Watches of the Norden

The Nordic region, comprising Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, is home to several watch brands that have created a unique aesthetic driven by minimalism and inspired by elements that are inherently local

- Chitra Lohani Saharan

SWEDEN GoS WATCHES

In 2007, master watchmaker Patrik Sjögren and master bladesmith Johan Gustafsson met and discovered their mutual love for Scandinavian culture and a passion for indigenous crafts. This meeting gave birth to the Swedish brand Gustafsson & Sjögren, or GoS watches. The design codes of GoS watches pay tribute to the history and natural landscapes of Scandinavia. The watches are made with hand-forged Damascus steel, which is recognisable with its distinctive patterns, therefore making each GoS watch unique.

The Nordic Seasons collection, with Swiss manual ETA 6498 movement, as the name suggests, celebrates the seasons of the region with beautiful dials in a distinct shade each for winter, summer, spring, and autumn. The Aurora (with ETA 6498 calibre) and Norrsken collections bring alive the beauty of the Northern Lights on the colourful dials, with the latter powered by Calibre GoS03 created by Schwarz-Etienne with a customised micro-rotor in Damascus steel. The line Sarek pays an ode to the landscapes and flora of a valley in the Sarek National Park in Swedish Lapland, and is driven by La Joux-Perret G101 or a Soprod A10 movement featuring a GoS triskele rotor, a design inspired by the ancient motif of spirals in rotational symmetry. There is also the Väring watch that pays homage to local Viking leader Väring, who returned to Kareby village after regaining the throne from the English in 1016; since bronze was the most common metal used by the Vikings, GoS created the Väring watch in the same metal housing the GoS02 calibre based on the Technotime TT718. Other timepieces in GoS's collections include Skadi (Winter Goddess in Norse Mythology) with a white mother-of-pearl dial, red gold with Damascus steel, and Soprod Chronometre grade 6498 movement.