So DHL finally reached out to me after almost two weeks letting me know my watch finally cleared customs. To my surprise, it got listed as “Out for delivery” when I woke up the next morning, and 10 hours later I had a box safely in my arms.
I ordered this watch from Kibble Watches, and I’d do it again, especially if I lived in the UK so I wouldn’t have to go through the hell that is customs again. In short, it seems to me that they have good taste and instead of simply buying and reselling watches indiscriminately, it seems like they curate what they do business with.
And here we have my new timepiece: a limited edition (50 made) 40.5mm Fears x Christopher Ward Alliance 01 (Brunswick Jump Hour)! In 2020 a bunch of watchmakers based in the UK formed a trade alliance which would translate to collaborative pieces, with this Alliance 01 being the first between Fears and Christopher Ward.
Upon its release this watch was only available to purchase for members of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, of which I am most definitely not a member. But I did pay a hefty premium over its original retail price, so like, whatever.
So why this one?
I’ll be honest, I came so close to pulling the trigger on a Zenith Pilot Ceramic, until the Instagram algorithm of all things showed me the post from Kibble Watches indicating they had one of these for sale. And it was a no-brainer from there. To be fair, I had known about the Alliance 01 for a while, but had lamented at the fact that it was going to be impossible to actually get one. So when the opportunity availed itself, let’s just say it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
I’m known among my watch friends for not having more than one watch per watch group (i.e one each from Rolex, Swatch, Richemont, etc). This is my first Fears…and also my first Christopher Ward (more on this in a bit). I also don’t have two watches with the same dial color, so I felt like perpetuating that trend too.
I was also on the lookout for a watch that leaned a bit further out on the quirkiness scale. And that’s the main thing this Alliance 01 supplied that the Zenith Pilot couldn’t: that Jump Hour, brought to you by the JJ01 Jump Hour module from Christopher Ward. When that center minute hand hits the top, the number in the top aperture flips to the next hour with a very satisfying *click*! In fact, Christopher Ward’s Bel Canto has a variation of this same movement! And with a Fears case and design, it truly does feel like I’ve gotten two watches in one.
And within the the first few days of donning this watch, I’ve come around to find the onion crown contributes to the overall character as well.
This one came with both Fears’ Brunswick bracelet and the leather strap. As aesthetically pleasing as the strap looks, I feel it makes the watch less versatile, which already suffers a bit in the versatility department with that Bordeaux red dial. You can bet though that I’ll be looking for any excuse to wear it on the strap, especially after getting a Delugs deployant clasp for it.
The bracelet, despite me not being a fan of this 5-link style, is surprisingly nice. It doesn’t have a tool-less micro-adjust clasp (which is overrated anyway!), but I had no problem getting the right fit after removing some links. The clasp latches on with a very satisfying click, one of the most rewarding features of a clasp for me (no, seriously). I reckon I’ll mostly wield the Alliance 01 on the bracelet with phases of using the strap dispersed throughout.
I still have to pinch myself that I’m one of 50 lucky blokes on this earth to own this piece. On top of that, this one just happens to be the 50th one, the last one ever off the assembly line…I mean, desk. I still occasionally think about that Zenith though. Maybe I’ll get that too one of these days. For now, at 7 watches, my collection is complete. For now 😉.
Fears x Christopher Ward Alliance 01
Case Diameter: 40.5mm (Wears like it too)
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Case Thickness: 12.8mm
Lug-to-lug length: 47mm
Weight: 88g/3.10oz on Strap, 137g/4.83oz on bracelet (with a few links removed)
Lug Width: 20mm
Width at clasp: 18mm
Beat Rate: 28,800 vph/4Hz
Movement: SW200 with Christopher Ward’s JJ01 Jump Hour Module