Elegantly understated British brand Fears is getting a bit fancy with two new editions to its Brunswick line, the royal purple Brunswick ‘Jubilee Edition’ celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee and the Brunswick Champagne.
The Releases
The new Brunswicks feature the same case as the rest of the collection. It’s a 38mm cushion case with a balance of brushed and polished finishes and a well-proportioned onion crown. While the champagne model features the sterile screwdown caseback of the typical Brunswick, the ‘Jubilee Edition’ has a small amount of text noting the Queen’s jubilee and the individual number of the watch. The watches feature a handwound Swiss ETA 7001 movement with Côtes de Genève and a golden Fears ‘Pipette’. The movement features 17 jewels, a 42-hour power reserve, and a frequency of 3hz. The watches have 20mm lugs both come with a Pewter Grey Barenia leather strap and the Jubilee comes with a matching Royal Purple in Bristol leather, made from British calf hide and tanned right down the street from the new Fears Head Quarters.
But let’s not kid ourselves: we’re here for the dials. The ‘Jubilee Edition’ features a fittingly Royal Purple lacquer dial, regal in its brilliant sunburst finish. The hands—in Fears’ classic skeletonized style—are rhodium-plated, as are the applied numerals in the brand’s custom “Edwin” font. The Champagne dial is made using layers of 18k gold applied to a frosted surface. The hands and numerals on that model are polished and then receive a coating of black gold to add contrast. Both dials feature sparing dial text and a 6 o’clock radial subdial with running seconds displayed.
Our Thoughts
Given how utterly British Fears Managing Director Nicholas Bowman-Scargill is, the decision to make a watch to commemorate QEII’s 70 years on the throne is not a huge surprise. Purple is a difficult color to get right—which is why you don’t see a lot of purple watches—but I think Fears nailed it here. I’d stick with the pewter grey strap, though, as it’s a bit much for me when paired with the matching purple strap. This is a step outside the conservative palette the brand goes for, so limiting this to a single year for production allows them to make this something special instead of a new direction.
The champagne dial is simply stunning, isn’t it? This may seem like a big bold dial choice, but I’d argue it’s really not. We see this frosted gold on plenty of very high-end dials, including some from Akrivia and Romain Gauthier. With that in mind, it’s a no-brainer for a brand that prides itself on class and elegance. And it also looks damn good—the black numerals and the radial subdial offer great contrast. Of the two, this one is my choice. Sign me up. LFG.
Availability
Both the Brunswick ‘Jubilee Edition’ and the Brunswick Champagne are priced at £2,875 and £2,791.67, respectively. Neither model is limited, but the ‘Jubilee Edition’ is numbered and will only be produced in 2022. You can learn more and order the new models directly from Fears.