Farer Expands Their Cushion (Cases)
When British microbrand Farer released their Stanhope II earlier this year, that watch immediately went on my "OMG I WANT THIS" list. A beautifully sculpted timepiece, the Stanhope II's first release (yep, you read that right) was a flowing piece of vintage design with modern construction and feel, which made me photograph it obsessively.
At the time, I also wished there were other watches that followed the same design sensibilities, but perhaps in other colorways? Well, Farer was clearly listening to its audience that rewarded the Stanhope II by buying every available piece in that first release.
Presenting: the new "Cushion Case Collection" from Farer.
Built on the bones of the Stanhope II, there are clearly several changes. The new pieces (I can't really call them colorways) move to a sector dial design and overhaul the index and hand designs for all three. Gone are the the numericals at 12, 3, and 9 from the Stanhope. Instead, each new piece has its own individual combination, from Roman to Arabic numerals. The only thing that all four models now have in common besides that excellent cushion case are the fact that none of them have a numeral at the 6-o'clock mark.
The hands have, as I mentioned, changed too. Now they've replaced the Stanhope II's baton hands with sharp-looking leaf-shaped hands. The Sector dial design looks great, extended to the small seconds dial too. The piqué texture of the Stanhope II is absent as well, as the company has chose to use color and accents to distinguish the three new pieces.
Inside the case, all four timepieces run on the Sellita SW216-1 Elaboré Grade hand-wound movement operating at 28,800 beats per hour. That movement is perhaps one of the most beautiful ones in my collection and I've often taken off my Stanhope II to gaze at it admiringly.
Speaking of the Stanhope II: SURPRISE! The second release of this model is being released and will be available November 4. I thought it was a limited edition, since it's marked that way, but I guess not?
The other three new designs are available now for the same $995 as the Stanhope II.