The British masters of colour are again at it once more. Farer has launched a wholly new assortment of watches powered by handwound actions nestled in slim instances with dials filled with colour. As quickly as you learn Farer, although, you in all probability anticipated the remainder. Farer is as well-known for being a British model as it’s for its in depth use of colour in each single mannequin line it gives. If Christopher Ward is carving out the instrument watch and high-end complication area amongst British manufacturers, Farer has undoubtedly made a reputation for itself by providing well-made watches that know tips on how to have a little bit of enjoyable. The brand new Farer Lissom assortment brings one other small seconds show to the model’s catalog, with an array of latest colours together with the Forrest, seen under.
The Farer Lissom brings a brand new footprint to the model’s steady, and never simply in dimensions. Farer has 38mm watches already, however with a top of seven.95mm, the Lissom is sort of 2.5mm thinner than the following thinnest Farer. What’s extra, the lugs descend under the caseback; in my extraordinarily correct eyeballed estimate, I’d say 3mm under. Which means it naturally hugs the wrist, however I can see it trying a bit odd on very massive wrists, because the 42.8mm lug-to-lug would make the watch descend properly earlier than the wrist does. The watch will get a water resistance ranking of 50m and has a pull-out crown that’s simple sufficient to get out and wind (a necessity for a handwound watch) and has Farer’s signature bronze inlay with it’s arrow ‘A’ emblem.
There are two fascinating components of the case. The primary is the engraved define lower into the brushed sides of the case, which provides a little bit of character with out creating distraction or overly fancifying the profile. The second is that Farer opted to shine the interlug part of the case. This retains it according to the lugs and the bezel, each of which it abuts, leaving the edges the one polished parts. That stated, it’s one thing I hardly ever see, and the one different instance (although I’m positive there are others) is the first-generation Nodus Sector. Of notice (or perhaps not), Farer says the Lissom is completed to the very best doable “Grade A” customary. I’ve solely heard case ending known as Grade A one different time, in reference to Rolex ending. I assume it refers to industrial, machine ending versus Philippe Dufour “You’ll get your watch once I’m rattling properly finished with it” ending. I’m undecided if there are grades apart from A, or if it’s simply there to say it could’t get any higher. The Lissom’s transitions are crisp. and the brushing is properly outlined, however I couldn’t discern a large distinction between it and a few of my different watches.
Every Lissom is paired with a suede strap in a coordinated colour with mild padding and a branded buckle. I’m on the report in opposition to padded straps, however that is much less offensive than others, with loads of give out of the field. That stated, I did get some wrist shift, the place the bend padding resisted the curve of my wrist and made the watch shift up towards 12 o’clock; strapping it a bit tighter mitigated this, nevertheless it shouldn’t have been a difficulty within the first place. The straps are fast launch, so there may be a straightforward repair.
The Lissom is available in 5 totally different colorways, all with their very own names. The one I had for overview is the teal and orange Forrest, and there’s additionally the raspberry Arber, white Balfour, deep purple Lindley, and white-on-black Solander (you may take a look at the opposite variants within the gallery under). The fashions are named for famous British botanists, however you in all probability already knew that, erudite anglophile that you’re. There are many particulars to unpack right here, so let’s get began.
The dials of the Lissom all characteristic a refined texture, with matte end recessed subdials and a small recessed ring between the middle dial and the darkish chapter ring. I’m fairly keen on the teal with its cream and orange accents, however I feel the black Solander is one thing fairly particular with its white-on-black starkness. I’ll additionally give credit score the place it’s due: Farer has repeatedly used purple and finished so higher than every other model, so the Lindley additionally will get a nod. You simply don’t see a number of matte black dials, and there’s virtually an eeriness to the Solander that captivates my bizarre thoughts. However I digress.
Legibility right here is superb, with amply sized palms and loads of distinction. One nitpick I’ve is the orientation of the numerals. It’s really unimportant since I can inform the time with out precise numbers, however a part of me would like uniformity with all of the numbers both dealing with in or out, not each. Anyway, aside from the white dial Balfour, each Lissom has Lumicast Arabic numerals made from strong Tremendous-LumiNova X2, the very best grade at the moment provided. It’s laborious to see how a lot brighter it could be, however the palms and lume blocks had been each ample in my expertise, so I’m not complaining.
The Lissom assortment sees Farer’s third use of a Swiss La Joux-Perret motion, with the handbook D100 motion. Farer used LJP G101s in its Three Hand and 36mm Three Hand collections, however the earlier small second providing, the Cushion Case line, used the Sellita SW216. The La Joux-Perret D100 is completed to the manufacture’s highest grade — soignée — with striping, blued screws, and adjustment to 4 positions. It gives 50 hours of energy at 21,600 vph, and like most Farer actions, has a bridge completed with a repeating motif of the model’s emblem. It additionally reportedly has diamond-polished chamfers, however hell if I might see them. All in all, it’s a properly executed motion and with the Farer Aqua Compressor returning later this 12 months, it will likely be fascinating to see if the model continues to transition to LJP.
The Lissom counts because the seventeenth assortment from the model and reaffirms its dedication to creating all kinds of watches that may swimsuit each want, from rugged journey to elegant night. Whereas the size and handwound motion could recommend a gown watch, the accents on the case, texturing of the dial, and daring colours give this assortment a bit extra levity — even the black and white dial — for a decidedly informal feeling on the wrist. Because the model’s second small second mannequin, it gives a much less refined counterpoint to the soft-edges and fewer multi-color Cushion Case assortment, and I feel it does an amazing job in doing so. The Farer Lissom watches are priced at $1,295 USD. For extra info, please go to the Farer web site.
