Fears Swaps Hobnail for Onyx on Its Classy Rectangular Watch

Last year, after a run of very interesting but also incredibly classic sports watches, Fears gave itself a little bit of leeway to be even more classy. The released the new Arnos line, a rectangular watch named after Arnos Vale, the part of Bristol where the brand is based. It's an incredibly dressy watch, almost like it fell straight out of the 1920s and 30s. Now, they've launched the Arnos Opera Black, with a slab of onyx with a disc of white lacquer in the middle.

The steel case is 22.6mm wide, 33.5mm long and 8.4mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 40mm. Those are small numbers, and it really does fit pretty much any wrist. The sapphire crystal and the solid caseback are both curved, so the case follows your wrist instead of sitting on top of it like a tile. Water resistance is 30 meters, which is more than I expected it to have.

The dial is made out of onyx stone, so you know it will be extremely black, and it contrasts well with the slightly milky white of the lacquer in the middle. Fears is well known for its mastery of fonts, largely thanks to their brilliant designer and font aficionado Lee Yuen-Rapati, and it's very evident here by how well the thin white Roman numerals are integrated in a circle around the white lacquer center. The hands are Fears’ pipette design, faceted and done in black gold, so they pick up light at angles. The Pewter Blue, the launch model, had a hobnail texture and the complete lack of texture very much changes the feel of the watch.

Inside is a top-grade Sellita SW1000-1b automatic, running at 28,800 vph with 46 hours of power reserve. Fears had Sellita remove the seconds hand and fitted a blue rotor engraved with the flower-of-Bristol motif, which you’ll never see behind the closed back. I love moves like that. Two 20mm straps come in the box: black Epsom leather lined with blue Alcantara, and black grosgrain silk. Both have quick-release spring bars and a Fears pin buckle.

The Arnos Opera Black is part of the regular collection, priced at £4,350 or about €5,180. See more on the Fears website.