Nina Scary Fears launches a new core collection The Arnos in elegant rectangular cases. Its slim, tall shape reflects art deco inspired works from the brand’s 1920s and 1930s. Arnos debuted the rubber band, recording the brand’s first mark, hinting at future sportier releases.
Don’t worry about tanks and reversals around the world. These rectangular watches are attractive, but some of us don’t have a 5-digit watch wallet. There are many brands that make more affordable alternatives, such as the 1k $1K Hamilton American Classic Boulton and the Longines Dolce Vita for less decorated wrists. Anyway, despite being used to communicating time on traditional round surfaces, I have to admit that there is something appealing to know that manufacturers must extend to some extent outside the standard in order to place mechanisms within the tricky dimensions of rectangular watches.
A glance at the online store of British watchmaker Fears reveals that the brand previously offered a two-handed archive 1930 limited edition watch and a rectangular watch in the form of an archive 1930 seconds. Both designs were revived at the terrifying celebration of the 175th anniversary in 2021. In fact, it is from these designs that fear terrifying inspirational clues in Arnos Pewter Blue, the latest Art Deco-esque watch. This is a watch with a distinctive proportion reminiscent of the brand’s offerings in the 1920s and 1930s, marking the beginning of the core collection, sitting alongside the brand’s Brunswick and Red Cliff collections.
Fear will be introducing this third Core Collection watch at the watch exhibition in Geneva next week. The fear is known for its Bristol-inspired collection name, which nods to its heritage, and will attract people who are particularly interested in the brand’s history. The other two core collections are named after the location where the company was founded (Redcliffe district) and the base of its export warehouse (Brunswicksquare).
Interestingly, the brand suggests that, rather than exclusively reserve a range of rectangular models, it will experiment with more “angled” case shapes when it’s time to eventually expand its Arnos collection. In a more modern design language, can you see Arnos on a more aggressive and sporty path? And speaking of the road, fear continues the tradition of the collection of the same name in this new core line. After the collection was named, Arnos Vale is a cemetery where the fears of the company’s founder Edwin are buried, and the cemetery where the brand’s current headquarters resides.
The new horror of Arnos Pewter Blue has a slim and elegant profile measuring 33.5mm x 22.6mm thickness with a thickness of 8.40mm. The curved front and back are designed to fit more comfortably around your wrists, giving you a softer, less angular look. The 40mm lug to lug length is also a fantastic Goldilocks size with a thin 6-7 inch wrist. The elegantly curved case and crystal help archive a vision of fear of last year’s proportions reminiscent of the Art Deco period, employing a tall, slim silhouette.
The horror of the Arnos Pewter Blue can be an almost circular design (how about Bell & Ross?) It gives the impression that the circular dial is sitting on the case rather than the dial itself. This is because the negative space surrounding the dial was achieved by using CNC machines to create hobnail patterns. The textured surface is coated with rhodium, giving it a mostly metal mesh-like appearance, especially when looking sideways. Meanwhile, the galvanic blue dial is sinking and separates from the outer texture pattern in a concentric pattern that has been turned into a machine.
Roman numbers represent time markers in silver hue, surrounded by minutes of railways around the outer edge of what fear describes as the “inner dial.” Considering that dial proportions are drawn in and creating a dial design that is much smaller than usual, the display lacks any clarity or readability. The unique “pipette” hand – a fear sign – quickly reaches out and touches the time marker, and the lack of additional details, except for the brand name and “England” lettering is exhilarating.
Fear is known to equip watches with new stock movements in other collections like the archives, but the new Arnos Pewter Blue tackles the Sellita movement. The Automatic SW1000 was released in 2014 and was most prominently used in Tag Heuer’s Calibre 9 Movements and Tiffany & Co’s East-West Automatic. One particularly lovely touch is the horror of the blue decorated rotors decorated with Bristol flower motifs. This is a vibrant red-colored flower that has been associated with the city and its people since the 1600s.
The horror of the Arnos Pewter Watch marks another first. The sporty dark blue FKM rubber band matches the tone of the dial and secures it to your wrist with a steel butterfly clasp and fine-tuning mechanism. The second strap option is a taupe-colored hand band and stitching Bellenia leather strap with foldable edges and contrast white stitching finished with classic steel pin buckles. Both straps are manufactured by leather specialists, indicating their debut partnership with the Singapore brand.
I’m afraid of the price and availability of the Arnos Pewter Blue Watch
The horror of the Arnos Pewter Blue Watch is open to pre-orders at Time+Tide Shop, both in-store and online at Discovery Studios in both London and Melbourne. Price: £4,350
Brand Horror Model ARNOS PEWTER BLUE Reference Number BS422.600 Case Dimensions 33.5mm(L) x 22.6(W) 8.4mm(T) x 40mm(LTL) Case Material Stainless Steel Water Resistance 30m Crystal Bristol Power Reserve Flowers Automatic, Customized Rotor 46 Hours Function Time and Minute Availability Pre-Order Opens from Price £4,350 on Time+Tide Shop
