Italian style is characterized as sophisticated, classic, and elegant. When it comes to fashion, Italy always leads–the country is home to some of the world’s biggest fashion houses that create some of the most unique and revolutionary designs. This is why when a new Italian brand is launched, people pay attention.
This article highlights the creations of Italian watch company Brera Orologi. The brand can still be considered a newcomer in watchmaking, but it has already made a name for itself as a maker of stylish watches with reliable movements.
Table of Contents
Brera Orologi Brand History
Founded by brother Maurizio and Andrea Pasi, Brera Orologi is named after Brera, the Italian city; and Orologi, which means “watches” in Italian. The brand, which was introduced in 2008, aimed to create luxury men’s watches, concentrating on oversized models.
In a 2011 interview with GQ, Pasi said that their first client was Neiman Marcus, and soon after, they started distributing in the United States, Asia, South America, and Europe.
The brand decided to concentrate on oversized, military-style watches after studying pre-launch what style was popular in the US. In this article, we will take a closer look at Brera Orologi’s collections for men and women, and give information on where to get them.
Brera Orologi Watch Collections
Brera Orologi currently has a total of seven collections—four for men, and three for women. These watches are large and sporty, meticulously crafted by the brand’s watchmakers.
To differentiate the brand from other companies making large watches, Pasi said that they made their collections edgier, with different strap and color choices. Below, we’re going to take at some of these watches, and discuss what makes them stand out.
Gran Turismo Collection
Brera Orologi’s Gran Turismo collection has what the brand calls “rugged durability”–timepieces that have a powerful movement, a sporty look, and a striking interior. This collection is composed of 48mm watches with a multi-layer dial with a honeycomb design, as well as applied index markers with Super Luminova.
The watches have an octagonal case and different color schemes. One of these is the Gran Turismo BRGTC5401, which has black and blue aluminum colors on the tachymeter, and blue and yellow accents on the chronograph subdials.
This and the rest of the Gran Turismo watches have a 48mm stainless steel case, C sapphire anti-reflective crystal, and a water resistance to 100m. The dial has a silver honeycomb pattern, with a screw-down crown and press buttons.
The movement of these chronograph watches is Swiss Ronda 5030.D, with a 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter, and an add/split-second counter. The date window is at 6 o’clock. The strap is a textured silicone rubber (black, white, blue), which are interchangeable.
Super Sportivo Square Collection
This collection is for those looking for something unique. The Super Sportivo collection is composed of sports watches with square-shaped dials.
One model is the Super Sportivo Square, a 44mm x 46mm watch with a brushed and polished stainless steel case and black dial. The watches all have stainless steel bezel, screw-down crown with press buttons, and luminescent diamond-cut hands. The straps are available in black and blue rubber.
The watches under this collection are powered by a Swiss Ronda 5040 B movement and has chronograph functions—small seconds, 10-hour counter, and 1/10-second counter. Another difference between this and the previous two collections we just featured is this one has a big date window at 12 o’clock, and a lower water-resistance (50m).
Super Sportivo Collection
This collection is another set of powerful watches, both in design and function. With more than a dozen options to choose from, this collection is composed of robust watches with manifold-style cases and smooth lines, as well as a quartz chronograph movement.
The watches have a wide range of color combinations, like black and gold, black and white, blue and gold, and white and orange. One of the styles that stand out is the all-black Supersportivo BRSSC4903, which has a stainless steel Black IP case and antireflective C sapphire crystal. This model has a black carbon dial and accents, a black bezel, and a black textured silicone rubber strap.
The watches from this collection also have chronograph functions (small seconds, 12-hour counter, and 60-minute counter), a date window at 4 o’clock, and water resistance to 100m. The watches are powered by as Miyota OS1A movement.
Valentina Collection – Classic, Elegant, and Modern
The Brera Orologi women’s watch line is divided into three collections. All of the watches are smaller at 38mm, made of polished stainless steel, and are water-resistant to 50m. The watches are powered by a Miyota 2025 movement.
The first one is the Classic collection, which has watches composed of a white dial and Roman numeral markers. Available in Italian leather or mesh straps, the watches have yellow gold Ip and silver cases and a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The Valentina Elegant collection is for those looking for something unique. These watches have a dial that has a combination of both Arabic and Roman numeral markers. The strap is the same color as the accent on the dial and is available in Saffiano leather and mesh straps.
Last is the Valentina Modern collection, a line of watches for those looking for something colorful. This one’s another unique style, with Arabic numeral markers and a mother-of-pearl subdial with small seconds. The multi-colored markers are on all hours except 5, 6, and 7 o’clock. These 38mm watches all have a stainless steel case, 50m water resistance, and a domed anti-reflective mineral crystal. The strap choices are Saffiano leather and Milano mesh.
ProDiver Collection
The Pro Diver Collection, as the name suggests, is a collection of timepieces that can be used underwater. The main characteristic of the watch is legibility, and so Brere Orologi created models with a large case (47mm), water resistance (up to 300m), and a screw-down crown with push buttons.
One of the watches from the collection is the ProDiver BRDV2C4701, a 47mm model with a polished stainless steel case, C sapphire crystal thick-domed crystal.
This one has a black and blue bezel (blue from 12 to 4 o’clock) with a red accent, but there are other colors to choose from (yellow and blue, black and gray).
The watches from this collection have black, gray, or blue dials with a wave pattern and diamond-cut and luminous index markers.
The watches all have chronograph functions—a 30-minute counter, small seconds—and a date window at 6 o’clock. The movement is a Swiss ISA 8371.
Sport Collection
Last but not least is the Sport collection, which is composed of two sub-categories: the Mistral and the Tornado. The former is a collection of dive watches that the brand describes as a combination of “old school style and remarkable durability.”
The watches from the Mistral collection are 44mm models with chronograph features, stainless steel rotating bezels, and luminous hands and markers. With different color schemes to choose from, this line also has a choice between leather and mesh bands. These are perfect for those who like the brand’s sporty aesthetic, but want something a bit smaller than most of their models.
The Tornado collection, on the other hand, are watches inspired by the Panavia Tornado aircraft used by the military. These are the brand’s take on pilot watches–available in different dial colors, these are also sized 44mm and have a stainless steel dial and a choice of leather and mesh straps. Because these are pilot watches, the markers and hands are bold and luminous, and very legible. This is a good model for those looking for a Brera Orologi watch that has a more vintage, classic style.
For more information on the watches, you can also view the brand’s catalog here.
Brera Orologi Brand Reputation
Because has been associated with fashion brands (in the GQ article mentioned above, Founder Pasi talked about its collaboration with designer Carlos Campos), it’s also commonly viewed as a fashion watch company many watch aficionados may ingore the brand compared to other italan brands that have longer watchmaking history
The brand, however, incorporates powerful quartz movements on its watches. They use Swiss company Ronda, which is known for making reliable movements. In this article, Pasi mentioned that the brand’s success all over the world is not just their focus on stylish designs but also on high-quality components and affordability.
Is Brera Orologi A Good Watch Brand?
You may have landed here in part because there really isn’t a lot of information online about the brand, especially if you’re searching in English since a lot of the forums and opinions you’ll find are from Italian-speakers. Threads such as this one point out that many of the watches use entry-level quartz movements with simple Chrono functions similar to what you’d find consumer watch brands like Citizen or Casio.
They may be referring to something like the Casio Edifice EQB800 and comparing it to the Brera Dinamico which may seem like a relatively fair comparison at first glance but if you look at the more elegant aesthetics of the Brera dial and consider the swiss quartz it doesn’t seem like Gran Turismo such an equal comparison (the Brera does cost roughly double the Casio).
If looking at their Gran Turismo you could compare it to other watches that use the Ronda 5030.D movement which would include Luminox Navy Seal XS.3081 or the Invicta Pro Diver Scuba 48 mm, although the aesthetics of those watches are very different. If you like the look of theT-Race by Tissot for comparison keeping in mind that Tissot has a very solid reputation is more well-known than Brera.
Some aficionados refer to Brera Orologi as a fashion watch brand and question the price point, asking if the prices are inflated partly due to the Italian name and branding. Those who were able to spend time looking at these watches, however, have good things to say—this discussion, for instance, points out the good construction and finish of one Brera chronograph.
Where To Buy Brera Orologi Watches?
Brera Orologi watches can be purchased directly on the brand’s website. You can also find them on Amazon
Find new and Pre-owned and Brera Orologi on eBay.
According to an article at Fashion Network, the brand is big in the US, where 50% of its revenue is from.
If you would like to see Brera Orologi watches in the states, you can find them on some of the country’s biggest department stores like Bloomingdales, and Saks 5th Avenue.
Brera Orologi Watch Warranty
New Brera watches are under an international warranty for a period of two years from the original date of purchase. This warranty covers three main components: movement, dial, and hands.
During the warranty period, the company will repair or replace the watch should any of the components above are found to be defective. If the company replaces a defective watch, it is not guaranteed that the exact same model will be given–the owner, however, will be able to get a watch that has a similar appearance and of equal value.
The brand makes it clear that the said warranty does not cover the battery, case, crystal, strap, and bracelet. Defective watches caused by negligence, accidents, or wear and tear are also not covered by the company.
Visit the Brera Orologi website (Warranty Registration) to learn about the specific details and limitations of the warranty. You can also visit this page for information on watch returns and exchanges.
