In the wake of their incredibly fun Cushion Case launch in September, Farer are keeping the accelerator to the floor with another characterful and colourful release. The Farer Chrono-Classic is a stylish chronograph inspired by a trio of historic British Olympians. The three versions are the Jackson, Swann and Meredith. Each shares broad similarities in design – bicompax chronograph layouts featuring a 30-minute timer and small seconds with an additional date window at 6 o’clock – but with unique colours and finishes.
First up is the Jackson, which is named after Arnold Jackson, who won the 1,500m at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. In an amazing feat, Arnold broke the Olympic record despite entering as a private athlete having failed to make the official GB team. The watch itself has a blue colour scheme with dark navy subdials, a mid-tone dial and light blue hands. It also has a pique pattern texture across the dial.
Next is the Swann, an homage to Sidney Swann, the first ever Manx person to win a gold medal at the Olympics, which he accomplished as part of the 1912 Men’s Eight Rowing team. This version of the Farer Chrono-Classic has a sun ray brushed dial in a gorgeous magenta colour. It makes a strong case for purple watches becoming the next colour of choice. The design is rounded out by a mix of blue, red and white hands.
Lastly there’s the Meredith. Leonard Meredith won the Cycling Team Pursuit in 1908 at the London games, helping to create a legacy of British cycling that has spanned over 100 years to the likes of Chris Hoy and Jason Kenny. The colourway is perhaps the most classic of the Chrono-Classic offerings, a salmon dial with circular grain finishing and blue accents.
All three are presented in a 39mm diameter case made from stainless steel with a vertically brushed bezel and bead blasted flanks. It gives the piece a sporty aspect that meshes well with its smaller vintage-style proportions.
Inside, the Chrono-Classic houses a movement from Dubois Dépraz, a premium Swiss calibre manufacture that you’d typically expect to see in high end timepieces, not a watch from a fun British brand. Specifically, it houses the calibre DD2022, which has a 45-hour power reserve with automatic winding and a partially open-worked rotor in a turbine design. One of the key elements of the DD2022 is the offset rod system that allows the crown and pushers to be perfectly aligned with each other, instead of the minor deviation commonly seen in alternative chronographs.



In terms of price, there are two ways to look at it. On one hand, £2,195 is very expensive for a Farer, with prices typically sitting around £800 – £1,200. However, it’s also one of the most accessible Dubois Dépraz watches on the market, making it incredible value. All that remains is to pick which colourway is your favourite, although for a watch named Chrono-Classic you can’t go wrong with the classic salmon of the Meredith.
Price & Specs:
- Model: Farer Chrono-Classic
- Case/dial: 39mm diameter x 12mm thickness, stainless steel case
Navy matte pique patterned dial, steel hour and minute hands, cyan chronograph and 30 minute counter hands, navy small seconds (Jackson)
Magenta sunray adonised dial, steel hours and minute hands, orange chronograph hand and 30 minute counter tip, blue small seconds (Swann)
Copper grained dial, blue numerals, blue hands (Meredith) - Water resistance: 100m (10 bar)
- Movement: Swiss-made Dubois Dépraz calibre DD2022, automatic, 59 jewels
- Power reserve: 45h
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
- Strap: Blue (Meredith/Jackson) or purple (Swann) leather with stainless steel buckle fastening
- Price/availability: £2,195
More details at Farer.