EONE'S SPOKEPERSON: PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST BRAD SNYDER

We named the Bradley timepiece after former naval officer Bradley Snyder, who became blind while serving as a bomb defuser in Afghanistan. Brad persevered after his injury, learning how to thrive in a world that wasn’t designed for people with vision impairments.

After training for the London Paralympic Games in 2012, Brad won gold and silver medals in swimming. He competed again in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, winning 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and shattering a world record.

 

“I will not let my blindness build a brick wall around me.
I would give my eyes one hundred times again
to have the chance to do the things I have done,
and the things I can still do.”
–Brad Snyder

We chose Brad as our spokesperson because of his dedication to breaking down barriers for people who are blind — speaking out against stereotypes and proving that the obstacles of living with a disability come from social inequality and not from disability itself. 

Along with many visually impaired users, Brad has supported and provided invaluable feedback through the development of our timepiece.

 The Bradley Timepiece:

Because telling time shouldn’t require sight.

IS THE BRADLEY TIMEPIECE FOR MEN AND WOMEN?

People often ask us if the Bradley timepiece is a watch for men or a watch for women.

In the watch industry, it’s standard practice for brands to assign gender to specific watches. But that’s not how we do things at Eone. A watch is a beautiful, functional piece of craftsmanship that everyone can enjoy. Why box people in?

The short answer? Our minimalist timepieces can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of gender expression. We’d like to explain our intentions behind what we design and how we handle our marketing.

Rather than basing decisions on narrow ideas of what people want according to gender, we focus on the basics —

We make watches with quality design, functionality, materials, and aesthetics. And when it comes to a specific watch, we let the consumer choose if it’s for them or not.

What makes a watch gendered, anyway?

When other brands segment watches by gender, they’re making decisions about aspects of the watch that they think certain people want and others don’t. Many of these differences are aesthetic, such as:

• Colors — darker colors for men, lighter colors for women
• Materials — some materials, like titanium, are branded as masculine
• Functions — men’s watches often have added functions, like chronographs and tachymeters
• Size — men might, on average, have larger wrist sizes than women, but there are plenty of women who prefer the look of a larger timepiece, so it’s safe to say that even watch size is partly cultural.

These differences in men’s and women’s watches are based on assumptions of what people want in a watch, according to their gender. But gender may not be the deciding factor in what drives a person to choose one watch over another.

So we focus on making the best products we can, trying to accommodate different needs and styles, and letting the customer choose what they like.

What about our marketing?

You’ll notice that our photography shows men and women wearing our full collection. We also make a conscious effort to represent people of varying skin tones and abilities. After all, Eone means “for everyone.”