jwalker9
06-19-2014, 10:10 PM
This is something new we are going to try for the forum. I'll be contacting different retailers around the world that carry Bremont and asking them to fill out a short Q & A for us to post on the forum so that our members can get to know them. First up is Topper Jewelers in California, USA. I personally bought my Bremont ALT1-P from Rob Caplan, who was a real pleasure to work with! Thanks guys! :D
1– Tell the Alt1tude forum a little about your store- (where it is located, your history, the brands you carry etc…)
Topper Fine Jewelers is a single store in Burlingame, California. Burlingame is just south of the SFO airport and about halfway between Palo Alto and San Francisco. Topper was started by the Topper brothers who sold the business around 1947 to our Great Uncle, who in turn sold it to our Grandfather Arthur Caplan. Today it is run by brother and I, with our mother Shelly also working in the store. We have sold watches for many decades with our longest partnership being with Omega which dates back to the early 1960s. Today we combine large well-known brands with more niche products. Our best selling brands are Omega, Zenith, Glashutte Original, Longines, Ball, and of course, Bremont.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/1545897_10152068188292854_1149428642733311410_n_zp sc63e78f1.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/1545897_10152068188292854_1149428642733311410_n_zp sc63e78f1.jpg.html)
2 – When and where did you first hear about Bremont and why did you decide to make Bremont a part of your store's collection?
In early 2011, we did a major store remodel for the first time in over 20 years. We wanted to add two new brands to be a part of the redesigned Topper. I remember calling several friends of the store who were really into watches and asking them. “What’s the coolest line that we don’t have?” Over and over I kept hearing the word “Bremont” spoken by people I really respected who loved watches. I called up Mike Pearson who I knew from his previous company and asked him to fly out and show us the line. He came out a few days later, and we opened the line that day. I remember my father looking at the Bremont cases and watching him react to Mike Pearson’s description of all the engineering that went into them. Along with the other brand we added that year, Glashütte Original, the addition of Bremont helped transform us into a more serious store for seasoned watch lovers. From both a personal and professional level, our relationship with Bremont has become one of our most cherished partnerships.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/10258162_10152003418512854_7381117380325063561_n_z ps8239f606.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/10258162_10152003418512854_7381117380325063561_n_z ps8239f606.jpg.html)
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/1507945_10152003418522854_724684259420514280_n_zps 5bad5332.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/1507945_10152003418522854_724684259420514280_n_zps 5bad5332.jpg.html)
3 – Is there a Bremont model that your customers consistently gravitate towards?
Since 2011, the Bremont MB2 has consistently been the best selling Bremont at Topper. Based on pre-orders, however, the Boeing Collection may give it a run for its money in 2015.
4 – What is YOUR favorite Bremont watch and why? Which strap would you pair it with?
My favorite Bremont watch is definitely the Codebreaker. I’d always wanted one of the Bremont Limited Editions, and everything worked out just right for me to get a Codebreaker. It has deep personal meaning to me because my father loved the Victory so much, and he died a few months before the Codebreaker came out. Everytime I look at it, wear it, or think about it, I think of him. I wear it on the black alligator that it came with, though it would also look great on the codebreaker NATO, or even the Hambeldon Nato which has revived my love for wearing the MB2.
http://www.topperjewelers.com/?p=blog&article=bremont-presents-hambledon-leather-nato-straps
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/10313435_10152001847912854_565248426229101023_n_zp sa0df29b3.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/10313435_10152001847912854_565248426229101023_n_zp sa0df29b3.jpg.html)
5 – Bremont have created a number of limited edition watches from various historically significant items. If you could choose a piece of history to be a part of a limited edition in the future, what would it be?
A few years ago, there was talk that they might have found King Arthur’s round table.
Could you imagine if they really found and unearthed it and there were also some kind of spare plank which could be put into a watch and the proceeds could fund the restoration effort?
In broader terms, I’d love to see a watch that had something to do with the time period on which the King Arthur Myths are based.
1– Tell the Alt1tude forum a little about your store- (where it is located, your history, the brands you carry etc…)
Topper Fine Jewelers is a single store in Burlingame, California. Burlingame is just south of the SFO airport and about halfway between Palo Alto and San Francisco. Topper was started by the Topper brothers who sold the business around 1947 to our Great Uncle, who in turn sold it to our Grandfather Arthur Caplan. Today it is run by brother and I, with our mother Shelly also working in the store. We have sold watches for many decades with our longest partnership being with Omega which dates back to the early 1960s. Today we combine large well-known brands with more niche products. Our best selling brands are Omega, Zenith, Glashutte Original, Longines, Ball, and of course, Bremont.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/1545897_10152068188292854_1149428642733311410_n_zp sc63e78f1.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/1545897_10152068188292854_1149428642733311410_n_zp sc63e78f1.jpg.html)
2 – When and where did you first hear about Bremont and why did you decide to make Bremont a part of your store's collection?
In early 2011, we did a major store remodel for the first time in over 20 years. We wanted to add two new brands to be a part of the redesigned Topper. I remember calling several friends of the store who were really into watches and asking them. “What’s the coolest line that we don’t have?” Over and over I kept hearing the word “Bremont” spoken by people I really respected who loved watches. I called up Mike Pearson who I knew from his previous company and asked him to fly out and show us the line. He came out a few days later, and we opened the line that day. I remember my father looking at the Bremont cases and watching him react to Mike Pearson’s description of all the engineering that went into them. Along with the other brand we added that year, Glashütte Original, the addition of Bremont helped transform us into a more serious store for seasoned watch lovers. From both a personal and professional level, our relationship with Bremont has become one of our most cherished partnerships.
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/10258162_10152003418512854_7381117380325063561_n_z ps8239f606.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/10258162_10152003418512854_7381117380325063561_n_z ps8239f606.jpg.html)
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/1507945_10152003418522854_724684259420514280_n_zps 5bad5332.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/1507945_10152003418522854_724684259420514280_n_zps 5bad5332.jpg.html)
3 – Is there a Bremont model that your customers consistently gravitate towards?
Since 2011, the Bremont MB2 has consistently been the best selling Bremont at Topper. Based on pre-orders, however, the Boeing Collection may give it a run for its money in 2015.
4 – What is YOUR favorite Bremont watch and why? Which strap would you pair it with?
My favorite Bremont watch is definitely the Codebreaker. I’d always wanted one of the Bremont Limited Editions, and everything worked out just right for me to get a Codebreaker. It has deep personal meaning to me because my father loved the Victory so much, and he died a few months before the Codebreaker came out. Everytime I look at it, wear it, or think about it, I think of him. I wear it on the black alligator that it came with, though it would also look great on the codebreaker NATO, or even the Hambeldon Nato which has revived my love for wearing the MB2.
http://www.topperjewelers.com/?p=blog&article=bremont-presents-hambledon-leather-nato-straps
http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b543/jwaker983/10313435_10152001847912854_565248426229101023_n_zp sa0df29b3.jpg (http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/jwaker983/media/10313435_10152001847912854_565248426229101023_n_zp sa0df29b3.jpg.html)
5 – Bremont have created a number of limited edition watches from various historically significant items. If you could choose a piece of history to be a part of a limited edition in the future, what would it be?
A few years ago, there was talk that they might have found King Arthur’s round table.
Could you imagine if they really found and unearthed it and there were also some kind of spare plank which could be put into a watch and the proceeds could fund the restoration effort?
In broader terms, I’d love to see a watch that had something to do with the time period on which the King Arthur Myths are based.