William Wood Launch ‘Stealth Black’ Fearless Field Collection

We’ve always had a slight issue with William Wood. Not because their watches aren’t great – they’re cool, detailed tributes to first responders, what’s not to love? But because a diving watch feels about as far away from a fire as it’s possible to be. We’ve been arguing for far too long now that a field watch would make far, far more sense. And apparently, they listened because not only is the new William Wood Fearless a field watch, it might just be their best timepiece yet.

Firstly, the Fearless has a brand-new case at a size of 40mm, making it a touch smaller than William Wood’s existing chronograph and dive watch timepieces. The reduction is size makes a lot of sense, a field watch is a watch designed for action and a smaller size makes it both lighter and less intrusive on the wrist. Plus, there’s the fact that 40mm is generally more wearable for a majority of people.

The case is produced in stainless steel with an IP Stealth Black plating finish, which gives it a dark silhouette. It’s a very modern look from a brand that typically favours vintage aesthetics but it’s by no means an unwelcome deviation. Plus, there are some traditional William Wood elements still present such as the vintage brass crown made from an upcycled firefighter’s helmet.

Alongside the new black case is a new black dial, which again is not the usual William Wood fare. Instead of retro dashboard counters or the like, it has a rough, grainy texture designed to evoke images of charcoal. A somewhat chilling reminder of the role fire and rescue serve in our communities, although it’s also really cool at the same time. It reminds me of the texture Patek Philippe used on their 2022 Calatrava.

However, it’s not all black because in addition to the case and dial the William Wood Fearless collection features rose gold applied indexes (coated with lume) and brightly coloured flanges and seconds hands. There are three colour options available, red, orange and yellow. Each option changes the feel of the piece with the red having a smouldering quality while the yellow is perhaps the most vibrant.

The signature colour of each watch can also be found in the stitching of the vintage black hose pipe strap (a rare colour of hose within the service) and the tinted sapphire glass of the exhibition caseback. Cleverly, the caseback has been shaped like a modern firefighter’s helmet with the display window as the visor.

Through said visor you can see the Seiko NH35 movement housed inside. It’s an accessible, automatic movement with a 41-hour power reserve and time and date functions. Not exactly an exciting calibre but a solid and dependable one.

In terms of pricing and availability, the William Wood Fearless is £895 with a limited production of 250 pieces. It’s great to see William Wood branch out with more daring designs, proving that their chosen niche of firefighting is a richer vein of watchmaking inspiration than you first may think.