Monthly Archives: April 2018

Farer 37mm

On Wednesday evening I saw a social media posting that surprised me. Farer would announce a new 37mm manual wind watch the next day at 17:00hr. I was surprised because I had not seen even a whisper of this until then. However, following the social media thread it also emerged that the new watch would be using the ETA 7001 movement, the same as another two hot British designed watches of the moment, the Fears Brunswick and Vertex M100.

So on Thursday evening I eagerly logged on to see what this young company had come up with.

Farer Lansdell

As is the Farer way the new release is three versions of the same watch with different dial/colour combinations. I have posted above a photo of my favourite of the three. the Lansdell.

The three watches all feature the same slim (8.3mm) cushioned shaped case in the now more fashionable smaller 37mm size.

Before I mange to get my hands on one for a proper review I thought it might be worthwhile to give you link to the exclusive launch review on Worn & Wound.

 

Fears Redcliff Continental

I have known Nicholas Bowman-Scargill the 4th Managing Director of Fears Watches since the summer of 2016, just before he re-launched  the company at that years Salon QP.

Redcliff Continental

Since that time he now has a range of three watches. The original Redcliff, the Redcliff Continental and the mechanical Brunswick.  Despite being a a little skeptical about the space on the market for another quartz watch brand , however I like Nicholas and admire what he is doing. I want to help him along by maybe offering his watches the little  extra visibility this blog  can offer. To this end I have continued to drop hints about getting my hands on one of his watches to review.  Then a couple of weeks ago he said he might be able to finally offer me the opportunity – a Redcliff Continental.  Which colour combination would I prefer? The  sensible person inside me said Blue Dial with Blue strap,  a combination that suits the most occasions – although the Red/Red combination was tempting.

The feature that distinguishes the Continental from its regular Redcliff sibling is the addition of the extra time zone window. This feature enables the wearer to keep track on the hour in another part of the world. This is clearly a very useful additional feature for international travellers or for people like me, wondering when it is a good time to call a potential client in Korea.

The Continental Package

Anyone that I have spoken to about Nicholas Bowman-Scargill will tell you he is a man with an eye for detail and this is immediately evident from the moment you have the Continental’s box in your hands, As well as the usual guarantee card, each watch comes with a service record book, much like that of a car, and really nice cleaning cloth featuring a map of the area of Bristol from where Fears originated. The service book does in someway help to solve the  intrinsic impersonality of quartz  movement, suggesting you do more than take the watch to the nearest corner shop when the battery needs changing. You and the watch will have a history to record.

Moving on to the watch itself. Like the original Redcliff the stainless steel case is a comfortable 38mm which looks like an inspired choice given this years trend away from huge men’s watches. This is a size that can  work for both sexes and in both formal or informal occasions. The look of the watch falls very much into the “smart/casual” category.  Which makes this an ideal watch for today’s office.

As I have already above the key to Fears is detail and this is what separates these watches from the “quartz competition”. The first feature you notice is the distinctive dial design featuring the BOAC globe invoking thoughts of the glamour of mid-twentieth century travel. This further reinforces the idea that this is a traveller’s watch. An important  Fears design cue carried over from the original Redcliff is the the pipette shape used for hands and the indices.  These details and the second time zone window just above the 6 position are all very clearly through the sapphire crystal glass, which whilst very clear is to my taste disappointingly flat.

The steel case is really well made and has very nice lines, one morning sitting at my desk I found myself just looking at how the light played across the different angles of the watch when viewed from the side. Another very nice feature of Fears watches is the quick change spring bars on the strap, as a habitual strap swapper this makes life considerably easier for that last minute morning  change of plan. Fears straps are handmade from goat’s skin in Belgium by a family-run atelier, which has specialised exclusively in making watch straps for over 40 years. The leather being sourced from Madras in India, this type of leather is chosen for its soft, supple nature, and its strength means the strap can be made thinner than a calf leather strap. 

As I mentioned the watch uses a quartz movement, For this Fears have chosen the Swiss made Ronda 515.24D movement. his rare quartz movement offers outstanding accuracy and reliability with its powerful stepping motor.

As well as Blue the Continental is available with a White or Red dial, all priced at £725 at the time of writing.

In conclusion, the Continental is a nice upgrade of the original Redcliff. It features a great deal of intesting detail and is really versatile. Fears is definitely a brand to watch, the first of the well received mechanical Brunswick model will delivered to their owners soon. What next ?

 

 

 

 

Pinion Atom

I have been waiting for what seems like for ever for the latest watch from Pinion, the entry level Atom, to become available.

Pinion Atom

You might remember I first saw this watch at the Watchmakers Club event before last year’s Salon QP.  I was looking forward to getting my hands on one for a review.

Then  last week an e-mail arrives from Pinion announcing there were only 20 watches left and once these were gone that was it, or at least until Piers  Berry, the founder, changes his mind. So that was it, no watch for me to review.

Salon QP, a more significant watch magazine than my blog, did however manage to get hold of one for review. So I thought I would flag this up to any of you that might not have seen it.

So here is a link to  to their review.

Hopefully, I will get a chance at the future new watches Mr Berry is hinting at.

 

 

 

Chr. Ward Bronze Trident

I realise that for sometime I have had a fairly neutral attitude towards Christopher Ward as brand. This I realise is probably due to their positioning as “a good value online only brand”. This was is a positioning  I  did not really to buy into.

Then this week I saw a posting on social media for this watch, a bronze cased Trident diver. As you can see from the video below this is a great looking watch.

The specifications are :

  • Diameter: 43mm
  • Height: 13.30mm
  • Case weight: 107g
  • Calibre: Sellita SW200-1
  • Vibrations: 28,800 per hour (4Hz)
  • Timing tolerance: -20/+20 seconds per day
  • Case: Bronze C5191 (CuSn6)
  • Backplate: 316L Stainless steel
  • Water resistance: 60 ATM (600 metres)
  • Dial Colour: Deep Blue
  • Lume:Old Radium SuperLuminova®
  • Strap width: 22mm
  • Lug to Lug: 51.5mm

There is a choice of finish  case finish, raw or patinated . You can also choose between, leather, rubber or canvas straps.

In summary a very handsome package for a reasonable sounding £795 – something for the summer.

Charles Frodsham & Co

I have been meaning to post this piece for sometime. This is a discovery I made thanks to the Instagram postings of “The Watchnerd” ( #watchnerd).

Dial detail – Charles Frodsham wristwatch

 

A company that amazingly, after reading around the British watch world, I have never come across before; and as you can see from the image above they produce stunning watches.

Charles Frodsham & Co. are the longest continuously trading firm of chronometer manufacturers in the world, and are synonymous with precision timekeeping instruments of the highest quality; watches, clocks, regulators and wristwatches.

Charles was born into a dynasty of clock, watch and chronometer makers on the 15 April 1810. His father William James Frodsham (1779-1850) and Hannah Lambert had ten children, five of whom were apprenticed to their father and later became horologists in their own right.

Charles was educated at Christ’s Hospital, the Bluecoat School in Newgate, London, and as a condition of the Foundation, was apprenticed at the age of fourteen to his father William. He showed early promise submitting two chronometers (numbers 1 & 2) to the 1830 Premium Trials at Greenwich, No.2 gaining the second Premium prize of £170. A further nine chronometers were then entered for trial in subsequent years, until the termination of the Premium Trials, in 1836.

As at the moment I have no other source of information other than the companies website I suggest you go directly there www.frodsham.com  . I am now really curious to discover more about these watches which even seem to impress the famous Roger Smith.