2020 Fears Brunswick 38 ‘Midas’ Polar White ‘Upgraded Case’
Ref: BS23801
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box and Papers
Case Material : Gold Plated
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Fears wooden presentation box, clamshell case and original paperwork, plus the Fears updated case paperwork. The watch comes paired with three Fears straps, two short and one regular. The watch is from May 2020 and is sold in worn but excellent condition, as you can see from the photographs, an upgraded Brunswick Midas II case by Fears. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sLPsPxdNLsNzTcLJ2coQoeU0lLTdnodK?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 17:21 - https://youtu.be/ni-4KPv5KMc
The Watch
Here we have an early 2020 Fears Brunswick Midas I Polar White with an updated Midas II case. Very few pieces of the Midas 1 were ever produced; each piece has its serial number engraved between the 20mm lugs at 12 o’clock. The 38mm upgraded Midas II is gold-plated, the curvaceous flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 43mm and a case thickness of 11.5mm for a comfortable cushion fit; on the right side is a traditional “onion-shaped crown. A domed sapphire crystal sits above an incredible Midas White dial, which is a hand-polished white lacquer. Black numerals are inspired by those used by Fears in 1946. Each set of hands is subtly skeletonised. On the reverse, we have a solid stainless steel case back with a spun circular-grained finish; inside, we have a hand-wound ETA 7001, 17 jewels, and 18,000 beats per hour. It comes paired with three Fears straps, two short and one regular. The watch comes with its Fears presentation box, clamshell case and original Fears paperwork, plus Fears updated case paperwork.
Personal Note
Finding a Fears Brunswick Midas is an incredible hard task as Fears made so few of them over its production lifetime, yet we have one here that is even more unique as it features a Midas II case. This was done by Fears themselves as the original Bronze & Dual-Gold plated case had a defect that was kindly rectified with an upgraded Midas II case which is a more traditional steel & gold-plating. They kept the original Midas dial, handset and movement making this, technically, a unique watch. Regardless of all of the above, it's a incredible looking watch and wears beautifully, as you would expect a 38mm Brunswick to do. I would not hesitate to add this watch to your collection today whilst you can!
The Brand
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 of the Redcliff in 2017, they released their second wristwatch, The Brunswick, named after Brunswick Square in Bristol. In 2022, Fears relocated to its historic home city of Bristol, where they have built a new Headquarters and Showroom. In 2023, the first Fears and Christopher Ward Alliance Watch was released, the jump hour, a unique collaboration between two powerhouses of the British Watch & Clock Makers Alliance. The Alliance was set up in November 2020 as a Trade body representing 75 Brands across the British Isles, including the Republic of Ireland, such brands as Bamford London, Christopher Ward, Fears, Farer, Elliot Brown, Isotope, Marloe Watch Company, MHD Watches, Pinion, Schofield, Studio Underdog and many others.