Bering has opened its 300th Canadian retail outlet in less than 10 months, stocking the shelves of Breeze Gold and Gallery in Quesnel, B.C., with its Danish watch line.
“This is the most successful watch line we’ve had since establishing our company 30 years ago,” said Michael Negreanu, co-founder of Midore, the brand’s Canadian distributor.
“This is by far the best launch of any watch line in Canada. Our dealers—who are second and third generation in many cases—tell us this is something they have not seen before in terms of the brand’s unique styling, value for the price, and presentation. It is becoming the number one watch line in sell-through in their stores.”
Inspired by the beauty of the Arctic, Bering finds its roots in a 2008 expedition to the North Pole, when Danish adventurer and businessman Rene Kaerskov jumped out of a helicopter onto the top of the world. The view around him inspired the look and feel of the Bering watch brand, which gets its name from Danish sailor Vitus Bering, the explorer who journeyed to the Arctic in 1728.
Following the success of its ‘Time to Care’ charity campaign, Bering collaborated with Polar Bears International’s tracker program, adopting a female polar bear that is currently roaming northern Ontario along Hudson’s Bay. A GPS collar on the bear provides her location and other important data. Since being collared, the bear has travelled just over 2770 km. A link at www.beringtime.com displays her progress and location.
Negreanu says 100 per cent of the net profits from three limited-edition Bering ceramic watches featuring diamonds go to Polar Bears International. Only 1000 units of each model are available worldwide. So far, Bering has donated $75,000.
 “We’re very excited about this project,” Negreanu said. “We all know the Arctic ice pack is shrinking, and we’re trying to do our part to conserve the polar bears’ natural environment.”
