When Fears re-launched their brand in 2016, picking up 130 years of history in the process, they did so with the Redcliff collection, so named for the street in Bristol where the business had its first workshop and showroom in 1846. The Redcliff would remain in production for 4 years, overseeing the brand’s reemergence under the founder’s own great-great-great-grandson, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, their 4th Managing Director. This year, Fears is bringing the Redcliff collection back, and it’s bringing years of maturity with it.
The new watch is officially the Redcliff 39.5 Date, a reference to its case size and complexity. The steel 39.5mm case measures a hair under 10mm in thickness, and 47mm from lug to lug, falling into a sweet spot for everyday wear, which this watch is most certainly being positioned for. Sporting a top-grade La Joux-Perret G100 automatic movement and a 150M depth rating within a straightforward design that looks to embody the ‘go anywhere, do anything’ approach, the Redcliff makes a strong argument for daily wear.
Fears calls the Redcliff a watch for all seasons, showcasing a more contemporary design language of Fears. This is a watch that enjoys a bit of flexibility, as it can be dressed up or down with ease by way of quick strap changes between colors and materials. The case gets a traditional design with a seamlessly integrated lug spun off a round case that hosts a selection of 4 dial colors. Each hour is marked by an applied polished baton with a strip of lume down its center, creating a familiar environment, with a date aperture at 3 o’clock. The date discs are color matched to each dial, and the numerals are rendered in the Fears ‘Edwin’ typeface, designed in house.
There are four colors at launch, with a fifth special edition done in collaboration with Collective Horology. The dial colors are Pewter Grey with subtle cyan accents; Raven Black with white accents; Cherry Red with white and pink accents; and finally Mallard Green with silver accents, which is exclusive to the Fears boutique in Bristol. The fifth variation done in collaboration with Collective Horology foregoes the date, and gets its own bespoke Onyx stone dial with a design that brings a bit more drama to the table. It also gets a fully polished case to further set it apart.
The new Redcliff collection is available now directly from Fears, save for the Onyx which can be had exclusively from Collective Horology. Pricing begins at $3,300 excluding Vat on a three link steel bracelet. More from Fears.
