Breda: A Timeless Style

a gold banded and black faced Breda watch over a black faux fur sleeve

There's something powerful about a watch that refuses to be ordinary. In a world overflowing with fast fashion and fleeting trends, Breda watches stand apart; rooted in a three-generation watchmaking heritage, driven by genderless design, and built for people who believe accessories should tell a story. At San Martini, where every piece in our collection is chosen to help you build a curated closet that reflects who you truly are, Breda fits right in. Their philosophy of timeless style, self-expression, and accessible luxury mirrors everything we believe about getting dressed with intention.

Whether you're discovering Breda for the first time or you've been eyeing their iconic Jane watch on your favorite style influencer's wrist, this guide will walk you through everything that makes this Dallas-based brand one of the most exciting names in fashion accessories today.

A Family Legacy that Started with Watch Bands in 1952 India

Every great brand has an origin story, but few stretch back as far, or travel as far, as Breda's. The story begins in 1952, when the Meghani family patriarch began selling watch bands in India. It was a modest start, but it planted a seed. By 1968, he had moved to Dubai and opened four retail watch shops, building a business shaped by craftsmanship and a deep respect for timekeeping.

Two generations later, siblings Amir Meghani and Shabeena Meghani inherited that passion. In 2006, they joined their father's struggling watch business. Three years later, they launched Breda from Dallas, Texas, determined to build what their grandfather and father had always dreamed of: a lasting watch company. As Amir told The Manual, "My family had been in the watch industry for two generations... Through the two generations no one was able to build a lasting company." The third generation changed that.

Today, Breda operates from a studio in Dallas's vibrant Deep Ellum neighborhood, where design, prototyping, and creative collaboration all happen under one roof. The front of the studio doubles as a shopping space, and the brand regularly opens its doors to local artists, designers, and creatives. It's a workshop as much as it is a store and that communal energy runs through every timepiece they create.

Why Genderless Design Changed Everything for Breda

If you've ever browsed a traditional watch counter, you know the drill: men's watches on the left, women's on the right, and nothing in between. Breda rejected that binary entirely. Their official design philosophy states it plainly: "BREDA adopts a genderless approach, breaking the barriers of binary that have tethered the watch industry to generational traditions."

This isn't a marketing gimmick. It's a fundamental design choice that shapes how every watch looks, feels, and fits. Breda's minimalist watches draw from familiar silhouettes (ovals, rectangles, slim cases) but strip away anything that feels gendered or dated. The result? Pieces that look equally stunning on any wrist, regardless of who's wearing them. As Popdust observed, "Their watches pull from familiar silhouettes but remove anything that feels dated or overly coded. There is no emphasis on who the watch is 'for.'"

For anyone building a personal style that transcends trends, this matters. A genderless design philosophy means your Breda watch works with everything in your curated closet; from tailored blazers to flowing dresses, from weekend denim to evening wear. It's the kind of versatility that makes a single accessory feel like ten.

The Jane: a Best-Seller that Earns its Reputation

Ask anyone at Breda which watch put them on the map, and they'll point to the Jane. This collection is the brand's signature, and once you see it, you understand why.

The Jane features a 23mm oval case inspired by the coast, "an oval softened like a sea-worn pebble," as Breda describes it. The Mother of Pearl dial catches light differently depending on the angle and time of day, creating a subtle shimmer that feels alive. The bracelet echoes the texture of windblown sand. Every design detail tells a story of time, motion, and natural beauty.

Available in colorways like Gold/Silver/Pearl, Gold/Midnight, Gold/Sky, and Deep Gold/Champagne, the Jane comes in several variations. The Jane Tethered features a tapered woven mesh bracelet with a quick-release clasp. The Jane Revival offers an 18mm case with a jewelry-style clasp for a more delicate look. Both are priced at $195, which is a remarkably accessible price point for a watch this refined.

The Jane's fan base reads like a fashion who's-who. Emily Ratajkowski has been spotted wearing the Elemental version multiple times, cementing its status as a fashion-forward favorite. Cosmopolitan featured it prominently in a 2025 review, and it consistently appears on best-of lists for minimalist watches. For anyone who values timeless style over trend-chasing, the Jane is the kind of watch you'll reach for years from now and still love.

Time Rings and Time Chokers Push the Boundaries of What a Watch Can Be

Here's where Breda gets truly inventive. While most watch brands are content to iterate on wrist-worn designs, Breda asked a radical question: what if a timepiece didn't have to live on your wrist at all?

The Time Ring, a collaboration with jewelry brand DALMATA, is a fully functioning miniature watch set inside a ring. The 15mm soft-edged square case is surrounded by 24 premium Austrian crystals, with an expandable band that fits comfortably. Available in silver stainless steel and 18K gold-plated versions at $150, the Time Ring blurs the line between jewelry and horology in a way that feels genuinely new. Demi Lovato made waves by posting Instagram selfies wearing hers, and the style has since become one of Breda's most talked-about innovations.

The Time Choker collection takes the concept even further, transforming beloved watch designs into wearable necklaces. The Jane, Sync, and Groove watches are all available as Time Chokers, priced at $245, each functioning as a real timepiece you can wear around your neck. It's the kind of creative thinking that turns a fashion accessory into a conversation starter.

For anyone who loves the idea of building a curated closet with unexpected, statement-making pieces, these innovations offer something you simply won't find from other brands. They're jewelry. They're watches. They're both and neither. That's the point.

The Luar Collaboration Brought Breda to New York Fashion Week's Biggest Stage

On February 13, 2024, Breda made its New York Fashion Week debut as the official timepiece partner of Luar, the fashion label helmed by designer Raul Lopez. The show took place in an expansive warehouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn and it wasn't a quiet entrance. Beyoncé, Tina Knowles, and Solange Knowles were all in attendance, and Solange's son made his runway debut.

But the collaboration was about more than celebrity sightings. Breda described the partnership as "a serendipitously organic pairing of two brands with significant brand DNA and ethos overlaps." Both brands champion inclusivity, artistic expression, and the belief that fashion should welcome everyone. Lopez himself posted on Instagram: "I want you all to know and trust that Luar is a space for everyone from all walks of life to exist and be a part of. No one is excluded."

The NYFW moment crystallized something important about Breda. This isn't a brand content to sit in the watch category alone. Their collaborations, with Luar, Banana Republic (where Breda became the first timepiece brand carried across fifty stores nationwide), GQ (multiple exclusive Best Stuff Box features), and community-based projects with artists and designers, show a brand that operates more like a creative collective than a traditional watchmaker.

Art, Community, and the Stories Behind the Designs

What separates Breda from countless other affordable watch brands is artistic storytelling. Every collection carries narrative weight. The Tethered line "exists as a daily reminder of our human connection and our shared memories intertwined, endlessly collapsing together." The Nocturne collection is "inspired by the interplay of night and time," celebrating intimate moments that leave lasting impressions. The Phase collection, featuring Swiss-made chronograph movements and Italian leather, represents "the initiation of a new era."

This storytelling extends beyond products into community. Breda's "Come As You Are" project invited New York friends of the brand into a Brooklyn studio for unguarded portrait sessions with photographer Roger Gallegos. Their "Kindred Spirits" project in Dallas brought creative counterparts together.

Watch designer Efrain Villa captured the ethos well in D Magazine: "Our yearlong design process for each season comprises of inspiration from our community of creators, which we hope translates into a quality product that inspires others." That community-first approach is why Breda's pieces feel so personal, they're designed with people, not just for them.

What Makes Breda a Perfect Fit for Your Personal Style

At San Martini, we believe the best accessories do double duty. They look beautiful, and they say something about who you are. Breda checks both boxes effortlessly.

The brand's commitment to quality at an accessible price point means you're getting Japanese-made Miyota and Seiko quartz movements, stainless steel and 18K gold-plated cases, and mineral crystal faces; all typically between $150 and $250. Highsnobiety called Breda "the affordable watch brand you need to know," and independent reviews consistently praise the premium feel that belies the price tag. One GQ reviewer noted that the leather strap on a Breda watch "bests leather straps on watches I have that are 3 or 4 times the price."

But beyond materials and movements, Breda's real value lies in its philosophy. These are minimalist watches designed for people who see accessories as extensions of identity, not afterthoughts. Whether you're drawn to the coastal elegance of the Jane, the creative boldness of a Time Ring, or the vintage-inspired lines of the Virgil, each piece is built to become part of your story.

The brand's genderless approach means you can share pieces with a partner, style them across your entire wardrobe, and never worry about a watch "not matching" your look. In a curated closet, that kind of versatility is priceless.

A Timeless Choice for People Who Care About How They Show Up

One of Breda's taglines is "Artful accessorizing, designed for everyday wear," and that's exactly what they deliver. From a grandfather selling watch bands in 1952 India to a vibrant Deep Ellum studio shaping the future of timekeeping, the Meghani family's journey is one of persistence, reinvention, and creative courage. Three generations of watchmaking heritage flow into every piece, but so does a forward-looking spirit that keeps Breda feeling fresh, relevant, and genuinely exciting.

At San Martini, we're drawn to brands that share our values: heritage and storytelling, quality without pretension, beauty rooted in craftsmanship, and the belief that the things you wear should help you enjoy the moment more fully. Breda embodies all of that. Their watches and jewelry aren't just fashion accessories, they're invitations to express your personal style with confidence, creativity, and a timeless sensibility that never goes out of fashion.

Look at Breda’s full collection on their site here, and we hope to collaborate with them in the near future. 


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