Every great idea comes from emotion, and for co-founder Oliver Goffe, that emotion was disappointment. He opened his expensive watch to change the battery and was disappointed with the mechanical structure in his hands. He espoused the idea that if you want to get the job done right, you have to do it yourself, and he took up the challenge of working with Gordon Fraser to make it happen.
Named after her birthplace of Marlow, this Buckinghamshire-based brand has been on the rise since 2015, offering hand-wound watches at prices comparable to the cost of parts found at the most basic level of watchmaking. From the noble GMT watches to the square-case Astro, launched on the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing (farewell to MoonSwatch), Marloe leaps forward, clarifying Sharp’s view that “the British brands try very hard to create difficult things against all odds.”
Fears
For Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the adage “feel the fear and do it anyway” applies. It’s not often that you come across the title reinventor, but Bowman-Scargill took up the challenge of resurrecting one British watch brand created by his ancestor, Edwin Fear. He began his career as an apprentice watchmaker at Rolex and founded a brand known around the world for its incredible attention to detail.
Sam Kessler, avid watch enthusiast and editor of Oracle Time, applauds fears for his legacy precedent: “Relaunching a brand is a tremendous achievement. As well as bringing the brand back to its original Bristol location, Nicholas has relocated watchmaking to Bristol and supports Bristol watchmaking as well. I myself bought one of the original Brunswicks and am, therefore, very pleased with it. From the vintage 1930s pillowcase to the sizing, it was way ahead of the smaller sizes, and in my opinion, it looks like classics that reign supreme in general trends today.” Proof enough that getting a second chance at life means going all the way.
