The Norrsken

 From GoS -

Courtesy of GoS

Not since peanut butter and jelly first got together has the world been treated to such a dynamic result!

Courtesy of GoS

At first glance, you see a beautifully engraved case the likes of which GoS watches are famous for, and a stunning guilloche dial which, if I have read correctly was aided by the skills of Jochen Benzinger. But when you turn out the lights...

Courtesy of GoS Watches

you see the handiwork of the Black Badger, the nom de lume of James Thompson.  But wait!  There's still more!  Notice that chapter ring?

Courtesy of GoS Watches 

That isn't just any chapter ring. It is the handiwork of Mikael Kenlind, a master artisan working with glass, or more specifically - hand blown Swedish crystal. And this chapter ring is the result of his efforts.

Courtesy of GoS Watches

So what? What's the big deal?  Well, gentle reader, allow me to make it plain -

Patrik Sjögren and Johan Gustafsson have been grinding it out for as long as I've been writing about watches. Several stops along the way they probably could have cashed in on easy opportunities, dumbed down their offerings, gone for the easy money. But in a watch world full of gimmicky, me-too offerings, GoS has been a true North Star reminding watch brands big and small what it means to stand firm on what you believe in.

And then add the calculated whimsey of the master of all things lume, the Black Badger, and it's as if a new watch making super hero group has been formed to battle the forces of a boring hegemony.  I mean, don't get me wrong - the big dogs make some perfectly nice watches. But if you really and truly want something different, something special, this "Fantastic Five Mashup" is the Shit That Killed Elvis!

Here are the pertinents -

Functions
Hours, Minutes Seconds
Small second at 6h:00 in the shape of the GoS triskele

Movement
Manufacture movement by Schwarz Etienne with GoS-specific modifications and finishing
Automatic winding with a micro-rotor and damascus steel counterweight
GoS triskele engraved on click wheel
Handpolished bevels on all bridges
Separate bridge for escape wheel
21,600 vibrations/hour
86h power reserve
Stop-seconds mechanism
33 jewels – 199 parts
30.40mm x 5.25mm

Case
41.5mm x 12.1mm (8mm at edge)
Stainless steel with optional Black Damascus case ring and/or Damascus steel bezel
Sapphire crystals front and caseback – Front crystal domed with double sided anti-reflective coating
Transparent crystal gaskets in new Swiss developed material
5ATM water resistance (50m)
Crown with double gaskets and GoS internal impact protection

Dial
Damascus steel:
Handforged Swedish tool steel by Johan Gustafsson - machined and finished by Patrik Sjögren
Guilloche:
Silver dial handturned by master Jochen Benzinger - machined and finished by Patrik Sjögren
Hour index recesses filled with emerald green Badgerite, developed by James Thompson together with Swiss SuperLuminova
Transparent index ring in Swedish Crystal - individually handmade by master glass artisan Mikael Kenlind
Solid ring of Badgerite applied round the Crystal index ring

Hands
GoS viking spearhead – Rhodium plated
GoS triskele small seconds hand

Strap
Polished Salmon leather – black – Made in Stockholm
Tapered 21mm to 20mm with rounded padding
Pin buckle in stainless damascus steel with GoS triskele logo

Presentation box
Individually handcrafted presentation box in Swedish crystal, handmade by glass artisan Mikael Kenlind