1939 Fears Bristol 28mm Manually Wound 11250

Here we have a classic 1939 Fears Bristol Manually Wound 11250 with a 28mm Chrome round case. The curved flanks lead to slender curved lugs that hold the fixed spring bars perfect for open-ended straps, and a lug-to-lug length of 36.5mm and a case thickness of 9mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side is a coin-edged push/pull crown. The smooth chrome-plated bezel holds a domed crystal above an attractive, even patina dial.  An outer minute rail track surrounds Arabic numeral indices coated in Radium, marking the hours; at 6 o’clock, a slightly recessed sub-seconds dial with a thermally blued hand, in the centre original thermally blued “Fears Pipette” hands infilled with lume. At noon we have the Fears motif completing this delightful vintage timepiece. On the reverse, an engine-turned stainless steel “Fond Acier Inoxydable” snap-off case back is engraved with the Serial and reference number, inside a manually wound FHF Cal. 31, 15 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with its 16mm open-ended leather strap secured with a pin buckle.

This watch is sold as "watch only" and therefore comes with no box or paperwork. It comes paired with its 16mm open-ended leather strap with a pin buckle. The watch is from Circa 1939 and is sold in worn vintage condition but overall in very fair condition. Its case has been re-chrome plated sometime in the past, and the original dial has an attractive even patina, as you can see. It comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

This is surprisingly the first vintage Fears I have stocked, and what an example it is to begin with. A wonderful original dial and handset which has aged beautifully, cased in a recently re-chromed 28mm case which looks great on the wrist for those, like myself, who enjoy wearing a smaller watch. I would not hesitate to pick this up as a piece of history to be enjoyed and worn, you will not be disappointed!

Reference : 11250
Movement : Manually Wound FHF Cal. 31
Age : Circa. 1939
Year : 1939
Case Size : 28mm
Case Thickness : 9mm
Lug to Lug : 36.5mm
Lugs : 16mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Chrome
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

The year was 1846, and a young watchmaker named Edwin Fear established a workshop and showroom in his own name at 33-35 Redcliff Street in Bristol. The company ‘Edwin Fear’ that he created became more and more successful and eventually, in 1866 needed to expand to their second premises, on Bristol Bridge, which served as Fears headquarters until the 1940s. During this period, the company had three different Managing Directors. Following the passing of Edwin in 1877, the business was handed down to his son, Amos Daniel Fear, who in 1908 saw the company become a limited company whilst also changing its operating name from ‘Edwin Fear’ to ’Fears Limited’. Amos also safely navigated the company through the First World War,1914-1918, after which he established an export department called ‘Fears (Export) Limited’ at No. 14 Brunswick Square in Bristol. In late 1945, following the War, Fears moved to new premises in Clifton, Bristol, just in time to celebrate the company’s centenary in 1946 with a new watch collection. Fears continued to thrive through the post-war years until it sadly closed its doors in 1976. It was not until 40 years later, in 2016, when an aspiring young apprentice watchmaker at Rolex in London, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the great-great-great-grandson of Edwin Fear, re-launched his family’s company at the SalonQP watch show on 3rd November 2016. Keeping the name ‘Fears’, he released their first wristwatch in the twenty-first century, the Redcliff. Rolling with the success of the Redcliff in 2017, they released their second wristwatch, The Brunswick, named after Brunswick Square in Bristol.