The Farer Lissom is a true-to-brand dress watch with a slender profile (live pics)
Russell Sheldrake- In five different colours, the Lissom shows what Farer thinks a dress watch should look like.
- Measuring just 38mm across and 7.95mm thick it is slender in profile.
- It’s powered by a sleek La Joux-Perret D100 manual-winding movement, offering a 50-hour power reserve.
I have been on the record saying that Farer has been on a tear lately. With the colourful English brand bringing us evolved versions of its GMT Bezel models and striking Field Collection, not to mention a strong showing at British Watchmakers’ Day this year, it’s clear that the brand is setting itself on a path to distinguish itself from the industry through design, value, and Britishness. So when I found out that they were bringing us a true dress watch, I was instantly curious. This isn’t a category that the brand has been known for in the recent past, with most of its catalogue being made up of tool, sports and complicated watches. So to see them distil and refine the brand essence into a time-only, thin dress watch is an instantly interesting proposition.
Enter the Lissom. This classically proportioned watch measures 38mm by 7.95mm thick, and even the lug-to-lug speaks to its classical reference points at just 42.8mm. With a simple time-only and sub-seconds layout, the dial is kept clean with the sunken sub-dial adding depth to the raised numerals. There are five dial variations available, all named after famous British botanists, referring to the organic colour schemes used. We have the Arber with its raspberry red dial, the Balfour with its crisp white dial and blue numerals, the Forrest has a teal dial and contrasting dusty orange sub-dial, the Lindley had a rich purple dial with a light blue sub-dial, and the Solander has a deep black dial with high contrasting white furniture.
The dial colours are typical Farer, a brand that has never been afraid of dabbling in a little colour science. What I like about the five options that we have here is that there really feels like there is something for everyone – with the classical and restrained Solander and Balfour contrasting nicely with the vibrant Arber and Forrest.
The numerals are all made from blocks of X2 Super-LumiNova, which is becoming standard practice at Farer now. Even the blue numerals on the Balfour are cast in this highly luminescent material. While this certainly adds to the level of functionality that these watches bring, in my eyes, it sits in harsh contrast with the original concept of these watches being sophisticated dress pieces. But it seems to be the brand’s signature at this point, and I am not one to stand in the way of that.
Inside sits the manually wound La Joux-Perret D100. This is a well-made off-the-shelf Swiss movement that offers amazing value and gives the option of wonderful proportions to a watch. The movement is available in three different finishing variations, and here Farer has opted for the highest grade, which includes industrially done Geneva strips and blued screws, along with various other finishing techniques. They also have their brand texture applied to one of the bridges. With 50 hours of power reserve, there is not much to complain about here; you get the tactility and thinness of a manual movement for an extremely accessible price.
Farer Lissom price and availability
The Farer Lissom is available now from the brand and its retailers. Price: £1,150/US$1,295/€1,350
| Brand | Farer |
| Model | Lissom |
| Case Dimensions | 338mm (W) x 7.95mm (T) x 42.8mm (L) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Red/white/teal/purple/black |
| Strap | Leather matching the dial colour, pin buckle |
| Movement | La Joux-Perret D100 |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | £1,150/US$1,295/€1,350 |