Introducing: The Fears × Ace Jewelers Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition”

In January, Ace Jewelers in Amsterdam announced that it became the exclusive authorized dealer for Fears watches in the Netherlands. During the launch party at the boutique, people were surprised that there wasn’t a limited-edition collaboration between the two parties yet. After all, Ace Jewelers is very active when it comes to collaborative watches. It seems as though the two companies just needed some time because, today, Fears and Ace Jewelers present their Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition.” It’s the classic cushion-cased Brunswick we all know and love, but this time, it has a dial inspired by a Dutch art and design movement that was focused on reduction, clarity, and primary colors.

De Stijl, founded in 1917 by artists and thinkers like Piet Mondriaan and Theo van Doesburg, sought to express a universal visual language. The idea was that art, architecture, and design could help create a more balanced, orderly world. Let’s take a look at how the new Fears × Ace Jewelers Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition” tries to fit in there.

The Fears × Ace Jewelers Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition”

The Fears Brunswick 38 is a favorite of mine. The watch’s 38 × 42 × 11.69mm stainless steel cushion case fits my 17cm wrist perfectly. Only the top of the case features circular brushing. The rest, including the bezel, displays an elegant polished finish. The knurled onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock adds a little more character to the already quite sturdy-looking case. It might be a bit much in terms of the watch’s theme, but as round watches are usually the norm within the watch world, I feel the squarish case fits De Stijl’s focus on simplicity, geometry, and harmony very well.

But, of course, the thing that’s most on-theme here is the dial, a composition of yellow, blue, red, black, and gray boxes. It was designed by Fears’s in-house designer Lee Yuen-Rapati. Mondriaan’s work was clearly a big inspiration here, but apart from looking good, the artwork is also functional. The black rectangles represent the hour markers, while the blue square at six o’clock functions as the sub-seconds dial. The black skeletonized hour and minute hands have the signature Fears shape, while the sub-seconds hand is straightforward and white. The dial might not be the easiest to read, but it certainly looks original.

La Joux-Perret inside

Inside ticks a manual-winding La Joux-Perret D100 movement. It runs at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, features 18 jewels, and holds a 50-hour power reserve. You can take a look at it through the case back’s sapphire crystal. That’s also where you can find each watch’s LE number, which will be between 01 and 50. The screw-in case back helps keep the Brunswick 38 water resistant to 100 meters. All watches are assembled in England.

A boutique in the heart of the museum district

This year, Ace Jewelers closed its standalone boutique on the Van Baerlestraat and moved in with Royal Coster Diamonds. That’s across the street from Amsterdam’s famous Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum (the museum of modern art). What better way than to celebrate this move into the heart of Amsterdam’s museum district with the art-inspired Fears Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition”?

It’s certainly a bold take on the usually quite modest Brunswick; however, it serves as a great canvas. The rectangular artwork on the dial works harmoniously with the cushion-shaped case. This probably won’t be your first watch, but it offers something distinct to complement the rest of your collection.

The Fears × Ace Jewelers Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition” is a limited edition of 50 pieces. It costs €4,114 / £3,550 and is only available through Ace Jewelers and Fears, of course.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of the Fears × Ace Jewelers Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition.”