Books: Chasing Time: Vintage Wristwatches by Alistair Gibbons

Alistair Gibbons is a longterm wristwatch collector. I recall coming across him some years ago when he curated a watch forum online and sold some mouthwatering timepieces. He's used his wide experience to place on record in this book, Chasing Time, some of the many watches he collected in the early 2000s. This was a time when watch collecting took off in a big way and there were some truly magnificent watches to be found. 

I recently had the chance to ask him about the book and his watch collecting career:

GF: Alistair you've recently published Chasing Time which contains images and descriptions of some mouthwatering vintage watches. How did you come to write this?

AG: Well I have always collected watches - always liked them. I was a visual effects editor working in London when the internet came online for businesses like mine who had early broadband. I became a member of several forums; On The Dash as a Heuer collector and Equation of Time Dive Forum. At the time these were the most comfortable places for me - great people sharing historic information about these old watches and having a lot of fun at the same time. 

I decided to set up a small website to sell watches I bought to fund a collection of watches I was interested in (this is maybe 2001) it became well known. I had good watchmakers making sure all of my watches were sold and guaranteed. Within a short time I could not load my watches fast enough. I developed racing straps for the Heuers which at the time were not available and military style straps for the more robust dive watches. 

The book is made from each file of each watch I serviced, researched, photographed and loaded for sale on my site. The book is basically a history of interesting chronographs, dive watches and military watches with good historical information, technical information and photographs that can be used as a guide for watch enthusiasts. In fact I am already being told the book is being used by dealers to compare to watches for sale as all of the watches are correct and have not been messed around with.

GF: I wanted to ask which are you favourite three watches - are they in the book?

AG: Yes they are although only 3 is tough can I make it 4 ? The Rolex Submariner 5508, the black IDF (Israeli Defence Force) Heuer Autavia, The Rolex GMT Master 1675 and the Wakmann Triple date. I know there are lots of very famous watches in there but remember when these watches were bought by me to restore they were not famous or well known. I like watches for the movements, their look and their history, not because they are an investment. I know I have included two obvious Rolexes, but those two in particular meant a lot to me.

GF: When we spoke recently we talked about why we like vintage watches. I see them as stylish and often beautiful objects which add to a person's style and personality. How do you see watches?

AG: Pretty much the same. I am not ‘an obsessive’ about watches. I have loved a watch even if it has had its hands changed in service or not on the correct bracelet etc Vintage watches are at a price level that the ordinary models of yesteryear are becoming beyond the wallet of your standard collector and I suppose I am partly to blame for that, so that is why I produced the book. 

It is more of a sales catalogue really, as all of the watch profiles are informative and full of points I think are relevant - as was my style when selling them online. It is probably fairly unique in that way. Like ’The Diary of a Watch Dealer’ kind of thing. I didn’t sell just the most expensive to get the best return, but the watches that made me happy and hopefully my customers too. 

Brands like Wakmann, LeJour, Yema, were hardly known and now are as collectable as old Breitlings, Heuers or Rolexes: all of these brands are in the book and include early divers worn by Jacque Cousteau's Dive team from Aquastar and Jenny.

Q4: How can Grey Fox Blog readers buy your book?

AG: The book is available on Amazon both in Europe and the US. Very reasonably priced between $25-$35. It contains 120 Cclassic watches, 30,000 words 500+ photographs. Here are links to some sale sites:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Target,

Wallmart,

Barnes and Noble.

In Australia at Angus & Robertson

This is an unsponsored post.

Military Wristwatches - Collecting Vintage Style

[Note: My apologies that I haven't posted for some weeks. security issues with the blog have  taken some time to sort out. I hope you enjoy this feature on collecting old military watches].

How many men do you know who are obsessed by collecting something? It may be cars, watches, clothes, cameras, books, golf clubs, rare birds, works of art or racing bikes. We're no doubt reflecting some ancient instinct which had us accumulating weapons, vital tools or whatever was required for our survival.

British military watches from the forties to sixties - collectible style

One item that a man of style might collect is watches. A watch says much about its owner - just as a what we wear reflects our tastes and personality. For those who like to focus their collecting impulses, I'd suggest looking for vintage military timepieces.

The last few years have seen a move towards smaller watches of plainer design. To many this is a welcome move away from the growth in watch sizes throughout the 90s and 00s when some watches soared to approaching 50mm in diameter. 

In the early to middle years of the last century a man's watch could measure anything from around 28mm in diameter; a watch of 36mm plus would have been relatively large. While 40mm is now considered average, watch companies are gradually reducing the size of men's watches again in response to the growth of the Asian market (where wrists are smaller), the popularity of men's watches for women and the increasing interest in smaller vintage watches. Small is becoming more sophisticated. 

What better than vintage military watches to fill this niche and to appeal to man's collecting instincts? They are around 34mm to 36mm in diameter, but stand out on the wrist because they were designed to be highly legible. The watches in these pictures were made for the British military between the forties and sixties, a vibrant period of military watchmaking, before electronics brought us rather soulless quartz watches. They are robustly designed with movements which are beautifully made and generally easy to maintain.

Five vintage military watches and a more recent military-inspired Seiko

Many can be bought from around £1000 to £2000 currently (some types for even less), though collectible ones like the Omega 53 or Mk11 navigators' watches made by Jaeger LeCoultre and IWC for astro-navigation can cost many times that. One watch to look out for is a watch made in England by Smiths for the British Army - the 'Smiths W10'. Smiths watches represent the end of a longstanding tradition of British watchmaking and the W10 can be bought for a reasonable figure as it isn't particularly rare. To be able to wear a watch made entirely in the UK - movement, case, dial and hands, is now unusual, although Bremont are slowly reviving British watchmaking.

Military watches should hold their value and in many cases appreciate. Watch prices are in a bit of a limbo at present as the cost of living soars, but in the long term such watches will, I'm sure, prove sound investments.

Inevitably, buying vintage military watches is a minefield - a lot of fakes are sold on eBay and even on watch fora and by dealers - get good advice before you take the plunge. Google 'Military Watches' and get to know the dealers, join a good military watch forum online and read and learn. The watches will need looking after, a service will be necessary every few years to keep the movement in top condition. The costs of this will soon eat into any investment value, but overall a well-chosen watch will give you years of pleasure and represent a fair investment.

[This feature is an update of a piece I posted in February 2012].  

Renard Watches: watches for him and her & a 15% reader discount

I've tried a few budget-priced watch brands recently. In keeping with my determination to keep this blog personal, I turn down requests to review watches which are not, to me, well-designed, with simple good looks and no unnecessary frills. Renard Watches (Renard is French for fox, a good choice of name) meets with that description. An Amsterdam-based brand, their offering relies heavily on the classic and straightforward designs unchanged on all attractive watches since the fifties. 

They sent me two watches of different sizes: the Grande Chronograph (a watch with a stopwatch function) in silver and black at 40mm diameter (pictured left above and below) and the Elite Eggshell Silver at 36.6mm diameter (pictured right above and below). The Elite is ideal for a woman who doesn't want a tiny woman's-size watch or for men who prefer smaller watches. Men are rediscovering the benefits of such classic, compact designs which give a sophisticated look to a man's wrist and, for me, are a welcome change to huge, chunky and unwieldy timepieces.

Two of the attractive selection of watches for men and women available from Renard Watches

Mrs Grey Fox and I wear the two Renard watches, showing their clean, classic designs

Both have accurate quartz movements and are reliable and well-made. The second hand on the chronograph didn't return quite to zero on delivery, but I was able to adjust it easily and it gave no further problems. The straps, so often an area for costs savings in budget watches, seem good quality and are genuine leather.

To see Renard's attractive range of watches for men and women, priced at between 139 and 269 Euros (approximately £110 to £212 at the time of writing), visit their website here. For a 15% Grey Fox Blog reader discount, quote the code greyfox15.

Note: This feature was sponsored  by Renard Watches.

An evening of style and watches with Timothy Everest and Page & Cooper

Watches are an important element in a man's wardrobe and are an often unappreciated factor in pulling together a look. Out for the evening? Try a small, slim, minimalist dress watch with the blazer and tie. Doing something active and outdoors? A chunky, water resistant and tough timepiece will look good with jeans, boots and Harrington jacket. Tailor and menswear creator, Timothy Everest, appreciates this link and I was recently invited to another evening of style and watches at his store in Redchurch Street in East London. 

Timothy Everest - stylish clothes, many British-made

Chatting to Timothy Everest

The event was organised by Page & Cooper whose selection of watch brands I've long admired and indeed coveted. They tend to go for the minimalist, practical watch rather than the fussy, over-designed look which can so ruin a good watch. Watch brands present included Damasko, Marathon, Laco and Vulcain - all previously known to me and all producing watches of high quality, yet at reasonable prices. 

Marathon - military watches

Marathon (above) used to supply exclusively to the military, although their watches appeared on the market from time to time where they were snapped up by collectors who appreciate their robustness. They now sell to the public. Chunky, tough and with genuine military heritage.

Damasko - highly engineered watches

Damasko (above) is a family business which sells high quality watches using interesting technology to improve wear and durability at competitive prices. Definitely worth a look, particulary as they make most of their own components. Very stylish watches which appeal to my minimalist, 'tool watch' tastes.

Laco - Bauhaus style at good prices

Laco (above) sell some interesting watches, mainly pilot's styles, but have also used quality Chinese mechanical movements for some well-priced watches (from around £235) for those who prefer budget watches to have mechanical rather than quartz movements. Stylish and reasonably priced.

Vulcain - classic styling

Vulcain (above) are best known for their alarm watches, but sell some colourful and nicely designed timepieces for everyday use. An interesting and high quality range, often retro in style. 

See Page & Cooper and Timothy Everest. This post is unsponsored.

Bamford Watch Department: Customised Watches

I met George Bamford just before Christmas when he showed me Bamford Watch Department's Mayfair HQ. Housed in an elegant building, a remarkable feature is that the paint of the internal walls graduates from black to white over the height of the building. When I mentioned this to Bamford he told me that most visitors don't notice, but I saw it as evidence of his total immersion in design that marks out his approach to whatever he does.

Zenith El Primero customised by Bamford Watch Department

Bamford Watch Department designs many things, from grooming products, through stickers (incongruously) to the customisation of watches. I first came across the company some years ago, in my watch collecting days, when they applied a black coating to Rolexes (particularly the Submariner) in a way that made the watches look fantastic, but, as it was done without Rolex approval, voided any warranty. Nowadays watch brands such as Zenith, Tag Heuer and Bulgari have arrived at George Bamford's door to collaborate with him. Visit the BWD website and you'll see that you can stamp your personality on an off-the-peg watch by changing dials, hands and cases to create a timepiece that is exactly as you want it. 

Top row: Zenith and Tag Heuer customised watches. Bottom row: Bamford Mayfair quartz watches

Each watch is customised in Bamford's own workshops where I saw experienced watchmakers relishing in the creative nature of the work they do. George has a close input, commenting in strap shapes and stitching and, with his keen design eye, ensuring that each watch looks its best for the client.

They also produce their own Mayfair collection of quartz watches. Affordably priced at £425, they come in a wide range of case and dial colours, echoing the customisation available for higher end watches. The Mayfair Range have a military-inspired asymmetric titanium-coated case and 12 hour bezel which makes them ideal holiday watches when you'd rather leave the pricey watches at home. The 12 hour bezel allows time to be read in a different timezone and a selection of straps adds to the choice available. There is no date display, something I'd like to see on a very practical knock-around watch like this.

On the wrist: customised Zenith El Primero (top left) and Bamford Mayfair

I was sent a couple of watches to try. Both had huge straps, far too large for my medium/small wrist, so if you order check sizing. Close up, all the watches are beautifully made and, whether you go for a customised high end watch like a Zenith, Tag Heuer or Bulgari, or the affordable Mayfair Range you'll have a wristwatch that's not only different but that oozes design integrity. The breadth of choice is large and you will own a customised watch that fulfils your precise requirements. See Bamford Watch Department.

This post was unsponsored. I was lent watches for review.

Fortis watches: built for use in Space - competition

Fortis are an independent watchmaker who have been producing innovative timepieces for over a hundred years, producing one of the first water resistant watches in the 1940s. They are based in the small town of Grenchen in the Swiss Jura, where today’s Fortis watches are still being made in the original factory founded in 1912.

Regular readers will know my love for watches, particularly those often called 'tool' watches by enthusiasts. These are timepieces which have a practical purpose and have been built accordingly. Whether for military use, flying, exploring, caving, swimming, diving, running, keeping time over different timezones or space travel, tool watches are quite different from their dressier cousins which have been designed for looks rather than function. 

The tool watch must be easily readable, usually water resistant, tough, well-built and reliable in extreme conditions. It's that functionality that gives it its simple, rugged beauty:

Official Fortis Cosmonaut

Watches built for use in Space have interested me for some time. You may not want to admit it, but wearing a watch worn on the Moon or the International Space Station gives you a small piece of the aura of the rugged, the brave and the pioneering.

Fortis Cosmonaut in use on a cosmonaut's wrist

Some watch enthusiasts collect examples of Space watches, including Fortis, Rolex, Omega, Bulova; all are high quality and robust. An important addition to any Space watch collection would have to be a Fortis Cosmonaut because, over twenty years ago, the brand was selected by the Russian Federal Space Agency to supply watches to its cosmonauts. The timepieces used undergo rigorous testing before use so are built to high specifications of accuracy and robustness.

Fortis carried out their own independent test under extreme G forces by launching selected Cosmonaut movements on Swedish Maxus rockets with an acceleration of 3,500 m/sec producing a force of 13G. The payload was catapulted vertically to 715km after which there was free fall of about 12 minutes, putting the movements under great loads. A recent international simulation of a flight to Mars also used Fortis watches.

Enter a competition to win a Fortis Cosmonaut (below)

Using mechanical movements for reliability, Fortis Cosmonaut watches have shown they they far exceed the demands of day to day use, while their legible, simple looks have, for me, all the design simplicity of the classic tool watch.

For more information or to buy a Fortis watch, see Page & Cooper.

You can enter a competition to win a Fortis Cosmonaut watch here.

There is also a giveaway of a Fortis Terrestis19 here, based on an original 1930s design, this watch has a simple, classic style that would make it the ideal business and dress watch.

This post was supported by Page & Cooper.

Vintage Tudor: a watch brand now emerging from the shadows

Many readers will know that I used to collect vintage watches. Some of my favourites were those made by Tudor. Until recently, Tudor were seen by some as a sort of poor man's Rolex, but this was an unfair and inaccurate description. Below I show three watches that were once part of my collection but have, very sadly, since been sold.

L-R: 'Snowflake' Submariner, 'Big Block' chronograph and French Navy issued MN Submariner - Image (c) Grey Fox

At the time these were made (the seventies), Tudor watches such as these were cased in Rolex cases and the crowns (winders) and case backs were embossed with the Rolex name and logo. Rolex was proud of its sister brand. The main difference in quality (and therefore price) was the movement. While Rolex manufactured their own movements for their watches, Tudor used off-the-peg Swiss movements from ETA, adapting them for their products. 

This difference didn't adversely affect their durability and accuracy, as I found when wearing these vintage pieces. The watches above were made to the highest quality and, while they were sold at lower prices than Rolex equivalents, the Tudors were well-made watches in their own right.

Much-missed: a Tudor Submariner 9411 with snowflake hands from 1977

Towards the of the last century, Tudor went off track and made some frankly unattractive watches. However, in the last few years they've re-found their roots. The use of its traditional 'snowflake' hands (with a squared end to the hour hand; see the vintage watch top left and the modern ones below), a design never used by Rolex, shows that the modern Tudor has rediscovered the design values of earlier watches. On the whole, modern Tudor watches are good-looking and well-proportioned.

Tudor have now created their own in-house movement, sealing, for me, their position as an independent watchmaker with a proven heritage. Below I show some of my favourites from their present collection from which you will see the heritage influences. They are also accepting the trend towards the slightly smaller watch. The 36mm Tudor Heritage Black Bay 36 (bottom row centre below) is an attractive watch, although I'd like to have seen the snowflake hour hand scaled down a bit to fit the smaller dial.

For more information on these watches, see Tudor's informative website. Prices are very competitive with other luxury watch brands.

Modern Tudor watches

This post is unsponsored and was written independently of Tudor with whom I have had no contact about this piece. All views are my own. The content and images (except in the final image immediately above) are copyright David Evans/Grey Fox. I welcome commissions and paid collaborations to help me run this blog.

IWC watches - a tradition of quality

There was a time when I collected vintage watches, many of them military timepieces. One of my favourites (now long gone) was an IWC Mark 11 (or Mk XI) watch, issued to pilots by the RAF from the late nineteen forties through to the eighties. Like all military watches, it was robust, simple in design and easy to read. Made as a chronometer, accurate enough for aerial navigation, it was remarkably accurate even sixty years after manufacture.

IWC Mk XI (image Grey Fox)

The IWC Mk XI was a beautiful watch to wear and I miss it. The problem with watch collecting is that you're always after that next purchase and, as a result, many watches are sold and later regretted and that's the reason I stopped collecting seriously.

However, I was recently shown IWC's watch collection here in London and in Switzerland, where they're based in Schaffhausen in the north of the country where they were founded (as the International Watch Co.) by an American in 1868. I was delighted to see that the quality, simplicity of design and robustness, which had drawn me to the vintage IWC, still shines out in their products.

Here are a two of the ranges of IWC watches that caught my eye, starting with a direct descendant of the Mark XI - the IWC Pilot's watches:

IWC Mk XVII (image Grey Fox)

IWC's pilot's watch range comes in many guises and vary in diameter from 36mm (in the beautiful reference 3240) to 46 mm in the larger pilot's watches. All have a family look, generally with black dials and elegant sword hands which make reading the time quick and easy. 

Above is a picture of the Mk XVII. This and the recently-launched Mk XVIII (a real favourite of mine in the black-dialled version pictured below) take a simple approach which relies heavily on the original military design. 

IWC Mk XVIII

My other favourite in the IWC lineup is the Portugieser which varies in diameter from about 41mm to over 45mm:

IWC Portugieser 8 Days - hand-wound and gorgeous (image Grey Fox)

Again, this is a direct descendant of a classic design. First introduced in the late thirties in response to a request from two Portuguese (hence the name) businessmen who wanted chronometer-accurate watches. To achieve the required accuracy at that time, a pocket watch movement was used resulting in a slightly larger wristwatch which is hand-wound. As with the Pilot's watches, I'm drawn to the simplicity of the Portugieser, so elegant, despite the larger size.

IWC Portugieser ref. 3714 - one of the smaller at 40.9mm

This is a very personal selection and I hope in due course to show more of the IWC range. You too can spend a happy half hour browsing the IWC website if you want to know more about their range of watches.

This feature is unsponsored, although I did attend an event with IWC which was featured here.

Tudor Black Bay 58 Navy Blue: Tudor's Newest

One of the characteristics of a watch enthusiast is that s/he will rarely wear a watch for longer than a few days before switching to something different. I used to collect vintage watches and, until last December, I would, every four or five days, swap the timepiece on my wrist for something else in my now tiny collection. That was until I bought a Tudor Black Bay 58 just before Christmas. 

My Black Bay 58 alongside Tudor's new 'Navy Blue'

That watch has been firmly on my wrist for both work and play. What attracted me to it was that it was new, and wearing vintage watches in the rough and tumble of an active life isn't advisable, but it also that it's good value, robust, has a chronometer movement and was from a brand I used to collect during my watch collector days.

And now Tudor has launched a new Black Bay 58: the Navy Blue. It differs from the original BB58 (sometimes called the 'gilt') only in that it has a blue dial and bezel, but these changes make it a different watch. While the gilt BB58 has a vintage air, reminiscent of its 1950s ancestor, with gold highlights and cream numerals, the Navy Blue has a very contemporary feel - simpler in design - with a smoky blue bezel and ice white numerals. This variation gives the buyer the opportunity to select according to his/her style preferences.

The two Tudor Black Bays (centre) continue a tradition going back decades. Here they are pictured with
 a Tudor chronograph and diver's watch both dating from the seventies

I was able to borrow a Navy Blue and wear it alongside my own watch. I wear mine on the excellent Tudor bracelet, but the new watch arrived on a matching blue nylon strap which is comfortable and gives an alternative and utilitarian look. Whether you prefer the vintage look of the original BB58 or the cleaner look of the Navy Blue is up to you. I would find it hard to select between the two if I had that choice - maybe the solution would be to buy both!

Tudor took a shrewd step introducing 39mm versions of its standard 41mm Black Bay diver's watches. Two millimetres may not sound much, but in watch terms it gives a slimmer, more compact and lighter timepiece. The move to smaller watches results partly from the growth in the vintage watch market. From the early days of wristwatches until the nineties most watches rarely exceeded 40mm in diameter. 

The Tudor Black Bay 58 Navy Blue in action

Until recently Tudor were seen, not entirely fairly, as a sort of poor man's Rolex. They used off-the-peg rather than the in-house movements made by Rolex, but their design was as good and even occasionally ahead of Rolex (they produced an automatic chronograph before Rolex and the 'snowflake' shaped hands used then and now on their diver's watches were both legible and contemporary in design). Even today some watch dealers describe vintage Tudor watches as 'Rolex Tudor' to give the Tudor name a totally unnecessary gloss - they were and are excellent watches in their own right.  The latest Tudor watches have in-house chronometer movements, removing any last doubts that this is a quality watch brand. 

Comfortable to wear, my BB58 had remained accurate despite many months' constant wear in often rugged conditions, from being subject to the vibrations of off-road cycling on my gravel bike to being knocked around swimming in cold mountain streams. 

Is there anything I would change? I'd like a date to make this an even more useful, utilitarian timepiece. One could be included at 6 o'clock to preserve the symmetry of the dial, but that omission isn't a deal breaker for me. For anyone wanting a high quality, durable watch with a chronometer movement at a fair price, I recommend the Black Bay 58. Many agree, as the waiting lists for the first BB58 demonstrated.

For more information on these watches, see Tudor's informative website. 

This is an unsponsored post. I was lent the Black Bay 58 by Tudor to assess and review. All views expressed here are mine alone.

Bremont: A Visit to a British Watchmaker

Bremont Watches seem to have been around forever, but were founded by Giles and Nick English in 2002. The two brothers, aviation mad, fuelled by a love of making things and the untimely death of their father in an air accident in 1995, decided that their interest lay in mechanical watches. 

Today, Bremont is based in Henley in Oxfordshire and is investing heavily in a large facility which will open next year. This will be the base to further an ambition to revive the British watch industry by making movements of their own. I recently visited and was shown round by Giles English.

With Giles English and some hi-tech watchmaking machinery at Bremont Watches

It's often forgotten that the British watch industry once led the world. It was here in the seventeenth century that Harrison developed the first accurate marine chronometer and by 1800 some half of the world's watches were made in the UK. The last mass-produced English watches were made in Cheltenham by Smiths Watches and you can still pick up a good quality Smiths watch, containing an English-made movement, for a couple of hundred pounds.

Bremont is developing its own movement (left). Watch parts for assembly (top middle). It manufactures its own cases (middle bottom) and (top right) aviation design inspiration is found in old cockpit instrumentation

Today only a few small, specialist watchmakers are making movements from scratch in this country. A larger number assemble watches from imported Swiss, Japanese and Chinese movements and parts. To bring back an industry making large numbers of movements is a huge undertaking involving major investment in reviving watchmaking skills (which take years to acquire) and buying the latest machinery to enable watch parts to be engineered to tiny tolerances. Despite the challenges, Bremont are up for it, as I found out when I met Giles English in Henley.

These bars of high quality steel will be cut and shaped for watch cases at Bremont

Bremont already make some of their own components and I saw watch cases being made on hi-tech tools which accurately cut and shape the highest quality steel. Alongside this, developmental work is being carried out to manufacture the first movements will form the basis of their high-end watch production in a few years time. A modern state of the art building will be completed next year to house all the facilities now in different locations around Henley and where watches are at present designed, assembled, repaired, serviced and some parts manufactured from scratch.

Bremont Armed Forces Collection - recently launched in collaboration with the British MoD (see below)

It's quite clear that very serious investment indeed is being put into this effort. But an ambition like this requires more to succeed. Talking to Giles English I was struck by his passion and determination to revive the English watchmaking industry. The singleminded resolve of the English brothers will, I am sure, drive this dream to success. In so doing Bremont will be bringing skills and jobs not only to Henley on Thames but also, who knows, laying the foundations and skills needed for a wider return to the glorious days of British watchmaking.

Bremont recently launched a military-inspired collection of watches (see above) designed in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence. Borrowing from the simple and robust designs of military timepieces of the forties to sixties, they carry the symbols of the three armed forces.

I borrowed a Bremont Endurance watch for a recent trip to Antarctica (link below)

See the Bremont website for more information.

Click here for a feature on a Bremont Endurance watch which I used on a trip to Antarctica.

NOTE: Supporting Grey Fox Blog: This feature is unsponsored. I incurred travel and other costs which I funded from my own pocket. As this blog is not a commercial enterprise I welcome contributions through Paypal on greyfoxblogATgmailDOTcom - many thanks.

Fears Launches Rectangular Watch to Celebrate 175 Years

Fears Watches, who are celebrating their 175th anniversary (they have launched a book about the brand - see link below), have introduced a rectangular watch inspired by a 1930s Fears art deco timepiece. The Archival 1930 uses new-old-stock movements dating from the 1930s and 1960s which are overhauled and assembled in the U.K. 

One of the two new Fears Archival watches

I was able to look closely at the two watches recently and was impressed by the quality of the finish of dial and case. They are launched at a time when rectangular watches seem to be sought after among watch lovers. While vintage in character, there is something very contemporary about the simplicity of their styling.

I was wearing a 1930s Jaeger LeCoultre when I met Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, head of Fears, recently to see the new watches. I wasn't previously aware of their rectangular shape and it was coincidental that I was wearing a similar watch, but the fact that I was doing so was illustrative of the recent rise in popularity of the shape, evidenced by interest in rectangular timepieces such as the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso, Cartier and others.

Fears Archival watches with '30s Jaeger LeCoultre and Fears's Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

The curved profile case of the Fears Archival watch is machined from 316L stainless steel and preserves the proportions of, while being slightly larger than, the 1930s original. A ‘Vintage Champagne’ dial is set off by a contrasting polished 18ct yellow gold border and crisp black Art Deco-style numerals and minute track. The simple blued hands are solid versions of the ‘Fears’ shape watch hands and feature a central bevel with diamond polishing on either side. 

All the sizes and proportions have been carefully thought out and tweaked in order to achieve just the right appearance. In watch design it's remarkable how even tenths of a millimetre can make a discernible difference to a watch's appearance and it wasn't simply a case of scaling up from the slightly smaller vintage original (see the image below).

The 1930s original Fears (left) alongside the two new models (not exactly to scale)

Each watch has a vintage-style handmade Oxblood Red calf leather strap tanned in Bristol by Thomas Ware & Sons, Britain’s oldest vegetable tanner who created the leather for Fears’ watch straps when the original watch was made in 1930.

The Archival 1930 is limited to 175 pieces (for the 175th anniversary) and there are two models, the first of which has been donated to the Bristol Museum for their permanent collection. They differ in 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. The three-handed Archival 1930 Small Seconds (39 pieces) uses a new old stock manual winding movement dating from the 1930s. Both are movements that Fears used in the past. Each is new/old stock and has undergone a full re-build and received an upgraded mainspring to enhance reliability. 

Which would you choose? In appearance, the two-handed (far right in the picture above) is the simpler and therefore more contemporary looking. While it's obviously a personal choice, I rather like the three-hander (centre above) for its seconds hand, its proportions, the older movement and the fact that there will be fewer of them.

Priced at £3500 and £3950, these limited edition, made in England, watches are available from Fears Watches.

See here for a feature on the recently published history of Fears.

Sinn wristwatches - design and technology

Watches are an often-overlooked part of the man of style's wardrobe. A good watch, well-designed and fit for purpose, says much about the owner.

Regulars here will know my love of watches. I tend to go for simple, military-inspired watches because they have been designed minimally for two purposes; to be easily readable and robust. You don't need complex, vulnerable, hard-to-see timepieces when you have more important things to do.

Sinn 756 UTC

Because of this heritage, military-inspired designed watches tend to be used by people of action; pilots, climbers, adventurers, mountaineers are among those attracted to their practical robustness.

Sinn 556

One brand which I bought early in my career as a watch enthusiast was Sinn. The company was founded originally by Helmut Sinn, a flying instructor who couldn't find what he needed on the watch market, so he designed his own robust and easy to read wristwatches.

The company was later bought by an ex-IWC engineer. IWC is a company with a long and honourable history of robust and high quality timepieces, one of the most famous of which was bought by the RAF in the fifties as a chronometer (meeting very high levels of accuracy) wristwatch for navigation.

Sinn 140 chronograph

As you'd expect from this pedigree, Sinn watches are highly-engineered and quality pieces of kit. The specifications include argon filled cases, hydro oil filled cases, air-dehumidifying technology, a lubrication free DIAPAL mechanical movements, super-hard watches cases, anti-magnetic protection. More recently Sinn initiated TESTAF, the first ever standard to define pilot's watches in professional use.

Sinn 660M

The Sinn range is large, with most models coming in a wide range of options for case and dial colour, strap or bracelet choice, modern or more classic designs and some having features such as a UTC function which allows time to be kept in separate time zones for those who travel. Prices range from about £570 and are reasonable given the quality and technology involved.

Sinn 903 chronograph

You can find Sinn watches at Page and Cooper who also stock other highly-thought of makes, such as Damasko (which I can also highly recommend from personal experience) and Squale, who have a long tradition of making highly-functional divers' watches.

This was post written in association with Page and Cooper and Sinn.

Brathwait Watches: simple, affordable style

Watches are great examples of the rule that simply-designed objects look better than those that are over-elaborate. It's a bonus when, as with these Brathwait watches, the product is a fair price.

 Automatic mechanical movement minimalist Brathwait watch

Brathwait sent me sent two watches to try and review. The first (automatic movement minimalist, above) has a Japanese mechanical movement and date function. Being automatic means that it's kept wound by the movement of your wrist. The second watch (slim steel quartz, below) has a Swiss precision quartz movement powered by a battery with a 40 month life expectancy. 

I generally prefer mechanical watches as I love having a little spring-powered motor ticking away on my wrist. However, while the battery-driven quartz movement may lack that mechanical appeal, it is more accurate and allows the watch itself to be a few millimetres slimmer in profile. 

Classic slim steel quartz movement Brathwait watch

Both watches have sapphire glass and high quality stainless 40mm steel cases. The quartz has kept almost perfect time over a week or more; the mechanical gains a few seconds a day, excellent for a mechanical watch costing around £230. The straps are good quality and a selection of steel, leather and nylon is available.

Have a look around Brathwait's excellent website. You may want to know how to wind (if mechanical) and set your watch, as that information doesn't come with the watch. It can be hard to track down some of this information, but persevere because there is a lot of interest. Brathwait are very open about how much their watches cost to make and they also explain about the movements they use in their watches. You can also read about Richard Brathwait, a seventeenth century London gentleman and poet, who is the inspiration for the brand. Brathwait's The English Gentleman & English Gentlewoman, published in 1631, can be downloaded from their site (free).

Prices from $150 (quartz movement with NATO-style strap) to $359 (for automatic movement) [about £104 to £230 at the time of writing]. Prices include international postage. Brathwait is based in the US but clearly pride themselves on their global customer service. My watches arrived within a few days of being ordered; impressively fast turnaround. See Brathwait.