Farer burst onto the British horological scene back in 2015 and has since made a name for itself with three different lines of watches that have combined a clean and focused design with practical complications and accessible price tags. Joining the brand’s lineup of three-handers, GMTs, and dive watches is a trio of attractive hand-wound timepieces that are nicely sized at 37 mm.
I first became acquainted with Farer during an event the brand held last fall in New York City for the launch of the Aqua Compressor Automatic series. I was immediately attracted to those specific models in part due to the obvious quality-to-value ratio but also because of what seemed like a tonally-consistent collection of watches that were slowly, and intelligently, being built out.
Constructing a recognizable brand identity is one of the most difficult things for small-scale, independent watch companies. Usually, the founders have so many ideas and design concepts that they haphazardly build out their different lines with no thought given to consistency or brand recognition. Thankfully, that’s not the case with Farer.
A few months ago, Farer introduced these three hand-wound pieces and today we’re taking a look at each of them. Dubbed the Stanhope, Hudson, and Lansdell, each of the watches takes its name from a historic British adventurer.
What’s steady throughout the collection is a slim, stainless steel, cushion case that measures in at 8.3 mm to complement its 37-mm diameter; a double-domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal; a stainless-steel, onion-style crown; baton hour and minute hands; and a recessed small seconds dial at 6 o’clock. The color scheme and dial design of each model is distinctive yet still identifiable as a Farer product. And, inside each watch is the same workhorse ETA 7001 Peseux movement visible through a mineral crystal exhibition caseback with Côtes de Genève finishing and a 42-hour power reserve. As always with Farer, each watch is designed in Britain before being sent to Switzerland for final assembly.
The Stanhope is named after Lady Hester Stanhope who was best known for leading one of the first modern British archaeological expeditions to the Middle East. It’s distinguished by an off-white, multi-layered dial with a Clous de Paris texture and has applied and polished steel numerals and indexes for the hour markers. The outlying minute track is segmented by additional dots of lume for the hours as well. The watch’s overall appeal is enhanced by a variety of blue lines (midnight and powder) that are found on the small seconds, hour markers, and outer minute track. It’s a colorful watch that looks remarkably subdued thanks to its size and cushion-shaped stature. It’s priced at $1,175.
The Lansdell’s eponym is Henry Lansdell, a 19th-century British priest, explorer, and author who was best known for traveling to little-known areas in Asia. It features a sandwich-esque dial with guilloché-inspired detailing and green openings surrounding the center of the watch and small seconds. Small bridges reach out from the dial’s center that form the hour markers while the exposed area adds the classic British racing green hue to the watch. It’s a creative way of adding both depth and personality to its timekeeping. The Farer Lansdell is also priced at $1,175.
The Hudson, named after the renowned British navigator Henry Hudson (of the Hudson River), has a sunray, sea-blue dial with an old-school, racing-style minute track and baton hour markers in white with a dash of minty lume. Inside the hour markers is a recessed inner circle that holds a portion of the small seconds, the hour and minute hands, and applied brand emblem. Like the Stanhope and Lansdell, this adds an overall 3-D effect to the watch’s appearance. Finally, there’s a dash of color on the small seconds with an amber orange hand and scarlet red seconds numerals that contrast with the overall cool-toned timepiece. It’s priced at $1,175 as well.
All three timepieces in the new, hand-wound series would be guilty-free additions to any collection and represent the continued build-out of the Farer identity. Each watch is limited to 100 total pieces.
