Fears Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar: A Modern British Masterpiece of Horological Complexity

Fears has unveiled what is arguably the most ambitious watch of its modern revival, and it is a far cry from the simple, understated pieces that first brought the resurrected British brand back into the spotlight. Meet the Fears Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar, a beautifully restrained high complication that packs an immense amount of mechanical ingenuity into a surprisingly slim 39mm case.

The new Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar is particularly significant for Fears. The brand describes it as its most complicated watch ever made, while also claiming the distinction of being the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch from a British brand in modern times. It also marks the first Fears watch of the modern era to feature a moonphase complication. And despite all of that, it doesn't look like a watch desperately trying to prove how complicated it is. That's perhaps the most impressive thing about it.

A New Brunswick, But Still Very Much A Fears

The Brunswick has become one of the defining watches of modern Fears, drawing heavily on the brand's historical designs while giving them a contemporary interpretation. For the Perpetual Calendar, Fears has taken that familiar cushion-shaped silhouette and completely reworked the architecture around it.

The result measures 39mm across and 37mm wide, with a 45.4mm lug-to-lug measurement. More impressively, the case is only 9.4mm thick, or 10.1mm including the domed sapphire crystal. That makes this the slimmest Brunswick yet and, given what is happening underneath the dial, an impressive achievement.

The case is machined from 316L stainless steel and combines brushed flat sides with broad polished bevels. Both the bezel and caseback have a concave profile, something Fears hasn't previously used on one of its watches. Combined with the relatively modest thickness, this should give the watch a particularly elegant presence on the wrist.

There's also the familiar Fears onion-shaped crown, complete with the brand's cypher, while four discreet corrector pushers are integrated into the case band for adjusting the various calendar indications.

The overall inspiration comes from a gentleman's cushion-cased Fears watch dating back to 1924, but this is very much the modern interpretation of that design.

A Dial That Has A Lot Going On

Perpetual calendars can often become visually chaotic. Once you start adding day, date, month, leap-year and moonphase displays to a relatively small dial, things can quickly become busy. Fears has taken a much more restrained approach.

The dial is finished in what the company calls Silver Mink, with a lightly frosted surface coated in warm pure silver. Black printing provides the primary contrast, while cyan-blue details add just enough colour to prevent the dial from becoming too monochromatic.

Each calendar indication gets its own recessed sub-dial, with fine circular grooves adding texture without overwhelming the design. The typography is particularly interesting too, with Fears creating a bespoke set of letters and numerals known as the Bristol typeface specifically for the watch.

The applied indices are made from brass, diamond cut and polished, with four bevels on each index before being coated in warm 18ct black gold. The result is subtle but gives the dial plenty of depth when the light catches those polished surfaces.

The familiar Fears pipette-style hour and minute hands are also made from solid brass and diamond polished, while the calendar hands receive the same black-gold treatment as the indices.

At six o'clock sits the moonphase display, featuring a black lacquered sky and two hand-finished silver moons. One of those moons gradually appears and disappears across the 29.5-day lunar cycle.

It's a lot of information, but Fears has managed to make it feel remarkably coherent.

The Complication Is The Star Of The Show

Of course, the real reason this watch exists is sitting underneath that beautifully restrained dial.

The Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar uses a Swiss-made automatic Dubois Dépraz 55115, created specifically for Fears. It records the day, date, month and leap-year cycle, automatically accounting for the different lengths of each month and the four-year leap-year cycle.

That means that once the watch has been correctly set, the calendar should require no manual correction until 2100.

That's the defining difference between a standard annual calendar and a true perpetual calendar. The watch isn't simply displaying the date; mechanically, it understands the calendar.

And 2100 is an interesting date. While most years divisible by four are leap years, century years aren't unless they're also divisible by 400. So 2100 won't be a leap year, meaning the mechanism will require a simple correction at that point.

For most owners, however, that's a problem for the next generation.

There's also the moonphase, making this Fears' most mechanically complicated watch to date. The movement is part of the brand's Eminence Collection, which denotes hand finishing, including polished bevels, delicate frosting and an anthracite-grey finish.

Turn the watch over and the complication becomes even more enjoyable. The exhibition caseback provides a view of the movement and its impressive solid 18ct gold rotor, which is decorated with the Bristol flower and Fears cypher.

The movement provides a 47-hour power reserve, meaning it should comfortably survive a weekend off the wrist, although Fears is also supplying something rather more useful for anyone who wants the calendar to remain permanently correct.

Yes, It Comes With A Watch Winder

Given that a perpetual calendar can theoretically remain accurate for decades without needing its calendar corrected, letting it run down and then having to reset all those indications is something most owners will want to avoid.

Fears has therefore included a custom SwissKubik watch winder, specifically configured for the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar.

It can operate from mains power or batteries, meaning it can even be used in a safe, and is configured to keep the watch running with its time, calendar and moonphase indications all correctly displayed.

It's a thoughtful addition, particularly at this level of watchmaking.

The Finishing Touches

The watch comes fitted to a hand-sewn Walnut Brown matte ostrich-leg leather strap, lined with Fears' distinctive blue Alcantara. The warm brown works particularly well with the Silver Mink dial, giving the watch a classic dress-watch character without making it feel overly traditional.

The strap uses a bespoke Fears pin buckle with brushed and polished finishing to match the case.

With 20mm lugs, owners can also fit other straps, although there's an important caveat: Fears' five-link Brunswick bracelet isn't compatible with this particular case architecture.

The watch is individually numbered, with its serial number engraved between the lugs at 12 o'clock.

Specifications

Reference: BS239.030
Case: 316L stainless steel
Case dimensions: 39mm x 37mm
Lug-to-lug: 45.4mm
Thickness: 9.4mm / 10.1mm including sapphire crystal
Lug width: 20mm
Crystal: Domed sapphire with ARdur® anti-reflective coating
Caseback: Sapphire exhibition caseback
Dial: Silver Mink, lightly frosted pure silver finish
Hands: Fears pipette hands, black-gold plated
Movement: Dubois Dépraz 55115 automatic perpetual calendar
Power reserve: 47 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, day, date, month, leap-year indication and moonphase
Rotor: Solid 18ct gold
Water resistance: 50m / 5 ATM
Strap: Walnut Brown matte ostrich leg leather with Fears Blue Alcantara lining
Buckle: Fears signed pin buckle
Accessories: Custom SwissKubik watch winder and Fears corrector pin
Availability: Individually numbered, non-limited production
Price: £26,950 including VAT
Shipping: Expected from late October 2026

The Price Of Perpetual

And then we get to the part that is likely to generate the most discussion.

The Fears Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar is priced at £26,950 including VAT in the UK. That's a substantial amount of money, but it's also worth putting the watch into context.

This isn't simply a three-hand Fears with an expensive price tag. You're getting a genuine perpetual calendar, automatic winding, moonphase, hand finishing, an 18ct gold rotor, a bespoke SwissKubik winder and a completely new case architecture, all from a British independent brand.

The watch also occupies an interesting position within the wider independent watch market. Fears has never attempted to compete by shouting the loudest, and the Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar continues that philosophy. There are no oversized tourbillon windows, excessive skeletonisation or aggressively technical styling. Instead, the complexity is largely hidden behind a remarkably elegant exterior.

And that's exactly what makes it interesting.

Why This Matters For Fears

Fears has spent the past decade carefully rebuilding its reputation following the brand's revival under Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. The Brunswick has become one of the cornerstones of that renaissance, and this new Perpetual Calendar feels like a statement of intent.

It's Fears demonstrating that it isn't simply a British brand producing attractive heritage-inspired watches. It is now capable of moving into serious haute horlogerie territory while maintaining the understated design language that made the modern brand so appealing in the first place.

The fact that it has achieved this in a 39mm stainless steel case rather than immediately reaching for precious metals or an enormous case is particularly refreshing.

There is also something rather appropriate about a perpetual calendar being housed in a design inspired by a Fears watch from 1924. It connects the company's historical heritage with its forward-looking ambitions, creating a timepiece that is both timeless and thoroughly modern.

For collectors and enthusiasts, the Fears Brunswick 39 Perpetual Calendar represents a significant milestone in British watchmaking, proving that understated elegance and mechanical complexity can coexist beautifully.