January 2023
It takes two...
Creating the Alliance’s first collaboration watch


The ‘Fears Christopher Ward: Alliance 01’ is not only limited to just 50 pieces, but is only available to Club members of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers. Above all it represents an unprecedented level of collaboration between two of our founding members.

Since founding in 2020, one of our core goals for the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers has been to forge new working partnerships between our 78 trade members across the British Isles.

Fears and Christopher Ward have now got together to help realise that aim with the Alliance’s first collaboration watch, which will also raise money for us to fund our efforts in supporting and promoting British watch and clock making around the world.
As our CEO, Alistair Audsley says: “Although by definition, we’re a trade sector body, at heart we’re really a community of watch and clock brands. The idea behind this first collaboration watch was to make that a reality in the most logically demonstrable way… with a watch!”
Founding Chairman, Roger Smith says; “This exciting ‘Fears Christopher Ward : Alliance 01’ watch will hopefully pave the way to future collaborations between our trade members. What’s particularly gratifying is that this watch has achieved such a well considered balance between the design ethos and approaches of these British brands.”
This successful balance of design and function is at the heart of the resulting watch which is powered by CW’s famed JJ01 jumping-hour calibre movement housed within an entirely bespoke 40.5mm case developed by Fears.
The watch is further distinguished by a set of special Alliance Hallmarks which are discreetly engraved on the underside of the lugs to commemorate this historic collaboration.
Fears’ (4th) Managing Director, Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, says: “The watch is dressy but not super-formal – and has the attention-to-detail Fears is famous for. It’s been overseen by Mike France and me to carefully bring together both companies’ DNA. What’s been particularly fascinating for me is how CW’s designers managed to interpret our Fears design language. It’s unmistakably a Fears watch but it isn’t like any Fears you’ve seen so far.”
Christopher Ward’s CEO, Mike France, is equally enthusiastic: “Because Christopher Ward and Fears are founder members of the Alliance, we’ve been able to pool our creative and technical resources. In fact, a challenge we agreed upon from the outset was to go far beyond an exercise in shared styling, but to also realise the Alliance’s aim of encouraging British brands to share technical knowledge and expertise. It’s been hugely beneficial to learn from each other.”
Nicholas, meanwhile, has long been an admirer of Christopher Ward: “It’s such an innovative company,” he says. “Before I restarted my family’s watch company, it was an inspiration to me. In terms of movement modules and Calibre SH21, they’re leading the watch industry.
I’m honoured
and delighted to

be collaborating
with them.
For Alistair, this collaboration is a profound moment for our sector; “This watch really does encapsulate the collective spirit that defines the British horological sector. I can’t thank Mike and Nicholas enough for their generosity in donating all the proceeds of the watch to the Alliance. It’s a huge boost to help us do our job for the sector. The watch itself is, by any measure, absolutely stunning but I also hope its buyers will get added satisfaction from knowing it is supporting a worthy cause.”







Would-be buyers should note that the watch is extremely limited, however.

“We’re making just 50 of these models,” says Mike France; “And they’ll only be available to Club members of Alliance on a first-come, first-served basis when it is launched - just one more reason why watch-lovers should join this fantastic organisation!”


The ‘Fears Christopher Ward : Alliance 01’ is available to Club Members to order from Friday 27 January. If you aren’t yet a Club member, you can join the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers at britishwatchmakers.com