Watch Blog

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Hands-on with the luxury sports watch the Girard Perregaux Laureato 42mm.

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Hands-on: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Everest Limited Edition - the best luxury sports watch.

Happy Birthday Fears watch company! 

Fears is 175 years old, which is likely to make them the oldest British watchmaker still around having been started in 1846 by Edwin Fear. To celebrate this milestone Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, Fears’s 4th Managing Director, has launched 2 new pieces. They both have rectangle cases and are the first watches to be part of the new “Archival” family, with these being called Archival 1930. 

As you can guess from the name, the new watches are a modern interpretation of an old Fears watch from the 1930s with a smart little “easter egg”, These watches are powered by NOS (new old stock) movements from 1930s and 1960s that have been stripped down and rebuilt.

Original Fears from the 1930s.

These modern interpretations, although much larger for the modern wrist and style, carry many of the subtle touches from the original. 

Here are the details:

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Fears Archival 1930
Case:

• 316L stainless steel
• 22mm wide x 40mm lug to lug
• 8.54mm thick
• 20mm lug width
• Blued hands
• Sapphire Crystal with ARdur anti-reflective coating

Movement:

• New-Old-Stock Swiss made ETA 2360, circa 1968, 
• manual winding, 
• 17 jewels, 
• 18,000vph (2.5Hz) and 
• 40 hr power reserve.
• Reconditioned, serviced, and fitted with an upgraded main spring in the UK

Price: £3,500 inc VAT

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Fears Archival 1930 Small Seconds
Case:

• 316L stainless steel
• 22mm wide x 40mm lug to lug
• 8.54mm thick
• 20mm lug width
• Blued hands
• Sapphire Crystal with ARdur anti-reflective coating

Movement:

• New-Old-Stock, Swiss made ZentRa 185/ETA 717, circa 1935, 
• manual winding
• 15 jewels
• 18,000vph (2.5Hz) 
• 38 hr power reserve
• Reconditioned, serviced, and fitted with an upgraded main spring in the UK 

Price: £3,950 inc VAT

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Both watches are limited editions, but the Small Seconds is a limited within this limited edition. Here’s how the press release explains the limited edition:

The Archival 1930 is limited to 175 pieces, recognising the significant anniversary the watch has been created to mark. Along with a serial number, each watch’s case back is also engraved with one of the years from 1846 up to 2021. The 175 watches are split into two models to reflect the 136 years the company has been operational (1846 – 1976 and 2016 – present day) and the 39 years when it lay dormant (1977 – 2015). A subtle nod to this part of the Fears heritage. The first watch, with the founding year, 1846, on its caseback, has been donated to the Bristol Museum for their permanent collection.

The two models differ by the movements that power them, with the two-handed Archival 1930 (136 watches) using a new old stock manual winding movement dating from the 1960s. While the three-handed Archival 1930 Small Seconds uses a new old stock manual winding movement dating from the 1930s. Both are movements that Fears used in the past. Each movement, having never previously been used, has undergone a full re-build and recondition in the workshop while receiving an upgraded mainspring to enhance reliability.

In today's market I don't see these watches as being a "daily wearer", unless you're as well dressed as Nicholas himself, but these do perfectly fit into the dress watch category, and not just by design but by execution as well. Given the attention to detail on the finishing, case curvature, dial framing and subtle touches of colour, these feel special. As you're getting ready for that fancy occasion and you pull our your best cufflinks and belt, these watches will easily join that line up.

Nicholas and the Fears team have done a great job at creating a very classy dress watch which has an impressive amount of details from their original 1930s piece, but tastefully adjusted it for the modern market. 

For more details visit fearswatches.com

Subscribe and comment on Chrono24's video: https://youtu.be/bRM1Q0JnwK8?t=1115 to enter their $10,000 voucher giveaway.

This video is a mini review of my watch collection which is a mix of luxury watches, affordable watches and a smartwatch. 

Running time: 
0:00 Intro 
1:22 Rolex Submariner 16610LV Kermit 
2:00 CWC G10 (British Military Issue Watch) 
3:11 Rolex Explorer 14270 36mm 
3:59 Apple Watch Series 6 
4:42 Tudor Black Bay 58 Black 
5:29 Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical 
6:19 Omega Seamaster 300m Pro 
7:40 Chrono24 Advert 8:25 IWC Big Pilot 43 
8:43 Panerai Luminor 
9:11 Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Small Seconds 
9:50 Rolex Explorer II White Dial Ref 226570 
10:36 Cartier Tank

It's become fashionable to start a watch brand and it's hard to identify those who are doing it seriously, or doing anything genuinely different. Studio Underd0g is certainly doing something different and although their concepts are fun, the execution shows they take it seriously!

Richard from Studio Underd0g sent me a couple of watches to check out as they were already with Scottish Watches and so they were in my area. I'd already set the expectation that I wouldn't cover them, but I was happy to check them out, however, I feel compelled to talk about them for 2 reasons. Firstly here are the specs:

Watermel0n / Desert Sky

CASE: 

• 316l Steel
• 38.5mm wide
• 13.6mm deep
• 44.5mm lug to lug
• 20mm lugs
• 50m Water Resistant

MOVEMENT:

• Manual wind
• Column wheel chronograph
• Seagull ST-1901
• 21 jewels
• Frequency: 21,600 vph
• Accuracy: -10 to +40 s/day
• Power Reserve: 50hrs

PRICE: £370

The first point that stands out to me with these watches is the detail. The design details. I'm not a fan of gimmicks and the WaterMel0n is certainly a watch full of gimmicks with the dial representing a cross-section of a watermelon: smooth green tachymeter, textured pinky-red dial and melon pips for hour markers. Although I'm too boring and serious to appreciate the fun aspect of this watch, I do appreciate the detail that's gone into the design. Most notably, the resting chronograph seconds hand. On 99% of chronographs (not factually correct) the chronograph seconds hand, when reset, obscures the logo on the dial, but not here. The resting chronograph hand becomes part of the logo or at the very least, it complements the logo by perfectly separating and framing the name and model. 

The second point that stands out to me, and this doesn't often happen, but the watches need to be on par with the movement, and vice versa. In this case, I feel the movement doesn't complement the watch but rather degrades it (which is actually a compliment). This is powered by a Seagull ST-1901 manual wind column-wheel chronograph movement. Seagull is a movement manufacture based in China that bought a Swiss movement manufacture back in the 1960's called Venus. That buy out included the rights and designs to Venus's movements and the equipment, the Seagull movements made today are still made on the original Venus machinery. Despite the movement being relatively reliable and easy to service, the focus is very much on making them cheaply which is why they are a popular choice among microbrands. They are the key reason this mechanical column-wheel chronograph can be sold for £370!

Finishing can be the most expensive part of a movement, so naturally, when it comes to saving money, finishing is the area that gets hit the most. The finishing of this movement is so bad, it's somewhat comical and that's my issue. The finishing and execution of the watch overall are far superior to that of the movement. It's always nice to find a good looking "affordable" watch, but in this case, I think these watches would benefit from a higher grade movement and simply charge more for the watch, or hide the movement behind a solid case back. Although I do think showing a movement for a micro-brand is important as it adds credibility - even if the movement isn't made by them.

In short, I think Studio Underd0g, even before launching is onto something good. Richard's creative mind is clearly a powerful one and although things like the WaterMel0n watch aren't "my cup of tea", I do enjoy the playfulness and the execution. 

Richard asked for my feedback on the watches, my points were:

• find a better movement
• make the case slimmer

Apart from that, I think the design is a home run!

Check out Studio Underd0g at underd0g.com

Hands-on review ORIS Aquis 41.5mm with the new Calibre 400 movement. The Aquis is the watch community's favourite affordable luxury dive watch, and Oris took it to the next level by adding their in-house developed movement, cal. 400. This new movement was launched in 2020 and is anti-magnetic, has 5-days of power reserve, a 10-year warranty and service interval. Impressive for a £2,700 watch.