Earlier this month, I found myself at a formal dinner sitting a few seats away from Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, proprietor, and 4th generation managing director of the quintessential British watch brand Fears. As much as I enjoyed the discussion, I couldn’t help but notice the rather peculiar watch on his wrist. Nicholas, ever the gentleman, was quick to hand me the watch, and without explaining anything, sat there waiting for my reaction. The watch in question was the Fears Garrick, a collaboration between two British brands, representing the distinguished styling of Fears paired with the remarkable engineering of Garrick in a single vision. My reaction? This thing is good. Very good.
The Fears Garrick is as much a celebration of friendship as it is British watchmaking, having begun as a conversation between Nicholas and Garrick co-founder, David Brailsford over a pot of tea in 2018. Fears had only been resurrected by Nicholas a mere 2 years prior, after a brief 40 year period off the market (the brand was founded by Nicholas’ great-great-great-grandfather in 1846). The pair managed to push the project through the global unpleasantness of recent years, and the result is quite special.