Scandinavian watchmakers Gustafsson and Sjögren unveil Midnight Sun – the golden light of arctic summers
Gustafsson and Sjogren known as GoS is a partnership between master blade smith, Johan Gustafsson and watchmaker Patrik Sjogren, working together to provide truly unique watches, inspired by the immense beauty of northern Scandinavia and the ancient Swedish tradition of metallurgy.
The GoS Midnight Sun is a strictly limited edition watch collection of five pieces inspired by the Lapland summers, a place where the sun never sets. In Lapland the bright summer nights have a different kind of gentle light, this is sometimes referred to as the golden light. This light has been captured by using a solid gold dial and applying several steps of radial finishing to achieve the sunray effect. The abstract shape of the sun is also evident in the Damascus steel chapter ring. The chapter ring and the hands are made from Johan Gustafssons handforged steel, which has been shaped, polished, etched and then beveled to create the rough patterned surface and sparkling beveled edges.
The Midnight Sun model is a collaboration between Patrik Sjogren, Johan Gustafsson and Jochen Benzinger who has developed his own style in movement skeletonization. The chronometre grade 6498 movement is thoroughly reworked using a custom sunray skeletonization to complement the Midnight Sun theme. The blued main plate and wheels also feature some of his renowned guilloche work. The Midnight Sun is crafted from the same stainless Damascus steel that was first featured in the Nordic Seasons series. The finishing on the case has been further developed with Midnight Sun to increase contrasts in the Damascus steel pattern.
One of the many features of GoS cases is the large diameter of the case back and bezels, these are used to highlight the curved surface of the Damascus steel case core as the steel pattern is mirrored in the high gloss, polished finish. Another unique feature is the Damascus steel bezel inset that frames the dial. The trademark GoS oversized crown in Damascus steel has a larger diameter than previous models but the height has been reduced to increase overall wearability as the case core is 45mm. The hands of the Midnight Sun are made in Damascus steel and have the GoS sword shape. The hands and index rings are hand finished with polished bevels.
Making Damascus steel parts in this reduced scale requires different qualities from the steel than when its used in knives. The Damascus steel of the watch hands requires the pattern to be very sharp and with rich contrasts to make the patterns visible. The Midnight Sun comes with a strap in soft, black nubuck. The matte surface of the straps blends well with the Damascus steel finish of the case These handmade GoS straps are fitted with screwed lugs and are paired with a stainless steel GoS buckle.