If you’ve been following Worn & Wound for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that we’re big fans of Fears Watch Company. Since the brand’s revival — Fears released its first 21st-century watch in 2016, though the name has been around since 1846 — they have consistently captured enthusiast attention thanks to a series of refined, eye-catching, and completely modern releases. Suffice it to say, when Fears tells us something new is coming down the pike, we tend to pay attention.
Today, they’ve re-teamed with Topper Jewelers, the small family-owned Silicon Valley jeweler known for their stellar collaborations and limited editions, for what just may be one of their best releases so far, the Fears Brunswick 38 Topper Edition ‘Silver Sector.’
The Silver Sector is a slight departure from the two previous collaborations we’ve seen from the partnership between the Bristol-based watchmaker and Topper, trading the California dials that set earlier releases apart for a clean and contemporary sector dial with sub-seconds inspired by watches produced by Fears in the ‘30s and ‘40s. The dial is finished with applied markers and Fears’ signature skeleton syringe hands.
It’s a new look for Fears, and it works brilliantly, offering a clean, monochromatic look without sacrificing any of the brand’s signature visual flair. And it’s gonna make for some killer wrist shots and I desperately want to see how this watch photographs through something like a Leica M-11 Monochrom.
The watch uses Fears’ updated 100m water-resistant, 38mm x 38mm Brunswick cushion case in stainless steel and is only 11.8mm thick, including the crystal. I don’t have the specific lug-to-lug measurement, but if you’ve never had the chance to try on a Fears Brunswick, rest assured that the compact cushion case and short lugs mean the Brunswick wears remarkably well on just about any wrist.
The engine driving the Silver Sector is a top-grade La Joux-Perret D100, an upgraded version of the manual wind ETA 7001 with 50 hours of power reserve. This limited edition is offered on a black barenia leather strap lined with dark blue Alcantara and fitted with a Fears branded steel pin-buckle.
Overall, the Silver Sector is the dressiest collaboration we’ve seen between Fears and Topper (dressy and Silicon Valley don’t always seem to go hand in hand) and only 40 of these watches will ever be produced, a reference to the year of Topper’s founding, 1940. If you want to get your hands on one of these, they are available today through Topper’s website or in person at their Burlingame, CA store.
The Fears Brunswick 38 Topper Edition ‘Silver Sector’ is available today in a limited edition of 40 through Topper Jewelers for $4000. Fears
