Fears Brunswich 40 Watch Collection Review

In 2016, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the great-great-great-grandson of Edwin Fear, re-launched his family’s company, Fears Watches. A year later and the inaugural Fears Brunswich watch collection arrived, taking its name from Brunswick Square in Bristol and delivering elegant cushion cases, timeless dials and the brand’s first mechanical movement in half a century. Over the years, we’ve seen the Brunswich paired with various dial colours and even a platinum case, but the latter has always remained at 38mm… until now. For the first time, the British watch manufacturer launches a range of Fears Brunswich 40 watches with a larger case size and a new custom-made bracelet.

After the success of the original Brunswick with its 38 mm case design I’m delighted that we’re now able to introduce a larger, automatic version of our elegant, cushion-cased watch. Not only a new, sportier design but one that features the first Fears bracelet since the 1970s. This Brunswick is truly a ‘beach-to-boardroom’ watch allowing people to have one watch for all occasions. It’s great to see the return of the Fears Blue dial colour on a watch in our collection, joined by clean and contemporary colours across the new range. I see the Brunswick 40 as the sportier, older brother to the classic 38mm Brunswick.” – Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, Managing Director of Fears Watch Company

Since it’s the most notable development, let’s start by looking at the case of the new Fears Brunswich 40 watch. The 40mm diameter supports its cushion shape with beautiful curves at every angle, no flat surfaces in sight. With its new increased size comes a new height of 11.06mm which, although completely unnoticeable, is surprisingly 0.19mm shorter than the 38mm model. The perfectly round bezel is highly polished for a sophisticated glow while the rest of the stainless steel case is expertly finished with circular brushing. The height of the Fears Brunswich 40 watches includes vintage-inspired domed sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. There’s also the familiar onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock and a water resistant rating of 100 metres.

While previous Fears Brunswich watches have been equipped with traditional leather straps, the new 40mm models elect the collection’s first metal bracelet. According to the British brand, the new five-link stainless steel bracelet has been developed exclusively for the Fears Brunswich 40 watch, and is almost, if not fully integrated to complete its retro vibe. The links are gently curved so they contour comfortably to the wrist and alternate between brushed and polished finishing to match the case. The stainless steel bracelet also comes with a custom folding buckle which when opened reveals a full-colour ‘Bristol Flower’ symbol.

At the moment, there are only three Fears Brunswich 40 watches in the line-up (although we’re sure more are to come following the reception of this trio). The dials come in Opaline Silver, Fears Blue or Flamingo Pink, each crafted with several layers and multiple finishes to gain their exquisite hue and iridescence. The Fears Brunswich 40 Opaline Silver watch uses a genuine opaline finish combined with a concentric CNC guilloche pattern and a real silver coating to achieve its bright, white appearance. In contrast to this, the railway minutes track, Arabic numerals and hour and minute hands are done in black. The seconds hand and the triangle marker at 12 o’clock neatly juxtaposes the otherwise monochromatic aesthetic in a gorgeous dark red.

For the Fears Brunswich 40 Blue watch, the classic “Fears Blue” dial is hand brushed with a vertical finish and like its opaline counterpart boasts a fine concentric CNC guilloche pattern at the very centre. The dial is then coated in galvanic blue which appears to change in hue in different angles of light. The hands, markers and minutes track are kept classic in silver. Finally, the Fears Brunswich 40 Flamingo Pink watch elects a matte smooth finish for the base of its bespoke shade of cool pink. It’s a really gorgeous shade of pastel pink which looks just as fitting on a masculine wrist as a feminine one. The pink backdrop is paired with a black minutes track, dark grey numerals and black hour, minute and seconds hands. Additionally, you might have already noticed that compared to the 38mm models, each of the new Fears Brunswich 40 watches neglect the date complication.

The movement responsible for moving the time-only display is the Swiss made ETA 2824-2 automatic winding movement. It enjoys 25 jewels, a frequency of 28,800vph and a power reserve of 40 hours. Although you can’t see the movement from the case back, Fears ensures it is decorated to a high standard with Côtes de Genève striping, blued screws and a custom rotor featuring the ‘Bristol Flower’.

The Fears Brunswich 40 watch collection is available to order now on the Jura Watches website here. If you’d like to learn more about the new releases and the interest free finance and free next day delivery available, get in touch with our team of luxury watch specialists by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.

Specifications:

  • Case Size: 40mm
  • Case Material: 316L stainless steel
  • Bezel: Fixed
  • Glass: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
  • Crown: Non-screw locked
  • Case Back: Closed
  • Water Resistance: 100 metres
  • Movement: ETA 2824-2 automatic winding
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
  • Power Reserve: 40 hours
  • Jewels: 25
  • Frequency: 28,800vph
  • Dial: Opaline silver, Fears blue or Flamingo pink
  • Strap: 5-link stainless steel bracelet
  • Buckle: Butterfly
  • Limited: No
  • RRP: £3,750