Introducing the Fears Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar

Fears' First Perpetual Calendar Feels Right at Home

By Blake Buettner

Fears takes a momentous step this week with the introduction of their very first perpetual calendar watch within the Brunswick collection, and in doing so, marks ten years since their re-establishment by the founder’s great-great-great-grandson, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. The watch is the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar, and it joins the core collection for regular production. In true Fears fashion, they’ve managed to craft a distinguished take on the classic high complication without compromising the strong foundation of the Brunswick character. 

Taking a step back, producing a perpetual calendar is no easy feat for a brand of any size, even less so for a brand that produces fewer than 1,000 watches a year. To accomplish this, Fears worked with partners at Dubois Dépraz to create a discreet module that is set atop a hand-finished Sellita SW300. The result is a new caliber dubbed the 55115, which is exclusive to Fears. This is a seriously impressive bit of watchmaking, and it’s been done in a manner that preserves the on-wrist experience of the Brunswick. 

Generally, when a module is used to add complications to a movement, it does so at the expense of added height and heft. With the caliber 55115, Fears is able to keep the movement within an impressively small footprint. The Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar measures, you guessed it, 39mm in diameter (a new size for the collection), and measures just 10.1mm in total thickness, which includes a domed sapphire crystal. These measurements represent a remarkable feat, and make it clear that this watch wasn’t about merely creating a high complication watch, but rather, a high complication Fears Brunswick. 

The calendar complications are presented clearly upon a clean Silver Mink dial, with a trio of well proportioned sub-dials and a distinctive moonphase indication at six o’clock. At three o’clock we find the date, sitting opposite the day of the week at nine o’clock. At the top of the dial sits the month, with a leap year indication nested at its center. A set of pencil hands track the hours and minutes against applied polished indexes that tread deeply into the dial. It’s a lot of information presented in a concise manner that never feels complicated or overwhelming. 

Set within a classic Brunswick case with a careful mix of brushed and polished surfaces, this perpetual calendar feels, in some ways, like it’s always been a part of the collection. It feels mature right out of the gates, and that is a testament to the strength of Fears’ core design language, and how it’s been woven into this reference. 

Turning the watch over reveals a view of the caliber 55115, which is beset with an engraved solid gold oscillating weight. The bridges and plate underneath are frosted with dark rhodium anglage, and hand finishing features throughout. This is a movement worth a closer look, and seems to invite it in hopes of challenging perceptions of just how good a module equipped movement can be. It’s nearly as impressive as the dimensions that have been managed. Nearly. Setting of the complication is managed through pushers set within the case walls. 

The Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar is a part of the core collection, meaning production will not be limited to a set number. Pricing is set at $28,500, and shipping will begin in mid-September.