Provenance Comparator — The British Bench

How to read maker summaries

The British Bench editorial classification describes evidenced provenance only. It is not a legal-origin ruling, certification, quality score or maker ranking. Version 0.2 makers may carry a uniform physical tier or a derived Tier X-led maker summary. Tier-led summaries require at least 80% classification coverage, a unique most-common published physical tier, and at least 70% of the whole current family denominator at that tier or above. They never replace the model or route classifications.

See how Version 0.2 decisions are made →

Maker 1Maker 2Maker 3

Evidence field	Tier IRoger W. SmithIsle of Man · v0.2 uniform	Tier III-ledFearsBristol, England · v0.2 Tier-led summary	Maker summary under reviewChristopher WardMaidenhead, England / Biel, Switzerland · v0.2 route-specific
Movement	The movement is substantially manufactured in the Isle of Man workshop; identified specialist parts including springs and jewels are sourced. Movement assembly and traditional finishing are carried out by hand in the Isle of Man workshop.	Fears confirms 250-hour post-assembly timing and a full 250-hour recheck after corrective regulation across its current mechanical-watch process; Fears Garrick remains the distinct Garrick Watchmakers route.	Current manufacture-led and modified movement routes are carried out within Christopher Ward’s Swiss operation and Swiss supply chain, not in Britain. Movement assembly for the reviewed current routes takes place in Switzerland.
Case	Cases are manufactured within the Isle of Man workshop.	The current Fears Garrick route includes a UK-made and finished case and UK-made steel hands.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.
Dial	Engraved or engine-turned dials are manufactured in the Isle of Man workshop.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.
Assembly	Complete watches are assembled by hand in the Isle of Man workshop.	Fears directly confirms that Fears Garrick is hand-assembled by Garrick Watchmakers and receives final QC at the Fears head office in Bristol. Fears directly confirms that current mechanical watches undergo final casing, dial fitting and hand fitting in UK partner workshops.	Completed Christopher Ward watches are built by hand in Switzerland.
Regulation	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Fears directly confirms 250-hour post-assembly timing for each built watch against movement-specific tolerances; for the La Joux-Perret G series it gives +/- 7 seconds/day. An out-of-tolerance Fears watch is regulated and then put back through the full 250-hour timing test before release.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.
Servicing	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.
Named watchmaker	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.
Annual production	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.	Unknown — not established from the published evidence record.

The British Bench editorial classification. Brass-highlighted rows differ; neither the row treatment nor a tier is a score or ranking. Each row uses documented CMS findings, and unavailable reliable evidence remains Unknown. A higher tier confers no legal status, certification, approval or endorsement. A lower tier does not mean a less-British company, a worse watch, misconduct or an improper or unlawful origin claim.