Red8 World: Bedat Is Back!
Prick up your ears watch lovers, there’s a new name in the market! Well sort of. Christian Bedat, founder of luxury watch maker Bedat & Co is back with a brand new concept for a brand new (somewhat financially limited) market.
The Story
Having dazzled the high-end luxury market with his breathtaking creations at Bedat & Co, Christian is focusing on recreating the perception of luxury to better reflect the reality of the current economy.
His new brand ‘Red8’, which launches this week, is sold exclusively online and allows for customization and design of your timepiece.
The Concept
The exceptionally animated website (believe me, this is no exaggeration) allows you to select from one of their standard range of watches and then customize it to suit your tastes.
Given the fact that the brand has just launched the customization options are reasonably limited but once you get the hang of the site it is very intuitive and you find all the information you need easily at hand. However, given that everything is animated you cannot go back to the previous page easily which becomes quite tiresome.
The range of watches look good, if not very similar, and for under US$1000 the specifications are really quite impressive. Powered by an I-matic quartz self-winding movement, the battery never needs to be changed. The men’s styles are all of a good size at 42mm and the design whilst quite casual, is still quite appealing, especially the all black models. To give the piece the real personal touch the user can customize four words on the bezel but I am not still not sold on this look as it can very easily cheapen the watch’s over all appeal.
The Final Word
Whilst I must admit that I love the concept and the watches theoretically look great, the site is so animated (read confusing) that I often found myself scratching my head as to how I was to actually go about designing my ideal watch.
Here’s the hot tip, and remember you read it on The Watch Lounge first, when you access the Online Boutique select the ‘Red’ option first as this will take you straight to the watches. It will make sense when you’re on the site and save you a lot of time.
I think this will be a brand to keep an eye on and will certainly make a nice addition to any collection. Assuming you can navigate your way through the site!
Check it out at Red8 World
28 Responses
to “Red8 World: Bedat Is Back!”
|
|
search the watch lounge
enter your email to get updates in your inbox
Latest Comments
- Chris: The lugs, the lugs, the lugs. Bremont did an amazing job designing this watch, especially...
- Cliff: I already have one of these. I like it. Built like a tank, and almost as big! So I had to...
- Ramsay Taplin: It looks like a watch Vicky Pollard might wear. http://www.littlerbritain.c...
New This Week
- Looking for the latest posts on The Watch Lounge?
- The 'New This Week' Category features all the posts published for the week from Sunday through to Saturday
- Its refreshed every Sunday to make it easy to quickly find the latest stories that have been published.
So to see what's new on The Watch Lounge this week just click here!
I reckon this watch looks a bit cheap because of the big red button. I know the brand name is Red8 and hence the red button but it sort of confines it to casual wear which is a bit of a shame. What’s it made of anyway?
I have to agree with ticktock – the big plastic red button is a real turn off.
Hmmm, I have still haven’t made up my mind on this watch one way or another. TickTock the case is made of stainless steel with a black PVD coating and the bezel is black aluminium. The crown is steel and red ABS hard plastic and the strap is silicon rubber with a steel buckle.
I actually don’t mind the look of this watch and it looks like its been built with functionality in mind. SUre it may not be a watch you’d wear with a suit but it would be great for weekend activities such as hiking, etc. According to the site they’re only $800 so definitely within the price range for adding to the collection.
In addition to the red button on the side that the others have mentioned already (I mean, really WTF?!), the completely useless bezel, the one-piece rubber strap, and the shiny black case make it look like a toy. Therefore, I would have assumed that it would be around the same price as a Swatch so $800 is beyond me. (Seriously Kane, a quartz Tag Heuer Aquaracer is around the same price.)
Hi Dave, I think you make some excellent points. I can only guess that the price differential between the above and a Swatch watch is the materials used, i.e stainless steel case with PVD coating and the i-Matic movement. Having said that, I do agree that the watches are quite highly priced for what seems to be on offer and it will certainly to be interested to see how they sell.
Hi guys,
Thanks for your comments and views on the RED8 watch. The red crown is made of hard plastic coated on Steel. The point is that the crown is conceptually red and trust me it looks good and THAT makes it unique…We do appreciate all your comments positive or less positive. Anyway we are convinced that you will appeciate this watch which is not out there to compete with any traditionnal swiss brand. Neither is the web site. enjoy…
Christian BEDAT
Hi Christian, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to weigh in on this discussion, it is fantastic to have your thoughts also!
Tom, thanks for your reply to my post. I’m glad that I am not the only person who finds the pricing slightly misaligned with the visual features of this watch. I further read about the watch on Ariel Adam’s blog (I love his in-depth blog posts.) and upon further review, I am still perplexed. Mr. Christian BEDAT (I have no clue of why you capitalize your last name but I will follow suit.), your BEDAT and Co. watches were beautiful but I am honestly having a little difficulty with the red knob AND the reason behind losing the functionality of bezel. It may just be too avant garde for me to understand it at this point. Anyway, thanks for responding to my post. I too will be very interesting in what kind of market the watch appeals to.
Hi Dave, not a problem at all, I think you raise some very valid points. Fortunately Christian Bedat has agreed to do an interview with The Watch Lounge which hopefully may clarify some of your, and other people’s, areas of interest. I will post up the interview later this week when it has been finalized. I personally am very much looking forward to what he has about this new concept as you are quite right in that it is unlike anything he ever produced at Bedat & Co!
Fantastic discussion. I will be keen to hear how the pricing issue is addressed.
Ramsay
Hi Guys, I am very interested with the point you make on the price. It is very interesting to see how people judge and analyse what a product should cost. But do the consumers really know how to judge. This is a very dangerous game and at the end most people agree to pay based on brand name.Let me give a simple example. Imagine the industry comes out with a product that no one has ever seen before. Let’s assume they produce a few , with the only difference is the name on the dial:
That is how people are going to estimate the price:
The one with Tissot will be accepted at 800 USD, the one with Longines at 1400USD, the one with Omega at 3000USD, the one with Rolex at 6000 USD and the one with AP at 10′000.- USD.
All this for exactly the same watch with let’s say the same movt inside. That is a simple fact.
Trust me the price of RED8 is the price I believe is right for what we offer. It will be expensive for some , affordable for others and cheap for some. Such is life… Thank you for all your comments…
By the way, Tom having watches on hand can judge
Hi Christian, thank you very much once again for your insightful comments, you make some very good points. I encourage everyone to keep their eyes out for the The Watch Lounge’s exclusive interview with Christian Bedat which will be hitting the site later this week. As Christian has hinted I am also expecting the arrival of a Red8 watch shortly which I will be performing a detailed review on so keep posted for that too!
Hi everyone, if you’ve been hanging out for the Christian Bedat interview you can check it on The Watch Lounge now: http://thewatchlounge.com/exclusive-the-watch-lounge-speaks-with-red8-world-founder-christian-bedat/
I actually got a Red8 watch (Black face, Black strap, Red Bezel) and it’s a good addition to my modest collection.
A watch is an extension of your personality, so if you are a “me-too” type of guy or really need to show your status, go ahead, get the Tag, Rolex, Tissot or whatever other “me-too-i-can-also-afford-a-$3000-watch” brand.
I like my Red8 because it’s matches my personality. Fundamentally, the design rests on a very classic design & shape (which I like, classics are classics for a reason). The movement, make & finish is good quality (comparable to all the other me-too-brands). However, it departs from the other brands with its non-traditional elements like the red knob, engraved bezel and silicon-rubber strap…
In fact, I wear it the watch with my suit (classical cut, with light pink & blue pin strips, again for the subtle statement) or whenever I feel like.
Hi Danny, thank you for your comment, its always great to hear it first-hand! I must say I agree, having the two Red8 watches that I am giving away here with me now I too can testify to their great build quality and unique style. Definitely recommend one, especially at the price!
Very well put by Christian Bedat! I personally think the RED8 is fresh, interesting and stylish. I have not had the opportunity to handle one but am certainly looking forward to it. Having owned a few nice watches, I can tell you that the RED8 offerings have made me excited to learn more and research the brand which is how I came across this great site!
Thanks for your comment Brody and very well put yourself! Make sure you enter out comp for your chance to win one of the two Red8 watches that have been generously been donated by Mr Bedat himself, see the link on the top right hand of this screen!
Having the prize watches here with me I can definitely attest to their high quality build and they look great to boot!
Nice to read Danny’s and Brody’s comments. They surely grabbed the idea I try to promote. Be different enough to please , but not too much to push you away.
We have over 13000 visitors on the site since September 1st and over 500 designs in. The winner will be notofied for the 2 months ending october 30th soon , and the contest will start again until end of December.. It seems people enjoy it, as we do.
Christian
Hi Christian, that is excellent news, congratulations! I hope that the competition that you have allowed us to run has helped contribute in some way to this success, we have had a large number of entries after all!
I am really looking forward to seeing who wins the design award, hopefully its mine!
Other variant is possible also
Coming from a girl’s perspective, this watch is edgy and exciting, while exuding cosmopolitan sophistication. I’d love to see this on my boyfriend…at least until he turned 35. Maybe then upgrade to something more mature.
Hey Nicole, thanks for your comment. Your definitely right, the watch is different enough to attract attention but at the same time it retains a level of classic cool. Plus the build quality on these pieces is amazing, really top quality!
So Tom … have the winners been chosen and notified? Maybe I missed the news but would love to hear.
Thanks
Sam Eagle
Hey Sam.
The Twitter winner was announced via Twitter and the email subscription winner was announced by email. Perhaps Tom might do a thank you post as well?
Ramsay
Hi Sam, Ramsay is spot on, the draw was done last week. One watch went to somewhere in Australia and the other one to somewhere in California. A thank you post is coming soon, I promise!
I think the continent labels are too big. They draw focus away from the dial, which is beautiful.
Their website is purely amazing, never seen that before !
Did you guys had a chance to visit it ?
http://www.red8world.com/
Incredible !