"For me it was just worth checking to see if anybody was doing it here, and it didn't look like it, then eventually I found you. I kind of love as well you're the only person in New Zealand even doing this. I love how you do the whole process from the beginning to the end. It's probably one of those extremely old school crafts that people decide not to delve into because it's, most probably a big labour of love."
- Nicholas. L
“It's exciting to go through a process of creating something truly unique, and being guided by someone as passionate about design as Brett. It'll be great in years to come to look back on the watch and remember this moment in time.”
- Jacob. T
“It was kind of the perfect gift, I just had to wait for the right milestone to come up.”
- Victoria
“As an expat New Zealander living back in my birth place of the US, my Paceracer watch is the little piece of Aotearoa I can carry with me everywhere I go. It represents Brett’s entrepreneurial spirit to strike out on his own, to take on the burden of making something from scratch, and also his attention to detail and dedication to aesthetics. I not only see the time when I look at my watch but a combination of all these things and it makes me proud to support him in his horological endeavors.”
- Rush. F
“I was really excited when you brought out the 78. I am Jesse, and also my wife is called Jessie, which is very confusing and also amazing at the same time. You just have to type Jesse & Jessie in Google and there we are.
Having seen the process, designing a product from scratch.
That’s blood sweat and tears.
It’s a world class product.
Our couples (weddings), it’s more clean and timeless and slightly more higher-end and city-based. The wedding day is meant to look perfect, and sometimes the best ones actually aren’t.
For me I want to wear a product when I am working that represents the style of photography that I want to create, as well.
Which was kind of cool when I saw it, I was like yes!
For me it’s cool to see genuine craftsmanship. Which I think is somewhat a bit of a lost craft these days, because we have so much access to manufacturing and ease of outsourcing.
It’s pretty cool for me to have a product on my hand that, I know the whole process from beginning to end. To have seen that sort of, roll out over the last couple of years, to have seen this product kind of, being developed.
That for me is really cool.
That has meaning to me.
Rather than just a cool watch, with a cool brand.
It’s got depth to it.
I really hype on that, big time.”
- Jesse. P
"How literally hands-on the process is. That completely changed my opinion on that. The fact that you hand polish. It's really cool man. It's just really, really cool."
“As an expat New Zealander living back in my birth place of the US, my Paceracer watch is the little piece of Aotearoa I can carry with me everywhere I go. It represents Brett’s entrepreneurial spirit to strike out on his own, to take on the burden of making something from scratch, and also his attention to detail and dedication to aesthetics. I not only see the time when I look at my watch but a combination of all these things and it makes me proud to support him in his horological endeavors.”
- Rush
"The cliche of time, is our most precious commodity. It is the most important thing, is time. So for me having this instrument that goes with me everywhere, telling me the time. Representing, my personality, I feel is important. It makes me satisfied. It makes me feel really proud. Something that you've made, that you've made here, is a little piece of New Zealand that I can carry around with me. I saw this, and it just had this completely different vibe."
- Rush. F
“Our Operations manager has been with our company for 10 Years so we wanted to give him a special gift that was unique and had meaning.
When the idea of a hand made watch came about, that sounded like a bit of us so we approached Paceracer to see if they could make a black watch. Although Paceracer had not done a black watch at this point they took on the challenge and completely nailed it!
The watch was more challenging for Paceracer to create than expected, like having to send parts over sea’s for specialised coatings etc. With all this they still stuck to the quoted price and kept us in the loop the whole way through the process.
We could feel the passion from Paceracer which just made us even more exited about having the watch made.
We highly recommend Paceracer and are exited to see their brand blossom over time. With such a great product backed by flawless service, it is a no brainer that they are going to be huge so get yours now….”
- Garth. U
“Paceracer has been such a pleasure to deal with, Brett worked closely with me from start to finish helping me customize my watch and get it internationally shipped with all the extras. I love the way my bronze watch looks especially with its patina. This is a tough time piece holding its own in every situation I have thrown at it, from hiking through rain forests to surfing.”
- Navik. L
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with my Paceracer watch! I have received compliments from Day 1. Brett and the team are so wonderful to work with and provide an exceptional service. I love the minimal and modernist aesthetic and the fact it’s made in NZ to such a high standard is really special and unique. I admire Brett’s passion and craft, he is really brilliant.”
- Rachel. S
“Ordering direct from the maker was an involving and friendly experience where you got to see the manufacturing process in the flesh and in detail – something you would never get elsewhere! Sangfroid is presented in a beautiful handcrafted box that fits well with the overall style of the watch.
It’s not often you are able to support a New Zealand based watch manufacturer as watches are not a common New Zealand made product - so given the chance, it’s a no brainer to do so.
Sangfroid is a seriously impressive watch, it has an elegant refined style to it with a uniquely designed face where the design follows a shallow bowl look. The strap is again unique, with a straight mesh appearance in comparison to the typical curved mesh appearance you see on most stainless steel straps.
I can’t recommend enough the watches and Paceracer in general, and look forward to seeing the continued development of the Paceracer brand in the future.”
- Thomas. B
“Brett has been a pleasure to deal with when ordering my watch. He is always super quick to respond and he was very informative with any questions I had during the process.
When receiving Sangfroid I was blown away by the quality of the watch and packaging. You could tell that someone has put a lot of time and effort into creating the product to a high standard.
What I like about Sangfroid is that it's simple, clean and minimalistic. It is durable and sleek so it doesn't feel like you're wearing a watch. This watch is truly admirable from how it looks and how it fits around your wrist. I normally wear mine in an office environment or out exercising.“
- Chris
“I love my Paceracer, I wore it constantly on a 3 month motorcycle trip through Vietnam. It was great.”
- Ashley
"Even though I can't see what's happening inside here, I find it kind of impressive that there is some type of mechanism that it just constantly ticking over and keeping time, I think it's really cool. It's easy to make an argument to wear a digital watch because it obviously tells the time more accurately than anything and it has so many other functions. But one, I don't think they look good, and that's probably the main reason, but secondly, there's a lot to be said about something that's analog. I have a nice digital camera, but I only shoot with a film camera. The results are arguably worse because there are always defects, but I still like that more."
- Sam
"I put my glasses on, and put this on, and that's what I do, that's my morning. Then I get dressed. I don't want to forget it. It's my glasses, my watch, then I put a shirt on. It's just beautiful, stylish and so simple. Thats what makes a good thing. You reduce something down to the perfect amount, and that's magic. That's how I see what I want in tattoos. I want to reduce it down to the perfect simpleness but it still has the essence of everything you know. That's perfect design I feel. Strong, beaufitul, elegant. That's what your watches are."
- Joshua. S
“What an amazing experience this has been and what an exciting way to commemorate my grandfather’s 98 years of life in a way that we will have a keepsake to remember him for more generations to come. I must admit I was hesitant when I decided to look at doing this however the journey this far has shown Brett’s design skill to truly capture the essence of both the person and the era and being able to participate with Brett in the creation of this has far exceeded what I imagined it to be.”
- Wade. D
“I love my Paceracer Sangfroid. Brett has been absolutely amazing to deal with. When I first unboxed my Sangfroid I was blown away by the sleek design and the finer details involved in Brett's craftsmanship. As a business owner I purchased a Paceracer as a treat to myself for conquering the first stepping stones managing my own business, two years on and the designed coupled with the memory makes me think about the time that has passed and how far I've come. I knew I was in good hands when dealing with Brett. He was always welcoming and you can tell his care for people translates into his work. Can't thank you enough Brett.”
- Chris. R
“I saw this watch and clicked on it. I instantly saw this curved watch face. It has a certain feeling of nostalgia about it. Instantly. It reminded me of a 1950’s aircraft. Sweeping lines, the transitions, the craft involved and just the rareness of it as well. There was just something about it that instantly drew me to it. When I found out it was New Zealand made I was like, I’ve got to have it. It just added that extra little something for me personally. Making stuff here is hard as well. I feel like making stuff in New Zealand is hard. When it’s New Zealand made and it’s in a niche industry that is kind of bucking the trends you know. That’s why I wonder about people doing things that you’re doing. I can’t help but feel like there’s a move towards getting back to craft…”
- Jacob. B
“My experience with Paceracer has been really positive. Fast communication and easy to deal with. I pre-ordered and they kept me in the loop constantly about the ETA and then when delivery time came I was blown away by the how shiny and clean the finished product was, along with some beautiful packaging. The thing I love about Paceracer is it's New Zealand made with a simple design ethos and designed by someone I've respected for years. Sangfroid joins me on my day to day journeys around Wellington NZ.“
- Adrian
“My Sangfroid.
The simplicity of the timepiece adds to its style. Neither over or understated, it rides on my wrist daily, fitting perfectly whether at work or leisure.
The feel is solid and comfortable, the look is sharp and clean.
A true testament to money well spent.
Thank you Paceracer for creating an excellent product.”
- Darren. H
“I would just like to thank you for the Sangfroid watch I received. I love it. It plays a part in my job and I like wearing it when I need to see clients. I’m sure you will keep busy in the future as the detail given by yourself to the design and to the customer has been tremendous.“
- Rory. B
“I ordered my watch and it was part of the second batch of Sangfroid. I was drawn to the watch by its simple lines, that it wasn’t to bulky and did two things really well which were tell the time and look good. Really happy with my purchase!“
- Robert. M
“I don’t think it was until about three months in to owning my Paceracer when I realised just how much this watch had become apart of who I was. After continuous wear you become so used to it’s feel, shape and shine sitting tidy on your wrist, that going a day without it can mess with you a little. It’s unassuming silhouette means it seamlessly blends with any attire. The craftsmanship is second to none, with a meticulous attention to detail, Brett has produced a something truly special.”
- Connor. H
“Working in the Architecture industry in New Zealand it is always a nice find when you find a beautiful product that is designed and manufactured here. I came across Paceracer for the limited first order run and was sold on the idea of getting a unique, high quality, beautifully crafted watch by a watchmaker that made the whole experience special.
The best aspect of this watch is that you really are getting a unique crafted watch, as soon as I ordered my watch I was sent photos and videos of the processes of manufacturing stages of the watches. This was very impressive in seeing the care and thought that goes through each stage of the process. You don't get this experience elsewhere, Brett makes us be included through the whole stage and that to me adds the personal value that I have on my watch.
In terms of design and build quality Sangfroid does not cut any corners, the design is simple and honest. It lets its high quality materials and craftsmanship speak for itself. Its unique design face of a concave machined metal face balances well with the polish steel housing. This high end workmanship is continued on in every aspect of the watch, even the packaging and unboxing experience is carefully thought out and shows the true values that Paceracer as a brand has.
If you are looking for a true nice watch piece I can't recommend the Sangfroid enough.
- Juan. P
Emma - "I think the timing was right with what we're achieved over the last couple of years."
Nick - "I used to always wear a watch. Everyday of my life."
Emma - "A bit of a milestone present celebrating that & his birthday."
Nick - "I was gonna get a nice watch, and then eventually I found you."
Emma - "For his birthday, we went for a walk around the city, went to a few shops, then came and saw you, he chose what he wanted, then we went out to a wine bar downtown, La Fuente, had drinks with some friend, and it was a beautiful day all'n'all, it was really nice."
Nick - "Sometimes I don't even take it off when I go to sleep."