Fears

Who are Fears?

Fears is a British watch company based in Bristol. Edwin Fear founded it in 1846, it closed in 1976, and Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, his great-great-great-grandson, revived it in 2016 (Fears). Fears watches today are small-batch steel watches named after places in Bristol. This page covers the history, the collections and who owns the company, then what to check when buying a Fears watch second-hand in the UK.

Fears says it is owned and run by the founding family (Fears), and Companies House lists Nicholas Bowman-Scargill as the person with significant control of Fears Watch Company Limited. The company does not publish production figures.

The history of Fears

Fears has two histories: a Bristol watch business that ran for 130 years, from 1846 to 1976, and the brand revived in 2016. The key dates are the founding (1846), the export business (1920s and 1930s), wartime bombing (1940), the closure (1976) and the relaunch (2016).

The first 130 years. Edwin Fear opened a workshop and showroom at Nos. 33–35 Redcliff Street in 1846, and in 1866 the business moved to Bristol Bridge, which stayed its headquarters until the 1940s (Fears). His son Amos Daniel Fear took over in 1877, at 21. The company was incorporated as Fears Limited in 1908, and in 1920 an export department, Fears (Export) Limited, opened at No. 14 Brunswick Square (Fears). Fears made pocket watches and, from the 1920s, experimented with wristwatch case shapes (Fears).

The 1930s and the war. Amos Reginald Fear became the third managing director in 1931, and by the end of the decade Fears was exporting to 95 countries (Fears). Time+Tide puts the workforce then at more than 100 watchmakers. On 24 November 1940 bombing destroyed the Bristol Bridge headquarters; the Brunswick Square office was hit three times and abandoned in 1942, and in 1945 Fears moved to Clifton (Fears).

Closure. Fears closed in 1976 (Fears; Time+Tide), although its own home page says the final catalogue came out in 1975. Time+Tide links the closure to the pressures of the quartz crisis; Fears’s own history gives no reason.

The revival. Fears Watch Company Limited was incorporated on 14 October 2014 (Companies House). Bowman-Scargill, then an apprentice watchmaker at Rolex in London, relaunched Fears at the SalonQP watch show on 3 November 2016 (Fears). The first watch was the Redcliff, which used a Swiss quartz movement (Worn & Wound). The cushion-cased Brunswick followed in 2017 (Time+Tide), and Fears says it was the second watch of the new company. In 2022 Fears moved its headquarters back to Bristol, and in April 2024 it opened its first stand-alone boutique, at No. 4 Clifton Arcade (Fears). In 2026 Fears marked 180 years since 1846 (Fears).

What is Fears known for?

Fears is known for its Bristol history, for the cushion-cased Brunswick, and for making small batches of watches assembled in Britain with Swiss movements.

Bristol names. Its collections are named after places tied to the company: Redcliff Street, where Edwin Fear started; Brunswick Square, home of the export department; and Arnos, after Arnos Vale, where the founder is buried (Fears; Time+Tide).

Small batches. Worn & Wound reported in 2019 that the Brunswick was made in batches of 20, hand-built in the UK. Fears describes its watches as designed and built in the UK (Fears).

Swiss movements. Fears uses movements from Swiss suppliers rather than its own. The 2019 Brunswick Blue used a hand-wound ETA 7001 (Worn & Wound); later hand-wound Brunswicks use the La Joux-Perret D100, and the 2022 Brunswick 40 used an ETA 2824 automatic (Time+Tide). The Redcliff has used the La Joux-Perret G100 automatic since 2024 (Worn & Wound), and the Arnos uses a Sellita SW1000 (Time+Tide). The Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar of 2026 combines a Sellita SW300 base with a Dubois Dépraz perpetual calendar module (Time+Tide). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains what this means for servicing.

British collaborations. The Fears Garrick, launched in 2022, is built in Garrick’s Norfolk workshop with a hand-wound movement based on Garrick’s own calibre, at 10 to 15 pieces a year (Worn & Wound). Fears has also made the Alliance 01 with Christopher Ward for the Alliance of British Watch & Clockmakers (Fears).

Which Fears collections are there?

Fears lists four collections: Redcliff, Brunswick, Arnos and Eminence (Fears). The collections table on this page gives the year each began. Points that help when reading listings:

• Redcliff: check the year. The 2016 Redcliff was quartz; the version reintroduced in 2024 is a 39.5mm automatic (Worn & Wound). Two watches with the same name can have very different movements.
• Brunswick: check the size and movement. Fears sells Brunswicks in 38, 39 and 40mm, with hand-wound and automatic movements (Fears). Ask which calibre a particular watch has.
• Arnos. Launched in 2025 as Fears’s third core collection, with a case measuring 33.5 by 22.6mm (Time+Tide).
• Eminence. The top of the range: the Fears Garrick and the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar (Time+Tide).
• Earlier and limited models. Fears keeps a “previous models” section on its site, and has made boutique and retailer editions (Fears). Match any edition number to the papers.

Who owns Fears?

Fears is privately owned. Companies House lists Nicholas Bowman-Scargill as holding 75% or more of the shares in Fears Watch Company Limited, notified on 14 October 2016, and Fears describes itself as owned and run by the founding family (Fears). Bowman-Scargill is the company’s fourth managing director (Fears).

The company’s registered office is at Paintworks in Bristol, and its registered business is the manufacture of watches and clocks (Companies House). It is not part of a watch group.

Buying a Fears watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check which movement the watch has, whether it is a modern Fears or a vintage one from before 1976, whether the papers and any edition number match, and run a stolen-watch check before you pay.

1. Modern or vintage. Fears watches made from 2016 onwards and those made between 1846 and 1976 are different things. For vintage pieces, Fears’s Heritage Division services Fears wrist and pocket watches from those years, can make parts that are no longer available, and returns fully serviced watches with a signed extract from the Fears archive (Fears). Ask the seller whether a vintage watch has been through the Heritage Division.

2. The movement. Because Fears has changed movements within the same model names, read the listing for the calibre, not only the name. A 2016 Redcliff is quartz (Worn & Wound); our guide to mechanical and quartz watches explains the difference.

3. Papers and the full set. Ask which items come with the watch and whether they are originals. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

4. Warranty. New Fears watches carry a two-year international manufacturer’s warranty against manufacturing faults (Time+Tide Shop). On a second-hand watch, ask for the purchase date and whether any warranty remains. See watch warranties explained.

5. Servicing. Fears runs its own service division for current watches (Fears). Ask when the watch was last serviced and by whom. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

6. Who you buy from. Fears sells through its own boutique, its website and a list of authorised stockists (Fears). If you buy privately, read our guide to buying from a private seller or a dealer.

7. Stolen-watch check. Check the serial number against a stolen-watch register before you pay. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch. Another British brand in our directory is Bremont.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fears a British watch brand?

Yes. Fears was founded in Bristol in 1846 and is based there today (Fears).

Who founded Fears?

Edwin Fear, a 22-year-old watchmaker, in 1846 (Fears).

When did Fears close and when did it come back?

It closed in 1976 and was relaunched on 3 November 2016 by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill (Fears).

Who owns Fears?

Fears is privately owned. Companies House lists Nicholas Bowman-Scargill as holding 75% or more of the shares in Fears Watch Company Limited.

Does Fears make its own movements?

No. Fears uses Swiss movements from suppliers such as La Joux-Perret, Sellita and ETA (Worn & Wound; Time+Tide).

Where are Fears watches made?

Fears says its watches are designed and built in the UK (Fears), using Swiss movements.

Can Fears service a vintage Fears watch?

Yes. The Fears Heritage Division services Fears watches made between 1846 and 1976 (Fears).

What is the Fears Brunswick?

A cushion-cased watch based on a 1920s Fears design, first released in 2017 and named after Brunswick Square in Bristol (Time+Tide; Fears).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Fears.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.