. Discover Brathwait Watches and especially their new Swiss Made Automatic timepiece.