Berny Watches: Review and opinions – Are they good?

This time I’m going to thoroughly analyze Berny watches, a watch brand that is rapidly gaining popularity thanks to innovative designs not commonly seen in the saturated watch market.

Similar to other quality Chinese watch brands, Berny has chosen to use premium materials such as sapphire, steel, or even titanium in some models, along with Japanese movements, which explains their success.

Below, we break down the highlights of this brand, based on user reviews and technical features of their most representative models.

✚ Berny Watches: Brand History and Philosophy

The history and origin of the Berny brand dates back to 1995 when Fred Chu, inspired by the rich Swiss watchmaking culture during his visit to Bern, founded the company in Shenzhen, China.

Dedicated to innovation and quality, Berny adopted a pioneering approach in direct factory-to-consumer marketing, similar to other modern brands like Benyar and Cadisen.

With offices in the United States, China, Hong Kong, and Dubai, and production spanning movements and materials from Switzerland, Japan, and China, this brand assembles its watches in its own factory located in the picturesque setting of Shenzhen.

Berny’s aesthetic combines the classic with the contemporary, and although it operates brand stores and sells through distributors, much of its business is online, catering to global customers.

Furthermore, the factory also produces watches for other independent brands, reinforcing its reputation in the watchmaking industry both in China and internationally.

✚ How Good Are Berny Watches?

Despite being a Chinese brand, Berny has several models that are praised for their components, solid construction, and careful aesthetics.

In these cases, and according to comments on specialized watch forums such as WatchCrunch and WatchUSeek, users highlight the good craftsmanship and the value that Berny watches offer for their price.

Some models, for example, feature Japanese mechanical movements manufactured by Miyota (a subsidiary of Citizen), which are well known for their durability and precision.

These watches also often incorporate stainless steel cases and sapphire crystal. Some models even use sapphire in the exhibition case back, something that is not very common.

Berny also offers specific designs not found in other brands, such as their compressor-type watches, highly appreciated for their fully functional dual crown design.

This doesn’t mean that all Berny watches are good; you can still find some cheap models with alloy cases and Chinese mechanisms of dubious quality because this brand manufactures across all price levels.

However, if you’re willing to spend a little over $20 and pay attention to the components, you’re likely to make a good purchase with this brand.

✚ Most Sought-after Berny Watches

Below are some of the most highly regarded watches from this brand, models that stand out for their design and components, but above all for an unbeatable quality/price ratio.

➤ Berny AM339M Compressor

The AM339M stands out for its double compressor crown design, water resistance of 200 meters, and excellent multi-colored extra luminous lume.

The second crown is used to operate the inner bezel for marking dive times. Additionally, it features a stainless steel case and bracelet, sapphire crystal, and a Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic movement.

➤ Berny AM158M Railway

Inspired by the famous Swiss design of Mondaine watches found in train stations, this model combines elegance and practicality at a very affordable price.

It features a stainless steel case, silicone strap, 50-meter water resistance, and a Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic movement. Additionally, the dial is 100% luminous and fully illuminates.

➤ Berny AM09026M Halios Holotype

With a water resistance of 300 meters and a unidirectional rotating bezel, this watch inspired by the legendary Halios Holotype is perfect for aquatic adventures.

It is entirely made of stainless steel and also features a Japanese Miyota 8215 automatic movement, ensuring durability and precision.

➤ Berny AM7110VM

This model stands out for its design, but mainly for using a Seagull ST2130 automatic movement, a Chinese clone of the famous Swiss ETA 2824-2 with similar performance.

It also has other interesting features like 100-meter water resistance, superluminous lume, and a transparent case back with sapphire crystal.

➤ Berny T2566MS Titanium

Highly sought after for being entirely made of titanium and also for its curious VH31 movement manufactured by Seiko, which is capable of simulating the sweep of seconds of a mechanical watch despite being quartz.

In conclusion, Berny represents a solid option for those seeking watches with unique designs and high functionality thanks to a good selection of components.

They are not as inexpensive as other Chinese brands, but they are not cheaply made either, and yet their price still remains well below that of well-known Swiss and Japanese brands.

Therefore, I can conclude this analysis by affirming that it is a brand worth trying, especially in the case of their most famous models.

Last update of links and images on 2024-05-03.