Fears Brunswick 38 'De Stijl Edition'
It’s hard to believe it’s almost a year since Ace Jewellers became the exclusive authorised dealer for Fears in the Netherlands. To mark the occasion, late November saw Ace’s Alon Ben Joseph team up with the ever-dapper Fears custodian Nicholas Bowman-Scargill to dream up a collaboration with real personality: the striking Fears Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition.”
The familiar cushion-shaped Brunswick case is unchanged, thankfully, but the dial is where things get playful. It blends Dutch creativity with British refinement, filtered through the bold geometry and colour sensibility of the De Stijlmovement. The result is a graphic composition that, at first glance, could almost be mistaken for a vintage 1970s TV test card… albeit one rendered with Fears’ trademark elegance.
For context, De Stijl emerged in 1917 as a Dutch art movement formed by a collective of artists and architects working across Leiden, Voorburg and Laren. More than a visual language, it became a philosophy of radical clarity, stripping art down to geometry, balance, and primary colour. The movement took its name from the journal De Stijl, founded and edited by the endlessly versatile Theo van Doesburg, whose tireless advocacy shaped its legacy.
Some watches shout. Others whisper. The Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition” does something more deliberate, it composes. A limited production of just fifty pieces, this Anglo-Dutch creation distils colour, proportion and craftsmanship into a compact 38mm frame, resulting in one of the most distinctive Brunswicks the brand has ever produced.
The case itself remains the Brunswick’s calling card. Its flowing, cushion-shaped form, free of flat surfaces, returns in polished 316L stainless steel, with only the top receiving a touch of circular brushing. The rest gleams with a precious-metal-like lustre, the kind of finishing that quietly showcases both machinery and human touch. The onion-shaped crown, knurled and full of character, adds a playful note while tying neatly into the watch’s graphic sensibilities.
Turn the watch over and the exhibition caseback reveals the Swiss La Joux-Perret D100. This hand-wound calibre brings an extended 50-hour power reserve, Geneva striping, blued screws, and a reassuringly old-school appeal. Each limited piece carries its personal number, engraved around the sapphire window, reinforcing the project’s boutique spirit.
But the dial is where this piece truly declares its intentions.
Designed by Lee Yuen-Rapati, Fears’ in-house illustrator, the layout captures the energy of De Stijl without falling into parody. Blocks of red, yellow, blue, grey, and black form a controlled geometric grid, instantly recognisable yet artfully restrained. The black rectangles double as hour markers; the blue square sitting at six o’clock functions as a sub-seconds display; and the crisp white seconds hand glides across its miniature stage.
The signature Fears skeletonised hour and minute hands, finished in deep black, maintain coherence with the dial’s graphic language. Legibility isn’t the driving priority here, expression is, and the result feels refreshingly original in a landscape of safe, familiar design.
The dial itself is produced in Germany by a master dial atelier. After multiple layers of white lacquer are built up and polished to a glossy foundation, the artwork is applied in successive layers of colour. The crispness of the borders and saturation of the tones speak to the level of precision involved.
Completing the ensemble is a handmade Raven Black strap, cut from Himalayan buffalo leather and tanned traditionally using organic materials. It’s thick, durable, and tactile, one of those straps that will only get better with time. The deep blue Alcantara® lining adds a luxurious contrast, while Fears’ bespoke pin buckle finishes the look.
The Brunswick 38 “De Stijl Edition” is for the collector who appreciates craft, embraces colour, and enjoys a watch that invites a second look. and then a third. A tiny geometric manifesto for the wrist, produced in just fifty examples, assembled in England, and destined to spark the same question everywhere it goes:
"What on earth is that… and why do I kind of love it?"
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