Hands-On With The Fears Brunswick Salmon Cushion-Shaped Watch
It was only back in September that I sat down with Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the 4th managing director of Fears watches. After a long chat about the challenges in the early part of the year, Nicholas finally broke out his Globe-Trotter watch case. Awaiting inside were four Brunswick models in various styles — two from previous years with the original Brunswick and 2019’s Brunswick Blue. But also two brand Brunswick watches including today’s subject, the Brunswick Salmon.
Flashback to this time last year, I went hands-on with the predecessor to the latest Brunswick variation. The Brunswick Blue seemed like a perfect companion for a Barbour jacket/Hunter wellies country walk. At the time, I had the luxury of choice of where and how to test the wearing experience of the Fears Brunswick Blue. With the restrictions of this year in place, the choice was made for me. Even so, I still found the scenario to affix the new Brunswick Salmon to my wrist and get the most out of it.
Salmon for Christmas
With the copper tones of the deep brushed dial, and the festive spirit in the air, the Brunswick Salmon accompanied me while putting up the annual holiday decorations. Hanging up the wreath, venturing into the dark and dusty corners of the attic, and stapling lights (and my fingers) to the roofline. When all was said and done, the Fears was a good companion for resting by the fire to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Albeit with a few dud bulbs. Whilst decorating, my focus was the job in hand. But with a hot drink and my feet up, I was able to reflect on my thoughts of the newest Brunswick in the Fears range.
Case horizontal diameter is 38mm and 42mm diagonally from corner to corner.
The Brunswick case is the same as it was before. However, with my wrist flexing and straining to lift, heave and delicately position fragile decorations, I had a different wearing experience. The 38mm case may seem diminutive, but that only considers the horizontal diameter. With the soft cushion shape, the diagonal dimensions are 42mm from corner to corner. Yet I take neither measurement as a true representation of the wrist presence. The ergonomic shape blends the two dimensions in a way that prevents the Brunswick from appearing as a dainty dress watch. But also does not feel like a slab of metal on the wrist, that larger cushion case watch shapes often feel.
Should the Brunswick Salmon be up-sized?
No doubt, budding patrons have requested Fears to upsize its case to better suit their tastes. But without recognizing the wearability is in a sweet spot that is not necessarily apparent from the spec sheet. As I flexed my wrist, I noticed how unobtrusive the Brunswick Salmon was, especially with the proportional onion-shaped crown. Winding and setting the time was a breeze, with a crown that’s easy to grip and rotate. Although, with any watch, I always recommend removing the watch from the wrist to operate the crown. This is to avoid putting unnecessary strain on the winding stem. The only watch that gets a pass in my book is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, which you can wind and set while the case is mid-flip.
The lugs are suitably sturdy with a 43mm lug-to-lug measurement and a lug width of 20mm.
The Fears Brunswick Salmon could have easily opted for the wire lugs that are commonly seen on watches of this style. Especially from the early days of trench watches and even within Fears eclectic back catalog. However, I am pleased the lugs are suitably sturdy with a 43mm lug-to-lug measurement and a lug width of 20mm. Certainly opening up opportunities for aftermarket straps, or my preference, one of the many Fears straps available to purchase separately from its online store. The Bristol leather straps also smell fantastic, a benefit often lost on mass-produced leather straps.
Setting an example for Salmon dials
I spoke about the new salmon/copper color dial in my initial Introduction article from September. In person, the effect is still as captivating as this beautiful short video showcases. Although, in certain angles, the vertically brushed surface emits a shade that blends in with the raised anthracite “Edwin” numerals. With thermally blued skeletonized pipette hands, the Brunswick is not ideal in low light conditions or as a back-up nightstand clock. Perhaps a smart-phone is a better accessory as a desk clock, but I am old-school and prefer not to have a bright phone screen blind me in the dead of night. I am also all about minimal packing and objects with adaptability. Therefore, luminous hands that shine bright on a wristwatch are my ideal travel companion. When we get the luxury, of course.
Powering upstream
Turning the case over, you can observe the manually winding top-grade ETA 7001. It’s a reliable movement, but not the main pull of the watch. It has a fairly average 38-40 hours of power reserve and lacks a hacking seconds function. With this in mind, I came to the conclusion that the exhibition case-back was not essential. Fears place a lot of emphasis on disassembling, finishing, and reassembling each top-grade caliber that is fitted to its watches. Even adding a pop of color with the Fears golden pipette logo on the plate of the movement. Yet, the solid steel case-back with a radial brush that comes on the Brunswick Midas would have been my personal preference on the Salmon.
The ETA 7001 caliber sits within the 11.8mm tall case.
The case height of the Brunswick is 11.8mm, which is not a thick watch by any means. But even so, the petit ETA 7001 caliber sits reasonably deep within the case, making the inner case sides viewed through the sapphire case-back, quite prominent. With such a svelte and curvaceous case, the underside bezel of the caliber is rather brutish. As Fears has fairly limited production runs, customers can opt for the solid steel case-back upon placing their order at no additional cost.
Final thoughts
And when I say limited, I mean that as this Brunswick Salmon is selling like hotcakes. The artisanal production is causing a backlog of orders and creating a waitlist. Luckily, I am reliably informed the waitlist is first-come-first-serve, which is the fairest way to handle eager clients. If you happen to be one of them, I recommend registering your interest to be informed of the latest stock drop as and when. So for those who have previously balked at the price of £3,150 for a watch with an off-the-shelf movement. Take note of the huge demand this piece is generating by virtue of its gorgeous finishing, quality machining, and style alone.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Brunswick Salmon and eagerly anticipate the next outing from Fears. For more from Fratello on Fears, click here, or check out the details from the Fears site here.
Happy New Year!
