2019 Fears Redcliff Continental Blue GMT Discontinued
Ref: BS13840

Specification

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original Fears presentation box and paperwork. The watch comes fitted with a 20mm Fears strap with a signed buckle. The watch is from August 2019 and is sold in worn but excellent condition as you can see, worn a handful of times at most. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.

The Watch

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, who is 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 from the Redcliff in 2017 they released their second wristwatch, The Brunswick, named after Brunswick Square in Bristol.

Here we have 2019 Fears Redcliff Continental Blue GMT with a 38mm high polished 316L stainless steel case, this now discontinued watch was in production for one year and 50 of each colour -Jetliner White, Fears Blue, and Passport Red were produced. The curve of the case tapers to a lug-to-lug length of 44.5mm and a case thickness of 7.5mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist, the thin smooth polished bezel holds a flat sapphire crystal above a Fears Blue dial created from high-gloss lacquer. An outer minute track is precisely printed with Fears Pipette indexes marking the hours coated in Super-LumiNova, at 3 o’clock we have an oversized Pipette with the date inside. In the centre of the dial is a globe showing latitude and longitude lines. At 6 o’clock you find the GMT oval-shaped window perfectly positioned for when you are globetrotting, distinctive ‘Fears’-shaped hands are painted in high gloss black and infilled with Super-LumiNova complemented by a white second hand with a Pipette counterbalance. At 12 o’clock we have the Fears motif and at 6 o’clock “Redcliffe Continental”. On the reverse, a screw-down case back, each piece has a unique serial number engraved between the lugs at 12 o’clock, this number can identify the watch's history from its master database. Inside a Swiss Ronda 515.24D Quartz movement. The watch comes fitted with a 20mm Fears strap and comes with its Fears presentation box and paperwork.

Personal Note

I have always been a fan of the Redcliff Continental and believe it to be one of their most underrated watches made with a genuinely great GMT function which flows with the design of the watch beautifully. I actually own one of these and I should wear it more often! I wouldn't hesitate on this one, getting a Fears under £1,000 is a rare opportunity now.