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JS Watch Co., the Icelandic Riddle

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April 2016


What do a Norse goddess and Iceland’s coast guard have in common? Answer: a helicopter, and a wristwatch - the Sif N.A.R.T. Volcano Edition.

Iceland is known for a lot of things: the cold, its wonderful natural springs, and even producing some of the world strongest men.

One thing you might not associate with Iceland is watchmaking. Yet here we have JS Watch Co., the country’s only watchmaker. The small association was started in 2005 by four friends, and it has developed a cult following thanks to its smart storytelling and seriously engineered timepieces.

JS Watch Co., the Icelandic Riddle

The Sif N.A.R.T. Volcano Edition is case in point. But let’s begin with the story first. In Nordic Mythology, Sif is the wife of Thor. In one story, Thor’s rival Loki cut off all Sif’s hair as a mischievous prank. Thor finds out and promises to break every single bone in Loki’s body as result. To save himself, Loki fashions gold to grow as real hair to replace Sif’s locks.

JS Watch Co., the Icelandic Riddle

The Icelandic Coast Guard is also familiar with that myth. They have always named their fleet of ships and aircrafts after the Norse gods. One helicopter was given the name “Sif”, and served the nation reliably for 22 years, braving the Icelandic weather and conditions brilliantly.

So JS Watch co. developed the Sif - North Atlantic Rescue Timer (Sif- N.A.R.T.). The heavy duty watch – powered by a 25 jewel automatic Swiss movement - is water resistant to a staggering depth of 1000 meters. It sports a clean dial design and robust construction that have made it a favourite among the fearless men and women of the Icelandic Coast Guard.

JS Watch Co., the Icelandic Riddle

The special Volcano Edition of that watch is even more special. It features a rugged yet well finished face depicting an Icelandic lava field, with red decoration lava spew made from actual ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The watch also has a hand-engraved decoration of the Goddess Sif and her golden locks with 24k gold inlay on the sides of the stainless steel case.

JS Watch Co., the Icelandic Riddle

And keeping with its deep blue sea credentials, the watch comes with a handmade black shark leather strap with red stitching. Matching fiery lava on the dial with cool shark skin on the strap isn’t necessarily obvious. But it works to make this a timepiece that will help any wearer take a bite out life’s toughest challenges.

Technical information:

Movement

Swiss Made Mechanical movement “Execution Top” Automatic winding. 25 jewels, Custom decorations, Blue screws and Rhodium plated finish. 38-hour power reserve when fully wound. Fine tuning: “Assortment Chronometer”. Shock protection: Incabloc. Adjusted to five positions.

Case

  • Material: Surgical grade German Stainless Steel “316L”.
  • Diameter: 40mm, height 13.5mm.
  • Surface finish: Brushed Steel with hand-engraved decoration and 24k gold inlay.
  • High strength 4.0mm Sapphire Crystal with multi anti reflective coating on the inside.
  • Solid Stainless Steel back.
  • Screw down crown
  • Water-resistance: 1000 meters.
  • Lug with: 20mm

Dial

  • Black dial made from volcanic ash with Arabic numerals and indexes.
  • White Super-LumiNova material on numerals and indexes.
  • Date display at six o’clock.

Hands

  • JS Modernes-squelettes.
  • Rhodium plated with white Super-LumiNova and Red tips and Red second hand.

Strap

  • Handmade 20mm Black Shark skin with red stitching and JS Watch co. Reykjavik buckle or optional deployment clasp.
  • Steel bracelet also available.