MICRO MONDAYS: Farer’s star keeps rising – these 5 watches from the past year show why

Fergus Nash

It’s unclear as to when you should stop referring to a company as a “microbrand”, but the conundrum also brings a sense of sheepish pride. Farer’s growth has been exponential in the past few years, with their command of colourful yet classy releases helping to sell out almost all of their releases cross a stream of new models and colour schemes. Here to prove their recognition now belongs beyond “micro” level are just five of their releases from the past year alone.

Segrave Monopusher Chronograph

The Farer Segrave Monopusher Chonograph is actually a quite restrained watch by their standards, with a matte black dial that helps to tone down the quirk of the monopusher activation, multicoloured hands and the “big eye” chronograph register. The 40.5mm diameter isn’t too bulky nor too small for its fine details to be missed, and the large white subdial for the minutes counter makes chronograph legibility both a stylistic and functional priority. A date display at 6 o’clock also increases the watch’s utility without disrupting any symmetry, and the red, blue, and green hands all stay distinct from one another. The sapphire caseback offers a gorgeous view of the Sellita calibre SW510 MP Elaboré, featuring a dark blue winding rotor, 62 hours of power reserve, and stunning finishing. For $1,995 USD, the Segrave Monopusher Chronograph is a serious contender for a stunning daily wearer.

Lander IV GMT

The Farer Lander has been a great introduction to the brand’s watches since its release, mainly thanks to the strong design choices that don’t sacrifice any character in the hunt for simplicity. The Lander IV GMT released around this time last year features a stunning sea-green sunburst dial with a beautiful tumbling light effect, highlighted by pops of red on the GMT hand and orange on the seconds hand. The large Arabic numerals and clear syringe hands make legibility a breeze, and there isn’t a detail out of place on the GMT or minute tracks. The date window at 3 o’clock has a neat circular cutout and is even colour-matched, which is almost unheard of on watches of this price. At $1,450 USD, the Lander IV GMT is an excellent value proposition thanks to it’s Goldilocks 39.5mm x 45mm dimensions, and the Swiss Sellita SW330-2 in the back.

Purple Discovery

Farer helped the rugged outdoor-store Filson launch their New York City flagship store by releasing four incredible watches, one of which being this Discovery watch in a decadent purple colour. The sumptuous dial features a subtle vertical brushing and a central section, all aiding the colour variation that runs from a deep pink highlight to a dark Bordeaux in shadow. The applied hour markers are easy to read with stylish Arabic numerals at the quarters, and tiny pops of contrasting colours can be found on the orange seconds hand tip and blue numerals around the minute track. The price of $875 USD gets you not only an incredibly lavish-looking watch, but also great quality components such as the Sellita SW200-1 movement.

Carnegie

While those of us in Victoria may associate Carnegie with a quaint suburb, for Farer it’s a dose of their pure DNA in a traditional sporty chronograph form. When you think of Farer’s affinity for colour, this bright teal dial matched with a dark navy ceramic bezel makes for a perfect match. The red chronograph hand and the orange running seconds hand add an electrifying contrast, and the triple-register layout is satisfyingly symmetrical with no date display to ruin it. The 41mm case is easy to wear thanks to a short 46mm lug-to-lug, and the calibre SW510 within offers a fantastic manual wind experience with 58 hours of power reserve at 28,800 vibrations per hour. At $1,965 USD you may think it has a lot of competition for its niche versatility, however handling one in person answers all doubts.

Charlton Atlantic Blue GMT

The introduction of a GMT bezel on a Farer watch was quite a big deal when first announced, as they had consistently released GMT watches previously with limited functionality. The Charlton GMT in this dazzling Atlantic Blue colour will have you grateful for its 200m water resistance, as the bright colouring is just begging for a trip to the beach and snorkelling. The two-tone bezel insert is refreshing with a dark navy and crisp white punctuated by turquoise numerals, and the sector dial with sunburst finishing brings Farer’s typical air of refinement into the equation. The $1,490 USD price point is appropriate considering the quality of its construction, as well as the use of a Top Grade Sellita SW330-2 movement with fantastic specifications.