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The Trials and Tribulations of Resurrecting a Family Watch Company

  • HSNY at the General Society Library 20 West 44th Street New York, NY, 10036 United States (map)

Video recordings of lectures are available immediately to HSNY members, and the general public with a two-month delay.

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, (4th) Managing Director, Fears Watch Company (Bristol, UK)

What does it take to bring an old family watch brand back to life? From the planning, research and trademarking to working out how to actually make the watches, there are many aspects to consider. At the September 2024 lecture of the Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, (4th) Managing Director of the Fears Watch Company will discuss how three British watch companies were restarted by a member of the founding family in the past decade: Duckworth Prestex, Fears and Vertex.

*Doors open at 5:30 PM ET, lecture to begin at 6 PM ET. RSVP is required.

** The lecture video will be available to members immediately, and to the general public following a two-month delay.


Nicholas Bowman-Scargill

Nicholas Bowman-Scargill is the (4th) Managing Director of his family's British watch company, Fears, that he restarted in 2016 after 39 years of dormancy. He works from the company’s head office in its original home city of Bristol in the western part of the UK. Alongside the dedicated team at Fears, he oversees the creation of elegant and understated watches that are hand built in England acting as a modern interpretation of what Fears made before. Nicholas has been a longtime watch enthusiast since receiving his first watch at the age of six and spending 5 years as an apprentice watchmaker at Rolex.