Given that this price point makes the new Chrono-Contempo more affordable than comparable options from brands such as Hamilton and Tissot, this latest release from Farer ultimately presents a rather compelling option within the landscape of mechanical chronographs, and it pairs a proven Swiss-made movement with the brand’s signature colorful design language.
By now we’re used to Farer’s unique flavour of design. That’s to say, taking a classic archetype of a watch and playing around with colour and details to give it more than a fresh coat of paint. Usually though, that’s been tackling things like GMTs, Super Compressors, racing chronographs, a run of watches the word ‘accessible’ feels at home next to. But now the British brand is doing something I never would have expected from them: the Farer Tonneau Collection.
I’m always conscious of sounding like a broken record when I talk about Farer because without fail, I mention how they are the masters of bold colours. I could realistically point to any of their new watches from across the last two years and they’d be fun, fresh and colourful.
There is no question, if you wanted to use the Farer as the archetypal definition of a British watch, it would be an excellent choice. Its inspiration is deep and meaningful, and the character Farer has tried to inject into the design works very well. This does feel like a vintage traveller watch.
At its price point, just under a thousand, the Aquamatic has some stiff competition... With all that said, Farer blows the competition out of the water. The Aquamatic’s closest competitor in terms of quality and attention to detail probably lies several hundred dollars north. The quality and number of fine details on the Aquamatic are astonishing, given the price.