A 180-Year-Old British Brand Launches Its First Pilot’s Watch Ever

In the grand scheme of things, the 50-year hiatus that Fears Watch Co. took between the shuttering of the original business in 1976 and its revival in 2016 is insignificant compared to the 140 years it has spent making watches.

The English watchmaker was founded in 1846 and revived by the founder’s great-great-great-grandson in 2016. But it took until 2026 for the brand to debut its first-ever pilot’s watch, and it’s a beauty.

Fears Watch Co.

This maiden flier is named the Filton, after a British town near the company’s headquarters in Bristol with deep roots in aviation. Its full title is the Brunswick 40 Filton because it uses a 40mm version of the brand’s Brunswick cushion case.

Finished with the customary brushed top, polished sides and polished fixed bezel, it gives the classic pilot’s dial a WWII-era feel, like a relic from the golden age of the RAF.

Completing the look is the distinct onion-shaped crown featured throughout the Brunswick collection.

Fears Watch Co.

The Filton debuts with two dial colors. There is the olive Squadron Green with a grainy texture and vertical fade that creates a military field watch vibe, and then there is a black Raven with a radiant sunburst finish that lands closer to classic pilot’s watches.

Flying familiar skies

The Filton’s dial borrows elements from historical military watches, but remixes them with a modern finish. The hour track features a triangle 12:00 marker, horizontal dashes at 3, 6 and 9, and the remainder filled out with bold sans serif Arabic numerals.

Fears Watch Co.

The hour and minute hands have a bulbous syringe shape, and the needle seconds hand has a counterbalance that matches the other hands. On the Squadron Green dial, the seconds hand is yellow, while it is a uniform white on the Raven dial.

The hour hand, minute hand and hour markers are comprised of wire frames with sunken centers, entirely coated with a matte white paint, and filled with Grade A Super-LumiNova.

A beveled date window sits above the 6:00 hour marker, which features a black disc with a white track on both dial colors.

The dial is encircled by a raised, flat chapter ring with a snailed texture. Like the date disc, it is black with a white dash track in both cases, and there are green lume rectangles every five spaces.

Fears Watch Co.

The Filton is powered by a La Joux-Perret Caliber G100 automatic movement, beating at 4Hz and providing a 68-hour power reserve.

As with most of the Brunswick collection, you can choose between a solid steel caseback or a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback that shows off a customized Fears rotor.

It is available on a brown leather pin buckle strap or a five-link steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links and a folding clasp.

Availability and pricing

The Brunswick 40 Filton offers a cool blend of old and new watch design, layering modern detailing onto a vintage-inspired case and dial arrangement. The Raven dial on the steel bracelet, in particular, is versatile enough to be worn every day thanks to the 150m water resistance.

The Fears Brunswick 40 Filton is available now from Fears Watch Co. for $3,500 on a leather strap and $3,700 on a steel bracelet.

Fears Watch Co.

Fears Brunswick 40 Filton

Specs

Case Size	40mm
Movement	La Joux-Perret Caliber G100 automatic
Water Resistance	150m

• $3,700 at Fears Watch Co. (black)
• $3,700 at Fears (green)

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