An interview with Fears’ Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

In the Watch Pioneers series, we sat down with independent watchmaking brand founders on a recent visit to Dubai. Here, we put the spotlight on Fears’ Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. Nicholas shares how a career in public relations evolved to an apprenticeship in Rolex and eventually pursuing to bring back his family’s incredible legacy back to life.

When did your passion for watchmaking begin?

I first started to be interested in watches when I was six years old and received a watch from my parents, accompanied by a book teaching me how to tell the time. This interest developed into a passion around the age of 13 when I started to appreciate the differences between mechanical and quartz watches, as well as different designs and brands. It was at this point I started building a modest collection. From here my passion never stopped growing and it was in 2011 that I took the big step of getting my first job in the industry, as an apprentice watchmaker at Rolex in London.

“One of the key things that set it apart from other regions is the openness that collectors and enthusiasts have to new, young brands. It’s wonderful to see this excitement for discovery.”

How do you balance the creative and commercial sides of the business, and do you feel more drawn to one than the other?

This is an interesting balance and one that always requires careful consideration. As the managing director of a company employing eight people, we need to ensure that everyone is paid on time, and that applies equally to our employees and our suppliers. However, when it is your family’s business you are also needing to ensure that what you create is true to the brand and its history. Fears ran for 130 years before it closed in 1976 so I always have in the back of my mind that the decisions I take today need to be appropriate for the company still operating in another hundred years or more. Out of the two sides, I have a natural pull towards the creative side as I’m blessed with a creative mind. Most days I will come up with two to three ideas for new watches or things we can do in the business. Of course, not all of these are turned into reality but it’s certainly one of the key things that ensures that what Fears creates and does is fresh and exciting.

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

How does the watch space differ in the Middle East compared to other regions?

As someone who is very lucky to travel around the world for my work, the one thing that I have taken from this is that no two regions are the same. My impression of the watch space in the Middle East is that it is filled with incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable people who have a clear understanding of what they like and want to own. One of the key things that set it apart from other regions is the openness that collectors and enthusiasts have to new, young brands. It’s wonderful to see this excitement for discovery.

Is there pressure in scaling the number of quantities you manufacture? NBS: Over the past seven years as Fears has transitioned from a microbrand into a small independent there has been an increased pressure on our production, making more and more watches each year. Since 2016, when I reestablished the company I have been focused on ensuring that the Fears’ catalogue is kept tight with no piece being in the core collection that doesn’t stand on its own.

Fears Archival 1930

Our focus is to increase the overall number of watches we manufacture of the current models while at the same time introducing a select few new pieces each year. This way we are able to continue moving the Fears story forward while at the same time ensuring that we still devote care and attention to everything we create. GB: I do not feel any pressure about that. Since we have the treasure of owning a huge stock of mechanical movements built in the heydays of mechanical watchmaking, our strategy is totally different. We have our schedules and quantities adapted to the availability of qualified watchmaker manpower.

Which is the most pioneering piece you’ve created to date?

Fears is in a lucky position having created several pieces that put the brand in the spotlight from our solid Platinum watch in 2021, only four years after the re-launch of the company, through to our collaboration with fellow British brand Garrick, resulting in a truly spectacular hand-made and finished watch. If I had to pick one piece as our most pioneering Fears watch it would be the Fears Christopher Ward: Alliance 01 that we launched at the start of this year. The Alliance 01 jumping hour was so much more than just a new Fears. It featured a rare jumping hour movement where the hours are displayed in a round window at 12 o’clock while the minutes are shown in a more traditional manner with a hand in the centre of the dial. This watch was developed and made with a fellow British watch brand, Christopher Ward, to highlight British watchmaking around the world. I’m pleased to say the 50 pieces we made sold out in just a few minutes and are now being enjoyed by their owners around the world!