Introducing the JS Watch Co Islandus Dakota C-117

As I’ve said in the past, I seem to have a thing for watches that come out of smaller countries – Estonia, Sweden, and Iceland, to name a few. Iceland’s own JS Watch Co has taken a piece of their local history, and introduced a new watch that builds on that legend – the JS Watch Co Islandus Dakota C-117.

So, what’s the history here? Well, here’s how the story starts out:

On 21 of November 1973, the day before thanks giving, the Navy plane Douglas Dakota C-117, serial number 17171 was flown by Captain James Wicke on a routine mission to the east part of Iceland when the weather turned to the worse and temperature plunged to -10°C. The wind gust increased and the carburettor started sucking in ice. As the weather force increased, the fight with heavy turbulence was lost and both engines stopped spinning. Wrapped in heavy fog, the five passengers had no clue as to where they where as they could not even see the tip of the wings when they looked out the window, fearing the worst, that they where going to crash into a mountain and die.

Now – spoiler alert – this is not how the story ends. Captain Wicke actually got the plane landed on a beach. After the Navy stripped the valuable bits off of the plane, the airframe was left on the beach to rust away. That means it’s a very literal piece of the country’s history that can still be seen today. Fittingly, the JS Watch Co Islandus Dakota C-117 takes after a pilot’s watch.

That shows up in the dotted triangle up at 12 o’clock, and the sword-style handset. I also appreciate how they’ve got the circled star down at the 6 o’clock position (under the date window) that is reminiscent of what you’d see on a military plane. That’s just where the watch starts from. Frankly, the JS Watch Co Islandus Dakota C-117 is an upscaled take on the classic pilot watch.

The 44mm steel case comes in a highly polished finish, and manages to be just 11.5mm thick, even with the Swiss automatic movement tucked inside. This is a bit fancier than we’re used to seeing on the humble Flieger, but it works here, sort of softening those military edges. If you fancy yourself a pilot watch fan, but need something a touch dressier, the JS Watch Co Islandus Dakota C-117 is going to be your ticket. Available with either a black or white dial, it’s available on a leather strap ($2,631) or a milanese bracelet ($2,845) directly from jswatchco.com.