Tag Archives: Fears Watches

New Redcliff from Fears

Anyone who has previously read this blog or seen my instagram feed will be aware that I have a soft spot for Fears. Nicholas Bowman-Scargill continues to tell everyone I was the first “journalist” he spoke to back in 2016.The first watches Nicholas shared with me before his launch at Salon QP was his quartz powered Redcliff collection.

Eight years later I met up with Nicholas again to see the new Redcliff collection and I am mightly impressed, Fears now have the mythical steel “one-watch” in the collection. With the reassurance of 15 ATM water resistance.

The case size is the now “classic” 39.5mm supplied with both a beautiful bespoke steel bracelet and a woven textile strap. With a case height of only 9.98mm and micro-adjustable strap mean this Redcliff is very comfortable.

You will see comparing the two images above that the new watch is a clear evolution of the original that has become even more “elegantly understated”

The hand-finished dials are available in four distinct colours they describe as :

Pewter Grey – a warm, mid grey that complements the tone of the 316L stainless steel case. Sharp black printing contrasted against a soothing cyan for the minute numerals and seconds hand. The baton appliques and hands are plated in Black Gold.
Raven Black – Taking its inspiration from the glossy black feathers of a raven bird this dial features a sophisticated black with a sunburst pattern etched on to the dials surface that catches the light beautifully. White and silver printing contrast the darkness of the dial with hands and baton appliques all plated in precious Rhodium.
Cherry Red – a bright red that perfectly captures the tones of fresh red cherries. White printing, a pure white seconds hand and coral pink printed accents complement the dials finish with baton appliques and hands plated in precious Rhodium.
Mallard Green – Exclusive to the Boutique in Bristol the deep shade of green is reminiscent of the colour of a Drake duck. White and silver printing that contrast brightly against the dial, paired with hands and baton appliques all plated in precious Rhodium.

La Joux-Perret movement

Given the various issues of supply and order numbers Fears like many smaller brands are moving away from movements from ETA and Sellita. Powering the new Redcliff 39.5 Date is a customised La Joux-Perret G100 movement made entirely in Switzerland. The movement features automatic winding, quick-set date and a generous power reserve of 60 hours, while each watch is regulated to 0/+5 seconds per day, within C.O.S.C. accuracy limits.

Component Origin

Despite being in the vanguard of the rise of British watches, Fears are very open about the origin of their British built watches constituent parts.The case , bracelet, strap and glass are from leading suppliers in Hong Kong who also work with several leading Swiss brands who are not quiet so open. The movement and hands are from Switzerland and dials from Germany

Summary

Fears have added another slogan to their marketing handbook to describe this range “Everyday Elegance” which is there way of describing a “one-watch”. This is an impressive watch at a very reasonable price. However, it also lands in a busy market segment. The first Swiss watch that comes to my mind being the Omega Acqua-Terra with a RRP of £5900. The new Redcliff is available from Fears or their authorised retailers for £3150.

Very Elegant Fears – Two “fishy”new models

We are now getting used to a regular stream elegantly understated watches from Fears. The latest variant of the now classic Brunswick watch is to my mind their most elegant so far, the Aurora.

The non-limited Fears Brunswick ‘Aurora’ features the first mother of pearl dial to appear on a Fears watch in its 177-year history. Housed in the 40mm Brunswick case, the dial is made from two sections of natural mother of pearl that are cut to different heights. Each piece is hand tinted to a achieve special and unique shade of blue that highlights the natural iridescence of the material. This striking base is then complemented by milled, hand-applied numeral indices in the Fears bespoke ‘Edwin’ typeset, with each numeral diamond polished and coated in precious Rhodium.

Along side the Aurora Fears have announces another “marine themed” variant of the 40mm Brunswick this time with a Copper/Salmon colured dial.

The new Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon, features the same tone of ‘salmon’ as the similar 38mm of 2020 but with a new impression through different dial finishing. The Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon dial features a raised section with hand-brushing in a vertical direction whereas the lower section features a fine sandblast, that gently sparkles when the light catches it. The Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon differs from its smaller sibling with diamond polished applied numerals and bevelled hands both coated in black gold that gives the watch a more contemporary feel.

The Fears Brunswick ‘Aurora’ and Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon are available to purchase from today directly from Fears and via the network of Fears Authorised Stockists around the world. The Brunswick ‘Aurora’ retails on a strap for £3,850 inc. VAT (£3,208.34 ex. VAT) and on a bracelet for £4,050 inc. VAT (£3,375 ex. VAT). The Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon retails on a strap for £3,550 inc. VAT (£2,958.34 ex. VAT) and on a bracelet for £3,750 inc. VAT (£3,125 ex. VAT).

Coronation Watches from British Brands

In political circles they advise not to waste a good crisis. For the British watch world the same needs to be said for a royal event. Last year we had several releases for the Queen’s jubilee. This year we have the coronation of KIng Charles III.

The first release I noticed was from my friends at Fears who offer us a solid gold Brunswick.

In 18-carat yellow gold (rose gold option also available), this hand-built Brunswick features a crimson-red dial with a lightly vertically brushed texture. Adorning this royal canvas are raised yellow-gold plated ‘Edwin’ numerals, paired with solid ‘Fears-shaped’ hands, also plated in yellow gold.

The case includes a coronation hallmark for all pieces ordered during 2023. As with all of their precious metal watches, a flawless diamond is set into the ‘onion’-shaped winding crown. Completing this piece is a Bristol Leather watch strap finished in a matching crimson-red tone and accented with golden-coloured stitching.
Should you like the idea of a special gold watch but would prefer a different coloured dial or strap these can be specified as all the watches are built to order. The pricing starts at £17,850 inc. VAT (£14,875 ex. VAT). Reach out to Fears at enquiries@fearswatches.com to find out more.

Bremont

The next option comes from Bremont, a company not known to miss the opportunity to present limited editions. Bremont offer a relatively restrained King Charles III MBII.

This Limited Edition timepiece is now sold out.

Limited to just 150 pieces ( 100 black and 50 white dialled), now all sold, and based on Bremont’s established MB design, this King Charles III Limited Edition celebrates the coronation of His Majesty with a special case back engraving and complimentary commemorative coin with each watch. If you managed to get your order in they were offered at a reasonable £4495. for more details try the website or a Bremont boutique.

William Wood

Again a limited edition, this time 30 pieces now all sold out. The bronzed cased, William Wood British Coronation chronograph features a British Racing Green Union Jack dial, a new up-cycled British Racing Green fire hose strap, green laser engraved Union Jack glass case back and their iconic “In Case Of Fire Break” lettering .

The substance of the watch is the “Triumph range”. Featuring a 41mm case and a The Sellita SW510 chronograph movement. Again more information can be found at the William Wood website.

Duckworth Prestex

The last of our collection come from the relatively newly reinvented brand Duckworth Prestex. Again we are looking at a limited edition, 365 of each colour (blue and salmon), the new watches feature the art deco numerals, previously used on the Bolton range, and a special Small Seconds sub dial at the 4 O’clock position with the year 2023 printed on it.

The 39mm cushion case houses an automatic Miyota 82S5 movement and or priced at a very reasonable £795. You will find all the details at https://duckworthprestex.com.

So i conclusion, the British watch brands all have chosen to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the coronation, they have offered the market something to suit most pockets, if you moved fast enough. Fortunatelyat the time of writing the more economical alternative fromduckworth are still available and given the quantities involve I am confident Fears will find a solution.

Fears Christopher Ward : Alliance 01

Hot on the heels of their collaboration with Garrick, Fears have announce another, this time with Christopher Ward. Again, both companies being founding partners of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers.

This jump-hour watch is limited to 50 pieces and available to purchase by Club members of the Alliance with all profits from sales being donated to the Alliance to support its various initiatives.

Differently to the Garrick watch this one features a bespoke 40.5mm Fears case and uses a JJ01 Christopher Ward movement. The movement being developed in house based on a Sellita SW200.

They are making just 50 of these models. They will only be available to Club members of Alliance on a first-come, first-served basis when it is launched.

The ‘Fears Christopher Ward : Alliance 01’ will be available to Club Members to order on Friday 27 January priced at £3950 (inc. VAT).

Lots of British News

Well where do I start ? I have not been keeping up for sometime and a lot is going on. It used to be that I would see some news that I could report and now the world of British watches really frothing with news and not just with new brands popping up on Kickstarter actual exciting watches.

So to avoid any risk of favoritism I will treat these items in alphabetical order.

Bremont

Bremont have been working away somewhat separately from the rest of the British watch industry whilst investing heavily in their UK manufacturing facility in Henly-on-Thames. Last year this investment led to the launch of the ENG300 movement which was housed in the limited edition Longtitude which were available for between £15k and £22k which clearly minimised the impact a little. Clearly a company with the vision and ambition of Bremont would not go to the effort of developing a movement just for a limited run watch.

So this October saw the announcement of not one but three new ranges of watch. The Supernova, the Fury and the Audley. To my eye the Fury and Audley are very clearly the style of watch we have come to expect from Bremont. The Supernova offers something different a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet.

I am not sure the the Supernova brings something new to the watch market, from everything I have seen it will be a very nicely made piece in the spirit of the more well known models from Switzerland. What it does bring is a British alternative which in itself from my point of view is positive. On sale for £7,995 which is more expensive than the usual non-limited edition Bremonts, but looks good value when compared to the better known continental offerings.

The 40mm Fury, a re-interpretation of the classic pilots watch, again more expensive than we are used to from Bremont and other similarily styled watch, but again it features the Bremont made H1 certified movement. H1 being the new chronometer timing standard, directly comparable to the ISO3159:2009 Chronometer test.

The final watch in the series is the the classic dress watch, named after Bremonts showroom in Mayfair, London. Avilable in steel (£5,995) of rose gold (£14,995).

Christopher Ward

In my mind Christopher Ward are a company producing very well made watches at very reasonable prices. They have produced some pieces that cause you to look twice, such as the C60 Sapphire. This October they announced the C1Bel Canto, featuring a striking hour. This watch is already listed on the website as “sold out”. Now personally it is not a style of watch that I particularly like but what they produced for the price just seems spectacular value for money. As you can see from the images this is not a watch that will go un-noticed, especially when it starts to chime. I guess we will have to start looking out for them on the used market.

Fears

Fears have been super busy. Due to my lockdown induced laziness I have not really covered this year’s news from Fears very well apart from via Instagram posts which is a real shame as Nicholas Bowman Scargill has continued to bring some really interesting pieces to market. After the Garrick collaboration there was the the limited edition for the Californian watch retailer Topper. This watch featured a black or white californian dial and wait for it – a 40mm version of the now established Brunswick case. We then returned to the standard 38mm Brunswick case for the Royal Purple jubilee year celebration. The obvious question is; what else are Fears going to do with the 40mm case? So here we have it the Brunswick 40, a sportier Brunswick on a steel bracelet and with 100m water resistance. A possible “one watch”, sporty and elegant. This new watch is available with a Pink, Silver or Blue dial. The bracelet of course is not an “off the shelf” design and as a secret design “egg” the inside of the butterfly clasp features the “flower of Bristol” , honouring Fears’ home city.

The watches are priced at £3750 for more information go to the Fears website.

Fears Garrick

Now he has relocated I do not get many opportunities to meet with Nicholas Bowman-Scargill of Fears, so it was a pleasant surprise when he suggested a coffee as he was in town.

As well as a catch-up he wanted to show me his forthcoming new watch. There have been a couple of teasing images recently on Fears social media postings but I was not sure what to expect. So it was a huge surprise when Nicholas opened his now familiar Globe-Trotter watch case.

The Fears Garrick, a collaboration between Fears and fellow founding member of the Alliance of British Watch & Clockmakers, Garrick. David Brailsford of Garrick and Nicholas cooked up this project over a coffee, hence the projects code name “Costa”. The result is a watch that clearly has the DNA of both of the partners. The overal case shape and exposed balance being very Garrick, the dial detailing being very Fears.

The details:

Case

The elegant Fears Garrick’s 42mm case is made and finished in Garrick’s Norfolk. The curved sides of the polished 904L stainless steel case help the slender watch slip easily under a shirt cuff.

DIAL

The watch features an Old English White dial, with a fine matt texture. Deep glossy black printing is combined with seven lines of blood red on the power reserve display at 2 o’clock. These lines represent the moment when the watch’s main spring has wound down. Across from this display at 10 o’clock is the running

The glossy black printing is combined with seven lines of blood red on the power reserve display at 2 o’clock. These lines represent the moment when the watch’s main spring has wound down. Across from this display at 10 o’clock is the running seconds.

Applied by hand to the dial’s surface are the diamond-cut numerals, produced in the bespoke ‘Edwin’ typeface.

HANDS

The Fears Garrick features the distinctive ‘Fears’-shaped hands, which are hand-finished by a watchmaker, Fears is one of only a handful of British watch brands that construct watch hands in-house, in the UK.

MOVEMENT

Visible through the Fears Garrick’s exhibition case back is the exclusive, manual winding Garrick UT-G04 movement. Based on the Garrick UT-G01 this version features a power reserve indicator at 2 o’clock. Visible from the dial side is a free sprung balance e wheel, made from Garrick’s exclusive alloy Sircumet

SHIPPING IN JULY 2023
The Fears Garrick watch involves a considerable amount of hand-making and hand-finishing and as such they are made in very small batches. They are currently selling watches from a batch which will be shipping in July 2023. Clearly more details are avaible at https://www.fearswatches.com/collections/fears-watch-collection/products/garrick

Cost

£19,500 Inc. Vat £16,250 Ex. Vat

Elegantly Understated

This Christmas 2021 was I suspect for many of you, like ours a fairly subdued event. However for me there was an horological highlight, no not not a new watch, my wife thinks it is too difficult to choose, but a watch book. Bringing my watch book collection now to two.

This year the book that doubled my collection was “Elegantly Underestated – 175 Years of the Fears Watch Company”. This very well presented volume gives the background to the company brought back to life by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill in 2016.

Over my time thinking more about watches I have realised that much of the interest in the hobby is about stories. Only though an interesting story can a watch differentiate itself from an apparantly technically identical, or even superior product. Witness a Tudor Black Bay with an ETA movement being more collectable than the current version with an in-house COSC movement. Collectors like to to tell the story about their watch.

However, I am not accusing Nicholas of publishing this book as a cynical myth making marketing ruse, of all the people I have met in the watch world he is the person with the most passion for his company’s heritage it being is so intertwined with his family’s history. The author of the book Jane Duffus, is also the three times great niece of Edwin Fear the founder of the company.

This book is very much written as a history of the company, not a technical description of all the countless watches the company has produced. It explains the lives the lives of the founders and their successors, giving social context to the times they were working in. The history of Fears is also very much intertwinned with that of Bristol, the home of the company. To my mind this actually makes it more readable, so much so that I finished it in one sitting.

"Elegantly Understated"

You can buy the book here:

https://www.fearswatches.com/products/elegantly-understated-book

If you order directly you can avoid further enriching Jeff Bezos.

Fear’s 175th Bash

Any readers who might have visited this blog before will be aware that I have known Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the 4th Managing Director of Fears Watches for a few years. I was therefore very pleased to receive an invitation to the celebration of this important anniversary. Given the recent lack of any watch connected social life the invitation itself regardless of the location would have been accepted in double quick time, but this party was held on the top three floors of the Shard in London. Apparently the tallest building in Europe – wow.

The event as well as a great excuse for a party was an opportunity for Nicholas to showcase his latest book of the company’s history and the limited edition commemorative watches.

The book I have already covered in a recent post has received a positive reaction from those that have seen it. I particularily enjoyed Nicholas’s exhaustive background explanation as a guest on a recent Scottish Watches podcast ( here’s a link)

You will notice commerative watches, plural. The commerative series is known as Archival and it comes in two variants, both of which based on a 1930’s model suitably scaled to a more modern size. Consistent with Nicholas’s attention to detail the size increase is 17.5%.

The two variants are the Archival 1930 and Archival 1930 Small Seconds. The series will be limited to 175 pieces, one for each year ot the history of Fears. Each watch will have the number of a year engraved on the case back.

Of the entire series 39 will be the small seconds version, these watches representing the years that the Fears company was dormant before being re-started by Nicholas.

The two models differ by the movements that power them, with the two-handed Archival 1930 (136 watches) using a new old stock manual winding movement dating from the 1960s. While the three-handed Archival 1930 Small Seconds uses a new old stock manual winding movement dating from the 1930s. Both are movements that Fears used in the past. Each movement, having never previously been used, has undergone a full re-build and recondition in the workshop while receiving an upgraded mainspring to enhance reliability. The small seconds version using a NOS Swiss made ZentRa 185/ETA 717, circa 1935, and in the two handed version you will find a ETA 2360, from circa 1968. Both movements are manual wound running at 18,000 vph.

As we have come to expect from Fears both of these watches are beautifully made. I was lucky enough to have the chance to see and try the in the metal a few days before the anniversay event.

The17.5% size increase nicely satisfies modern tastes, this is a watch that sites very snuggly on the wrist, this helped by the gentle curve of the caseback. This stikes me as being a watch that offers similar utility to the Brunswick, a watch that can be dressed up or down by using a different strap. I continue to suggest to Nicholas how good his watches can be “casualised” using prelon straps. You can just see this watch on wrists at the Hamptons over the summer.

The hint in much of the the Fears literature is that these watches are the first of the Archival series. I am sure many of us will be looking at the back catalogue and will have our own ideas of what should be next. Always be wary of suggesting a dive watch, how many times has Nicholsa been quoted as saying he cannot swim. Maybe if he had swimming lessons he might change his mind.

Here are the full technical specs:

Archival 1930 specification

CASE	316L stainless steel, 40mm x 22mm rectangular-shaped with curved front and back (depth 8.54mm). Closed caseback. Made in Germany
LUG WIDTH	20mm
MOVEMENT	New-Old-Stock, Swiss made ETA 2360, circa 1968, manual winding, 17 jewels, 18,000vph (2.5Hz) and 40 hr power reserve. Reconditioned, serviced, and fitted with an upgraded main spring in the UK
GLASS	Sapphire Crystal to front with ARdur® Swiss anti-reflective coating on inside and outside. Crystals made in Hong Kong, Anti-reflective coating applied in Switzerland
DIAL	Vintage Champagne with 18ct yellow gold coating. Polished and matte finishes. Glossy black printing. Made in Germany
HANDS	‘Fears’ hands – Bevelled, diamond polished and Blued. Made in Germany
FUNCTIONS	Time
WARRENTY	2 Year guarantee from date of purchase
STRAP	Oxblood Red, British calf leather, lined in Alcantara®, handmade. Leather tanned in the UK, Strap made in Belgium
SERIAL NUMBER	Individually numbered, sequentially
LIMITED EDITION	Engraved with a unique year from 1846 – 1976 and 2016 – 2021
MODEL REFERENCE	BS8-1930-0
RETAIL PRICE	£3,500 inc. VAT (£2,916.67 ex. VAT)

Archival 1930 Small Seconds specification

CASE	316L stainless steel, 40mm x 22mm rectangular-shaped with curved front and back (depth 9.28mm). Closed caseback. Made in Germany
LUG WIDTH	20mm
MOVEMENT	New-Old-Stock, Swiss made ZentRa 185/ETA 717, circa 1935, manual winding, 15 jewels, 18,000vph (2.5Hz) and 38 hr power reserve. Reconditioned, serviced, and fitted with an upgraded main spring in the UK
GLASS	Sapphire Crystal to front with ARdur® Swiss anti-reflective coating on inside and outside. Crystals made in Hong Kong, Anti-reflective coating applied in Switzerland
DIAL	Vintage Champagne with 18ct yellow gold coating. Polished and matte finishes. Glossy black printing. Made in Germany
HANDS	‘Fears’ hands – Bevelled, diamond polished and Blued. Made in Germany
FUNCTIONS	Time with subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock
WARRENTY	2 Year guarantee from date of purchase
STRAP	Oxblood Red, British calf leather, lined in Alcantara®, handmade. Leather tanned in the UK, Strap made in Belgium
SERIAL NUMBER	Individually numbered, sequentially
LIMITED EDITION	Engraved with a unique year from 1977 – 2015
MODEL REFERENCE	BS8-1930-0
RETAIL PRICE	£3,950 inc. VAT (£3,291.67 ex. VAT)

Britain’s Work Benches

If you have not signed up to Giles Ellis of Schofield Watches ‘ amusing weekly newsletter you would have missed this interesting insight to the lives of some of the people behind Britain’s exciting watch sector. Giles posted images of their desks. If you do not want to miss further insights into the world of Schofield you can sign up on the Scofield website.

I hope this has not taken away any of the mystery

Fears Book

I started my journey into the world of British watch brands by asking myself questions about the importance of heritage. This question coming from the appearance of Bremont on the market. I think most watch enthusiasts would agree that alongside prestige, heritage or at least a story is an important element of consideration in the choice of a watch.

On person that has understood this very well is Nicholas Bowman-Scargill the (4th) Managing Director of Fears Watches. Until the companies re-launch at Salon QP in 2016, Fears was not a brand most enthusiasts would, as marketing people would say, name spontaneously. Within the space of very few years Nicholas has very skillfully has managed to remind the watch comunity of his brands heritage, which I have not heard anyone question. As well as making the most of this history Nicholas has very successfully and tastefully taken design elements from the company’s history.

Last week saw the announcement by Bristol Books publishes a 176-page book today about the 175-year history of the Fears Watch Company. Titled, “Elegantly Understated: 175 years of the Fears Watch Company” the book takes a detailed look at one of Britain’s oldest watch companies from its founding in 1846, through to its closure in the late 1970s and its re-birth in 2016. Researched and written by Bristol-based author Jane Duffus, the book traces Fears’ extensive history across four chapters, each covering the era of one of the Fear family’s managing directors. The book’s foreword has been written by Roger Smith OBE, renowned watchmaker and Chairman of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers.

Printed and hardback bound in the United Kingdom, “Elegantly Understated” includes numerous photographs and illustrations from the Fears archive. Both watches and artefacts are reproduced in full colour along with maps of the former locations and the logos used by the company in each era. “Elegantly Understated” has been published in the year in which Fears celebrates the 175^th anniversary of Edwin Fear founding his workshop on Redcliff Street, Bristol in 1846.

The author’s research over two years unearthed many new facts about the company, which had been thought lost when it closed its doors in the late 1970s. Her numerous interviews included members of the Fear family as well as one of the final watchmakers to work for the company in its first incarnation. This research has resulted in a detailed history not only of one of the oldest watch companies in Britain, but also of a family business that persevered through numerous world catastrophes such as two world wars and the great depression.

Commenting on “Elegantly Understated” being published, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, (4^th) Managing Director of Fears Watch Company, says “I am delighted that the history of the company which I’m honoured to run today, has been published in time for such a significant milestone year in Fears’ history. Jane’s enthusiasm for creating this book meant her research left no stone unturned and resulted in her discovering new information that I’d previously not been aware of. To have this all in one place, in a beautifully bound book, filled with interesting anecdotes and numerous pictures is a huge joy for me. I hope that people enjoy reading and learning about Fears’ extensive history as much as I have.”

Commenting on writing “Elegantly Understated”, Jane Duffus, author, says “Tracing the Fear family’s history through time has been such a rewarding experience. This is a story that is about more than watches, because the Fears story also covers two world wars, a financial depression and even a global pandemic. This story about a heritage watch brand has also become a reflection of British society through the past 175 years, and I feel very proud to have been involved with this project. I hope others will enjoy the book just as much as I enjoyed working on it.”

In writing the foreword for “Elegantly Understated”, Roger Smith OBE commented “The 175th anniversary of Fears arrives at a pivotal time for British watchmaking. When we founded the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers to guide the resurgence of our sector, we immediately recognised the importance of Fears as one of our true heritage makers with a fascinating and genuine continuation of one of Britain’s oldest watchmaking families. It was therefore a privilege to contribute a foreword for this important book and I wish Nicholas and the Fears family my very best for another 175 years – and volume 2!”

This initiative underlines to me what an excellent PR job Nicholas is doing for his re-born company. This following his very innovative offer of the loan of a Fears watch to those needing to make the right impression for a job interview. Should Nicholas ever decide watches are no longer for him he would have a great future in PR. We all hope he continue with his current calling – watches

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British Watch Brand News from Greenwich, England