Fears Introduces Two New Brunswicks with Celebrations in Mind

Fears adds two new models to their Brunswick collection today, one with a limited production and the other a permanent addition to the catalog. While Fears has worked diligently to expand their repertoire over the past few years with archival releases like the 1930 and an impressive collaboration with Garrick, the Brunswick, in many ways, remains their signature watch and most accomplished design. It’s a cushion case with real presence that allows Fears to flex their finishing muscle, and also serves as a canvas for a variety of interesting dial variants that have been introduced over the course of recent Fears history, including one set with diamonds in a platinum case. The new variants make a lot of sense as an expansion of the product line, and include nods to British culture as well as a classic dial color we’re surprised wasn’t already part of the lineup. 

We’ll start with the more limited variant, the Brunswick Jubilee Edition. This is a purple dialed Brunswick that has been released to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and will only be produced in 2022, but it is not, strictly speaking, a limited edition. The dial is in royal purple with a sunburst finish, and subsidiary seconds dial at 6:00 is sunken with a contrasting guilloche pattern. The hour markers are applied and polished, and rhodium plating has been used on the trademark Fears skeletonized hands. 

The other watch announced today has a champagne dial, and is a useful example of how dial color and small changes in finishing can really alter a watch’s personality. “Champagne” dials are akin to gold, and as traditional as it gets in watchmaking, and this new Brunswick is an interesting riff on something that has been done countless times before. To achieve the champagne tone, Fears has applied multiple thin layers of 18ct yellow gold to the dial, and then applied a frosted finish that according to Fears gives the dial a subtle sparkling effect. The numerals have been polished, but unlike on the Jubilee Edition, they’ve been given a black gold coating here for a very different effect, the idea being that the dark tone of the numerals will contrast sharply with the lustrous dial. 

Both of the new Brunswicks are 38 x 38mm and have the same technical specifications, using an ETA 7001 manually wound movement with 40 hours of power reserve. The casebacks on these watches are closed, making them suitable for engraving, which is a nice touch on the part of Fears, and something we’d wish more brands would do, particularly when using mass produced movements. As mentioned above, the champagne dial version is not limited in any way and is a new addition to the Fears catalog, and it has a retail price of £2,791.67, excluding VAT. The Jubilee Edition will only be produced in 2022, with each bearing a unique edition number on the caseback. The retail price for the Jubilee Edition is £2,875, excluding VAT. Fears