Bold Timepieces X Fears Watch Company
Today we are incredibly excited to share the news that Bold Timepieces is becoming an Authenticated Dealer of Fears Heritage Watches. The partnership between Bold Timepieces and Fears results in the offering of the Fears Heritage Collection,
The Fears Heritage Collection is a carefully curated selection of vintage Fears watches, created to showcase the varied design of older Fears watches. With three examples dating to 1946 (celebrating their 75th birthday) it is also a fitting selection for the 175th anniversary of Fears founding, this year.
The Fears Heritage Collection - No. 109, 110, 111, 112
Each watch has been professionally serviced by the Fears team, coming on a handmade Bristol leather strap. Your watch will also be presented in an official Fears box, accompanied by an extract for the Fears archive. They are then inspected and assessed by 4th Managing Director Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, to ensure they are up to Fears and our own exacting standards.
This means that you can enjoy your Fears Heritage watch for many years to come, knowing that it has the dependability and quality that is hallmarked by the Fears name.
For your piece of mind any Fears Heritage watch will be guaranteed by Bold Timepieces for 1 year from the date of purchase.
"Fears approach aligns with my personal passion for vintage watches. I was eager to aid in the conservation of these beautiful pieces and make them accessible to buyers who haven’t owned vintage watches before" - Bill Penaluna (Bold Timepieces Founder)
After discussions with Nicholas it became clear that Bold Timepieces and Fears could create something unique in the modern watch market, by registering a Fears Heritage Authenticated Dealer.
This unprecedented step was born out of an alignment of ethos and a love of heritage, to ensure that these beautiful watches can continue to bring understated elegance to new generations of watch wearers.
"Since I restarted my family’s watch company in 2016 I’ve been aware of the importance in respecting Fears’ extensive heritage. The formation of the Fears Heritage Division, which caters to all watches made by the company from 1846 to 1976, was a key part of this. That is why I’m delighted by the way we’ve been able to work with Bold Timepieces, who share our views on heritage, to offer a curated collection of original Fears for sale." – Nicholas Bowman-Scargill ((4th) Managing Director, Fears Watch Company Limited)
Bold Timepieces are incredibly thankful for the faith shown in the business by Fears to allow this partnership to be formed. We are proud to be called an Authenticated Fears Heritage Dealer, just a stone’s throw away from the very soil in Bristol where Fears began.
The journey to a partnership
I discovered Fears a couple of years into my watch obsession. As I looked beyond new watches and became involved with the world of vintage, sentimentality took over. Wouldn’t it be great if I could own a vintage watch from the city I was raised in?
A Google search threw up the Fears name and I was surprised to see that a brand that formerly operated just 3 miles from my home, still existed.
I sent an email to Fears’ 4th Managing Director, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, and received a prompt response. In May of 2018, I was the first guest in the Fears Canterbury showroom.
What was immediately clear was the incorporation of the past into every aspects of Fears, including the design of the watches. The models were named after Bristol locations occupied by Fears. The pipette logo was derived from the Syringe hands commonly found on Fears watches. The case design of the Brunswick was based on the 1930s and 40s cushion cased Fears pieces. To top it off, all of the new watches came on a handmade leather strap, sourced from the very tannery in Ashton that the company used in years gone-by.
The "Streamline" model Old & New
I was struck by the passion that Nicholas had for the Fears brand, a passion that could only come from having a blood connection to the company. The way Nicholas sought to operate the business was completely embedded in the ethos of the Fears of old.
This was not the reinventing of the brand; it was a continuation. Quintessentially English, focused on quality, dependability and customer orientated, just as Fears always was.
The fears archive was proudly on display, in the most beautiful 1950s cabinets. This allowed me to join my own dots and indulge in the influence that the vintage pieces have on the elegantly understated quality, of today’s Fears watches. This fostered a strong link to the watches of old that stuck with me.
I began to purchase many Fears watches and pocket watches from 1880-1960s. In doing so, little did I realise that I was becoming the largest collector of vintage Fears watches. This became apparent at Fears Owners Club meet-ups, at which fellow Fears fans would request that I source a watch for them or consider selling some of my own.
Having helped supply Fears collectors with watches for 2 years, it became clear that new owners were incredibly interested in procuring vintage pieces. No doubt this was down the clear influence they had on the modern designs and the strong pull this created to the watches of old, just as I experienced at the Fears Showroom.
With Nicholas’ love of Heritage, the extensive archive, the provision of servicing, custom straps and ability to join the Fears Owners club, Fears have created a completely unique and inclusive realm that seeks to protect and advance vintage watches.
Bold Timepieces are an Authenticated Dealer of Fears Heritage Watches. You can browse the Fears Heritage Collection on the website.
