Fears Watches, a historic British independent watchmaker, is marking its first retail partnership in the United States with a special edition made for Topper Fine Jewelers in California’s Silicon Valley.
Fears Watches is sitting alongside Grand Seiko, H. Moser & Cie, Omega, Blancpain, Parmigiani Fleurier, Zenith, Nomos, Longines, Seiko Prospex, Zodiac and Oris at Topper in Burlingame, CA.
A special Topper Edition of Fears’ Brunswick 40 watch has been made to celebrate the new relationship and launch the brand in the United States.
Fears Watches was founded in England in the mid-19th century but fell into administration for several decades before being revived by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill a fourth generation direct descendant of the founder.
Mr Bowman-Scargill has been mentored by, among others, the UK managing director of Rolex, where he worked for four years in the service department.
“We were thrilled to have a chance to collaborate with such a rising star in Fears managing director Nicholas Bowman-Scargill,” says Rob Caplan, co-owner of Topper Jewelers.
“Nicholas is a true steward of this legendary brand, with a passion for watchmaking culture and a meticulous eye for detail, continuing the rich traditions set out in Fears’ extensive back catalog of beautiful, mid-century designs,” he adds.
Fears has only made hand-wound watches since its revival, but the Brunswick Topper Edition is an automatic, the first made by the brand since before its mothballing in the 1970s.
“Right from the beginning we knew we weren’t creating a traditional Fears watch but would have the opportunity to make something a bit different with Rob and his team, which was very exciting,” says Mr Bowman-Scargill.
“We’ve been careful to ensure the Brunswick 40 Topper Edition retains the incredible detail that Fears is known for, while still creating something fresh. It’s been a delight to work on such a unique project that combines the Californian aesthetic with Fears’ own design ethos. The result is a watch I’m proud to bear my family’s name.”
There are two versions of the Topper Edition, one with a polished black lacquer dial, the other in white.
Both come in 40mm cushion-shaped cases housing the ETA 2824-2 no date automatic movement with 42 hour power reserve.
Only 25 will be made of each version, priced at $3,900.
