While most brands are satisfied to launch a new watch collection with a single design in a handful of alternative colourways, Farer are not. Instead, each of their collections feature a variety of styles, layouts and designs that explore different aspects of the wristwatch archetype they are based on – whether that be the humble 3-hand, Aqua Compressor Diver or anything else. Today’s launch is the Pilot Collection Series II and sure enough, there are three completely different takes on the watch in the collection, named Curtis, Barnwell and Hewlett.
Mechanically and structurally the three watches are identical. They feature 40mm diameter cases in titanium with a thickness of 10.9mm and compact 43mm lug-to-lug length. That’s on the smaller end of the spectrum for a pilot’s watch, which tend to be large for improved legibility. The upside of this sizing is that it’s very comfortable to wear for a range of wrist sizes, especially given the lightweight properties of titanium. It also has 100m water resistance and 500 Gauss magnetic field resistance for added utility and protection. They also all house the Sellita calibre SW300-1 Elaboré with 56-hours of power reserve.
Getting into the individual designs of the three models in the Pilot Collection Series II, let’s start with Curtis. It has a matte, blue PVD finish across its case and pilot’s watch signature oversized crown. The colour matches that of the dial, which features a segmented concentric circle guilloché design. It’s a lot more texture than you’d find on a traditional pilot’s watch display, which gives it a modern feel that’s further emphasised by the lumicast numerals and hour markers (available in both western and eastern Arabic numeral designs). The bold markers help maintain the legibility against the textured backdrop.
Barnwell mixes things up by introducing what’s known as Type B pilot’s watch display with separate 60-minute and 12-hour scales, a layout popular in German Flieger watch designs. Similar to the Curtis it has a radial segmented appearance but this time in a bronze colour without the guilloché. That same bronze tone is used for the case’s PVD coating. There are a few points of additional spotlight colour with the red hands and sky-blue minute track.
Third is the Hewlett, which is the most traditional of the trio with its dark navy-blue dial and crosshair style pattern. That disk is surrounded by a full lume minute track, which provides low light legibility in combination with the lumicast Arabic numeral hour markers. It’s also the only watch in the collection not to use a PVD coating, revealing the natural grey tone of the Grade 2 titanium.
All three of the Pilot Collection Series II watches are priced at £1,350. That’s a very respectable price for the titanium watch with Elaboré movement. Plus, with the internal soft iron faraday cage providing the magnetic field resistance as denoted by the engraved caseback, it offers really solid specs for any occasion. As for choosing a favourite, the traditionalist in me likes the Hewlett but let’s be honest, if you’re buying a Farer, you probably want something a little more out there like the Curtis.
Price and Specs:
More details at Farer.
