Fears Brunswick 40 ‘Aurora’ and Copper Salmon Introduce Fresh Dials and Improved Cushion Case

Fears as a watch brand has a history reaching back for over 170 years. However, despite the weight of history that comes with such a heritage, they aren’t afraid to try new things. That’s what leads us to today’s new watch launch, the Fears Brunswick ‘Aurora’ and Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon. Both are new additions to the Brunswick 40 regular collections featuring improved cases and fresh dials.

When I say that Fears are trying new things, I’m mainly talking about the dial of the Brunswick ‘Aurora’. It’s the first time that Fears have ever used mother-of-pearl in their dials and the result is pretty spectacular. There are two sections of mother-of-pearl cut to different heights and both given a light blue colour treatment that emphasises the iridescent quality of the material. It’s designed to look like the Aurora Borealis. Shimmering lights hanging in the dark sky over northern England and Scotland.

I really like this new, slightly more daring direction Fears have been taking recently, pushing the envelope on what they can do with their dials. The Fears Brunswick 40 Pink was super unexpected but I love the combination of colours they used and it’s a similar story with the ‘Aurora’. The addition of new textures revitalises the collection and the design.

At the same time, Fears hasn’t forgotten what made them popular to begin with. So, alongside the fresh and exciting ‘Aurora’ we have the reserved and elegant Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon. In short, this is a 40mm version of the previous Brunswick 38 Salmon, a watch that really catapulted Fears into popularity among collectors. The main difference is that it has the two layered dial sans small seconds subdial that’s more typical of Fears’ larger models and they’ve taken the opportunity to try some different finishes. The outer ring features vertical brushing while the central disc is sandblasted. On top of that, it features black gold hands and numerals.

I mentioned in the introduction that the case has been improved as well and indeed it now has an increased water resistance rating of 150m. This has been made possible by adding a screw-down crown which creates a tight seal around one of the areas which is typically a weakness when it comes to water resistance. Beyond that, it’s the Brunswick case we’ve come to know with its classic cushion shape. Both watches are presented in steel on a choice of steel five link bracelet or a brand-new buffalo leather strap.

The movement continues to be the Top-Grade ETA 2824-2 automatic with 40-hour power reserve. It’s a time only piece with central hours, minutes and seconds. All that remains is the price and unsurprisingly the mother-of-pearl dial on the ‘Aurora’ makes it slightly more expensive at £4,050 on bracelet or £3,850 on strap. The Brunswick 40 Copper Salmon then shares a price with the other 40mm options in the current range at £3,750 on bracelet and £3,550 on the new strap. Pragmatically I think the Copper Salmon will be the more popular of the two watches because Fears has a proven track record with salmon watches although I personally enjoy the more vibrant ‘Aurora’.

More details at Fears.

​Oracle Time 

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