As readers of WWR know, I’ve been rather enamored by the damascus steel watches that the team over at GoS have been putting out. While I wasn’t writing about watches when they released their first model paying tribute to the Northern Lights of Lapland, I most certainly am now.
Why release this watch now? Well, scientists are predicting that this winter (and possibly the next) will be some of the best conditions for seeing this luminous display in the night skies – possibly the best that have been in the last decade. While winter is never something we quite look forward too, these sorts of natural phenomena certainly can help ease the sting of the cold. But enough about that – on to the watch!
As you might guess, this watch pays tribute to those lights, and carries the name of Aurora. It’s easy to see the tribute, as the colors in the dial seem similar to what you might see in the sky (well, I’m going off of pictures, as I’ve not seen the Aurora Borealis myself – perhaps one day!).
This was done by tempering the damascus steel dial to a blue-green coloration, which are then framed by bright streaks. On top of that colored dial rests the white gold details and handset, which is similar to what we’ve seen on other models. While the movement used here (a Unitas 6498) isn’t quite the same as what we’ve been seeing more recently, it has been modified so that the 3/4 bridge is made of damascus steel.
The 45mm case carries forward the same shape and patterning that we saw in the Seasons series, with the finishing improvements from the Midnight Sun model being carried over as well. As with other series from GoS, this is a limited edition, with only five pieces being made available at a price of $16,500 (right between Nordic Seasons and Winter Nights). Number 1 is currently available, and numbers 2-5 are available for pre-order, with delivery occurring in Q1 and Q2 of 2014. goswatches.com
Tech Specs from GoS
- Case: Stainless steel and stainless damascus steel 44/45mmx10mm (10ATM)
- Lug width: 22mm
- Glass: Flat sapphire glass with AR coating
- Movement: Swiss manual ETA 6498
- Movement refinement: Refinished and improved to chronometre grade by the swiss company Soprod.
- Movement customization: Bridges made from one piece of solid damascus steel.
- Dial: Damascus steel tempered to a blue/green color
- Index ring/rehaut: Solid white gold, shaped and polished by hand
- Hands: Solid white gold shaped and polished by hand
- Crown: 9mm in finegrained stainless damascus stainless steel, double gasket crown inset
- Case finishing: Stainless damascus steel, high gloss polished with GoS logo engraved on case side.
- Strap: Handcrafted soft nubuck leather, fitted with GoS stainless steel buckle
- Limitation: 5 pieces
