Farer Mechanical Chronograph (Cobb) Review

Dec 11

Dec 11 Farer Mechanical Chronograph (Cobb) Review

G. E. M.

Review

Case Diameter: 39mm Stainless Steel

Thickness: 12.5mm

Lug Width: 20mm

Movement: ETA 2894-2 Modular Chronograph

Price: $1950

Let me start by saying that each of the three Mechanical Chronograph models are beautiful and now what I use as examples for the proper way to achieve something that is one of my personal collector quirks: date windows. I can be very picky when it comes to my date windows. In each of these three designs, the models managed to beautifully match the dials and wheel colors, a feat that’s even more impressive when it comes to blues and browns. I mention this upfront because it is indicative to the amount of care and attention to detail put into this entire line.

I personally had the pleasure of wearing the Cobb for a time. The use of color was beautiful. Watches that feature a “big-eye” can feel unstable often but, in the case of the Cobb, the color usage on the sub-dials (a lovely collection of lighter blues and aqua) create a balanced feel. If you pay close attention, the variety of subtle coloring used adds a great deal to the overall design. While the seconds hand is bright yellow, the sub-dial minutes hand is red with a yellow tip, once again lending continuity to the piece. The tachymeter scale is an orange hue falling somewhere between the red and yellow but mildly more muted, enhancing the cohesive and well rounded feel of each of the bold detail color choices while in no way detracting from the overall blue theme.

The 39mm case was a perfect fit, showing that once again 39mm seems to be a sweet spot for many collectors and a great size to fit a gender-neutral watch market. While the 12.5mm thickness is already thin for a chronograph, the design itself also slims the piece. I was surprised to find that it was 12.5mm because (as a woman with thinner wrists) thickness can often affect my thoughts regarding daily wear. Based off my wrist shape and angle, a piece having either too thick, unbalanced, or hefty a case can affect the way it feels on my wrist and how much it slides from side to side. The Cobb sat nicely, had great balance with enough weight to feel it firmly (which is a comfort for me) but not so much as to create a lot of residual movement.

In theme with keeping this piece thinner, it used an ETA 2894-2 Modular Chronograph movement. One of the lovely details that often caught my attention when I would put on the Cobb was the bronze turbine rotor visible through the display case back matching their signature bronze crown with its tined A logo. I’ve had a preference for display case backs since my interest in horology was sparked, being a visual person who’s also very mechanically inclined, so I appreciated the care put into what was visible through the aperture on this piece.

Although I know that as collectors we tend to switch our straps to match our moods, I will state that the Horween leather strap was comfortable and had a short wear-in time without having a short wear-down time. Overall, this is the kind of piece a person would enjoy watching get a bit of wear to it, from the strap to the actual watch patina.

While I would love to have a constructive note to give to this piece, my only possible critique would be based off preference. I love to see more of the movement through a case back but the flip side in this particular piece is that using the movement they did allowed for the smaller thickness (a major selling point for me). All in all, I’d have to say the Farer Mechanical Chronograph (Cobb) gets as close as I can give to a perfect score on my personal scale. If you’re on the fence about buying, just go for it. Although its price may fit into our “affordable” category, this watch is absolutely wrist candy.