July 31, 2019
Bremont is sponsoring mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja's quest to climb the world's highest peaks. Image courtesy of Bremont
British watchmaker Bremont is speaking to its sense of adventure and military commitment by sponsoring a mountaineer’s quest.
With the support of Bremont, brand ambassador Nirmal “Nims” Purja is on a mission to climb 14 of the world’s tallest peaks in seven months. Dubbed “Bremont Project Possible,” the effort reflects Bremont cofounders Giles and Nick English's connection to the military as well as the brand's focus on watches built for endurance.
“We have heard about Nims for years through our connections with the Special Forces, he was spoken about with such respect and admiration,” said Giles English, cofounder of Bremont. “Outside the forces, no one had heard of him, his rescue missions from Everest or mountaineering records were only known about by a select few.
“Both Nick and I eventually met him and heard about his Project Possible attempt and straight away understood the enormity of such an attempt, but became convinced that he would be one of the few people who would be able to do it,” he said.
Climbing cause
Bremont has been supporting Mr. Purja since he started his journey in March. As the climber began the second phase of his quest in July, Bremont upped its commitment, becoming the title sponsor.
“Nims had been in the army for most of his adult life, but this attempt he was very alone in with no support," Mr. English said.
"We were able to bring him into the Bremont family and help in areas where he needed it, naturally with exposure and commercial guidance in the planning and activation of the trip but also financial support, something that he so desperately needed,” he said. “As an unknown climber, raising sponsorship is so very difficult.”
Mr. Purja says that without the additional support from Bremont, he would not have been able to continue on his attempt at breaking the record.
“We were never going to originally be the title sponsor of Bremont Project Possible, but Nims needed us to keep the project going,” Mr. English said.
“The feedback from people inside our business was uniformly we have to support Nims and keep the project going," he said. "We all felt that we were watching our friend, someone quite unique, creating history in front of us.
“What is remarkable is that it is not just us sharing this enthusiasm. With no effort from us, Nims is organically creating his own legend, it does not need us. We just pray that he has safe travels on his remaining mountains. The adventure is not over yet."
Instagram post from Nirmal Purja
Prior to Mr. Purja’s attempt, the fastest that any mountaineer has summited all of the peaks is eight years. All of the mountains included in the attempt are at least 8,000 meters tall, or about 26,000 feet.
Just in the month of July, the mountaineer ascended G1, G2 and the summit of Nanga Parbat. He also reached the peak of K2, the second tallest mountain in the world, even as many climbers were turning around due to the potential for avalanches this year.
K2 marked Mr. Purja's 10th summit in the series. He has now wrapped up phase two and is moving on to the final four peaks.
The climber, who has 112,000 followers on Instagram, has been documenting his experience on social media. The brand is gaining placement as he posts pictures wearing a jacket with a Bremont logo using tags including #Bremont and #TestedBeyondEndurance.
Mr. Purja is also wearing Bremont’s S300 White timepiece throughout the journey.
Bremont is also sharing Mr. Purja’s progress on its own channels, keeping consumers up to date.
Bremont Project Possible
“I have never seen such growth and engagement in a project before,” Mr. English said. “I think Nims has inspired climbers and non-climbers around the world. He has shown how it is possible to achieve what seems impossible with the right mindset.
“It is a unique story and something that needs little pushing to engage our customers,” he said. “The fact that he has saved so many lives in the process makes it even more remarkable.”
Endurance endeavors
With the motto "Tested beyond endurance," Bremont has previously linked with other sporting events.
Bremont was among the luxury brands looking to raise awareness via the Henley Royal Regatta in 2017.
The then 178-year-old event partnered with a number of brands for the first time, adding a sponsorship element to the sailing competition. As the official timekeeper of the event, Bremont was expected to have an audience of at least 300,000 spectators gathered for the rowing competition on the Thames (see story).
Earlier this year, Bremont began partnering with the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense, forging an alliance that will enable the brand to create timepieces honoring Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.
As the official luxury watch of the British Armed Forces, Bremont will be the only brand allowed to produce watches bearing the symbols and Heraldic Badges of the three branches of the country’s armed forces. Prior to this official partnership, Bremont had created special order projects for members of the military, but this marked the first time that the brand’s armed forces-themed timepieces became available to civilians (see story).
“Bremont has always been about adventure and tested beyond endurance. Nims fulfills these criteria perfectly,” Mr. English said. “In a remarkably understated way he has achieved so very much in his life both in the military and mountaineering; that understated achievement is something that Bremont looks for in its ambassadors.
“Also, a large part of our business is manufacturing for the military around the world, and that is something we are so very proud about,” he said. “If we can help ex-military men or women, we will.”
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