If you haven’t attended one of the British Watchmakers’ Day (BWD) events yet, you’re missing out. Not only is it a fun time where you can meet the people behind all your favourite British watch brands as well as your fellow collectors and enthusiasts, it’s also the only place where you can buy exclusive BWD special edition watches from the attending brands. The first brand to unveil their special edition for 2026 is Fears with the Brunswick 40 ‘1846 Edition’.
Your first question about this watch is likely, why is 1846 important? Well, if you do the maths, that’s exactly 180 years ago and is when the Fears watch brand was originally founded. In a fun coincidence, 2026 also marks the 10th anniversary of modern Fears when it was revived in 2016 by a descendant of the original founder. The new Brunswick 40 ‘1846 Edition’ is inspired by one of the first pocket watches produced by the brand in 1846.
Starting with the case, it’s made from 925 sterling silver hallmarked in London, one of the materials traditionally used by Fears for their watches and something of a modern BWD tradition as this is the third special edition in silver that Fears have produced for the occasion – including last year’s jump hour.
The structure of the case has actually been redesigned slightly for improved ergonomics compared to the standard Brunswick. Though the broad strokes remain the same with its cushion design, onion crown and relatively compact lugs. Using the steel Aurora Brunswick 40mm as our measuring stick the new design share the same diameter at 40mm but has a slightly longer lug-to-lug at 47mm. However, it’s also thinner with a thickness of 11.1mm as opposed to 11.9mm, shaving off just under a full millimetre in height. Given that cushion case watches naturally feel bulkier, any concession to slimness is appreciated.
For the dial, you can see in the side-by-side image with the original pocket watch that the modern display is virtually identical. It has Roman numerals, a recessed and oversize small seconds subdial and thermally blued spade hands. It makes for an incredibly authentic vintage inspired display that oozes classical charm.
Inside the watch is the La Joux-Perret G121M manual-winding movement with 60-hour power reserve. It was chosen because it positions the small seconds complication further away from the central handstack, which gives it room for the oversize subdial on the display. It’s protected by a closed caseback that bears the edition number as well. Speaking of which, as British Watchmakers’ Day exclusive, only 25 pieces are being produced and they are only available at the event on March 7th. It’s priced at £4,350.
Price and Specs:
More details at Fears.
Beautiful classic dress watch that oozes elegance. I would love to own one but as always, limited availability prevents this happening, that and the fact that you can only get these if you attend a BWD event, which for many of us is virtually impossible as we are remote from the hustle and bustle of London.
I have made reference to the fact many times, but why do so many watch companies go down the road of limited number releases, yes, I can understand this if they are costing space shuttle figures, but whilst this is not a giveaway cost, it is realistic and a fairly achievable purchase for us mere mortals.
With further reference to the actual watch, I am personally fully accepting of the fact that it is a manual wind as opposed to an automatic (no great effort required to wind a watch), but as this watch is not really an everyday wear item (and generally, collectors have a selection to choose from), 925 sterling silver wouldn’t have been my first choice due to tarnishing issues and the need to polish it after a relatively short stay in the watch box. Oh well, what do I know.