“Why This Watch?” focuses on a member of the watch enthusiast community and digs into their decision making process for why they’ve collected a particular watch. We all have reasons, justifications, and sometimes even purpose behind our collecting decisions, and this series aims to identify them through watches that might be a little unusual, off the beaten path, or special in some way to the owner.
Today, Fernando Cervantes tells about his Fears Redcliff Onyx for Collective Horology. Fears is a favorite among many of us here at Worn & Wound, so we were excited to hear Fernando dig into why and how this watch landed in his collection. Turns out, there’s a fun backstory to it that ties it directly to the Worn & Wound community.
Who are you, and how’d you get into watches?
My name is Fernando Cervantes, I used to be a Senior Software Engineer, but just last week I got promoted to Engineering Manager – what I thought would be a straightforward change turned out to be anything but – turns out managing is hard!
My dad used to work for many, many years as a regional bank manager, he used to have many nice watches given as gifts by either the bank or fellow coworkers – as a kid, I vividly remember them going through them – Must de Cartier, Rolex, and closer to the end of his career, Raymond Weil. Surprisingly, the only one he kept was a Raymond Weil Tango. He was never too much of a watch guy, but it was enough to keep watches in the back of my mind as I grew older.
Eventually, I did get disposable income, and the rest is history.
My collection leans towards independent or understated brands. While I do really appreciate the craftsmanship and heritage of some of the biggest brands, I’m not too attracted to them. I’d rather have someone see something different and interesting on my wrist than just another Submariner.
What did you buy?
This is the Fears Redcliff Onyx for Collective Horology.
Why this watch, specifically?
I was introduced to Fears the first time I attended a Windup Watch Fair in Chicago around 2024, eyes drawn to the Brunswick, but ultimately what won me over was the 1930 Archival. To this day, it’s still probably the finest dress piece I’ve ever seen.
Then, I started noticing there’s something special about the brand, there’s a certain level of finesse, refinement, and restraint – yet contemporary design, and it’s reflected in every one of their pieces.
I had to someday own one.
What made you pull the trigger?
Late last year, I had a budget of around ~$2,500 after selling off several pieces from my collection. I was trying to find the best deal I could. Around that time, I saw this piece on the “marketplace” channel of the Worn & Wound+ Slack Community. It did catch my eye, as Fears timepieces are very uncommon to see for sale around the community, and it also came with a very attractive price tag. However, my attention was already caught by an Omega Railmaster for sale elsewhere. I used to own one a couple of years ago. It was one of those pieces I regret getting rid of and was excited to get it again.
Local-ish deal, it was a drive from Denver to a town called Greeley, about an hour and 20 minutes away. On my way there, I still had the Fears I saw on Worn & Wound+ in the back of my mind, so I decided to briefly stop on the side of the road to look for any podcast episodes about the brand. Naturally, I landed on Nicholas Bowman-Scargill’s appearance on The Worn & Wound Podcast.
As I listened to Nicholas tell his story and share what’s behind each collection, a feeling of regret started to creep up on me. Rather than chasing the prestige of making everything in-house, he deliberately seeks out the best suppliers in the world for each component, and lets his team’s craft and curation do the rest.
Forty minutes into the drive, I pulled into a gas station, made up an excuse to the Railmaster owner who was waiting for me, and texted the Fears seller on the Slack to close the deal. Then I turned around and drove back home, listening to the rest of the episode.
Excitement and peace of mind made for a smooth drive back home in the middle of the night, windows rolled down, sunroof wide open.
Where does it fit in your collection and daily life?
The black dial, lack of date, and robust specifications turned this into my best GADA watch. It’s a perfect dress watch when on its black barenia leather strap (which, I’ve never actually used). Then, it becomes a perfect sport piece when on the bracelet, or slightly sportier on an orange sailcloth strap. Now, the pairing I least expected is a textile stretch strap with a hook buckle from Delugs – this is probably my favorite way to wear the watch, and transforms it into a rugged-looking piece somehow.
What’s something unusual about this watch that only you care about?
Well, there are a couple of interesting things about this watch:
- It is a limited edition of only 20 pieces, so not something you’ll see in the wild a lot.
- It’s the first stone dial from the brand, with that in mind, Nicholas personally checked every onyx dial to ensure each shares the same clarity and luster.
- Due to the dial, they had to redesign the case to be slightly thicker (10.85mm compared to 9.95mm). The case has its own special reference.
Anything else you’d like to add about this watch or why it matters to you?
While the watch itself is special on its own, it was acquired from a fellow collector who I respect a lot and has tastes that align too much with mine – a lot of his pieces are ones I’ve long aspired to own, and I’m glad to bear the torch on one of them, and a very special one at that.
Worn & Wound
2026-05-05 18:00:00