J S Watch Sif Nart, Show and Tell

padders · Jul 28, 2018

Was wearing this yesterday and realised that I haven't seen another in my time on OF so thought I would do a little show and tell. J S Watch Sif NART, from boutique manufacturer J S Watch in Iceland. They are basically a 4 man band set up by Master watchmaker Gilbert O. Gudjonsson and assemble their pieces in Reykjavik. They have a pretty high end customer list including Tom Cruise, the dalai Lama etc.

The Sif NART is available with bespoke rubber strap and engraved Staib mesh with diver extension (leather options available). 1000m rated bespoke case which I haven't seen used elsewhere, (though is slightly reminiscent of some German made Ickler made cases I have seen). Classically inspired hand design and high gloss dial but with modern spec and materials and plenty of bespoke touches, 40mm size, 1000m rated using sapphire, very effective S-L lume. Only thing I would change? To get the 1000m rating the case is understandably hefty and comes in at 15mm deep. Now that isn't excessive vs some Omega models with inferior ratings like the PO 600m designs but I prefer a slimmer wear to be honest. I'd have settled for 500m and 13-14mm but that is me!

All in all a pretty unusual but usable piece. Movement is 'only' a 2824-2 but in 'Execution Top' so at least a decent spec. Anyone else got one? Or another J S Watch model?

Their site, which is refreshingly old school in a couple of ways:

https://www.jswatch.com

Tet · Jul 28, 2018

I really like these and plan to buy one some day, will be when I get to visit Iceland though as have always wanted to go there.

Really nice looking watch. The Google crown is a bit unexpected though.

padders · Jul 28, 2018

Its for g for Gilbert, the founder. It makes sense when you see his shop. Remember in Iceland your first name acts as your last name as everybody is Somethingsson or Somethingsdottir. Even their phone book is backwards.

Now you mention it though, it is awfully googley, but backwards!

sgrenald · Jan 22, 2021

Sorry to resurrect a 2.5 year old thread, but I happen to have two JS Watches. An Islandus Chronograph that I bought the first time I visited Iceland in 2010, and one of the older Frisland models, with the Icelandic days wheel, that I was lucky enough to get used on WUS last year.

Foo2rama · Jan 22, 2021

I’m super digging these guys. I love the way they take classic styling cues and bring them into a clean modern look.

These guys and Magrette are on my list for watching for new models that tick all the boxes for me.

Nothing has totally called out to me yet, but they are super close.

Professor · Jan 23, 2021

sgrenald
Sorry to resurrect a 2.5 year old thread,

Glad you did. I missed this when first posted and I must say I find these very interesting.
I would like to visit Iceland one day. I have a nice hardback of the sagas of the Icelanders that I'm just rereading after it went missing for years.
I've also read up on the various disasters there like the volcanic eruptions (which in some cases killed many thousands in the UK by depositing poisonous ashes and gases) and the whole country nearly starving when the island became completely locked in ice (in the 60's?).
The Land of Fire and Ice.

sgrenald · Jan 23, 2021

Professor
Glad you did. I missed this when first posted and I must say I find these very interesting.
I would like to visit Iceland one day. I have a nice hardback of the sagas of the Icelanders that I'm just rereading after it went missing for years.
I've also read up on the various disasters there like the volcanic eruptions (which in some cases killed many thousands in the UK by depositing poisonous ashes and gases) and the whole country nearly starving when the island became completely locked in ice (in the 60's?).
The Land of Fire and Ice.

Their word for "Friday" means "Fasting Day," so I assume that food was an issue for many centuries. A volcanic eruption around 250 years ago killed off most of the crops and livestock and about 20-25% of the people. But the Gulf Stream warms the island, so I don't think it's ever been ice locked.

OK, I cheated and pulled up some old photos of my chronograph from another watch forum. You can see my name engraved on the rotor, too! 😀

lillatroll · Jan 23, 2021

Only been to Reykjavik, I thought it a very ugly city. The weather is really bad too. If nature is your thing I suppose it would be a nice country but I would not bother going back myself.

padders · Jan 23, 2021

And you would think someone with troll in their name would get Iceland! Personally I think it is a fantastic place, though the capital is not unlike many other Northern Cities, the real magic is up country, up North and further East.

As the OP, I am pleased it only took 2 and a half years to sniff out another JS Watch owner lol.

lillatroll · Jan 23, 2021

padders
And you would think someone with troll in their name would get Iceland! Personally I think it is a fantastic place, though the capital is not unlike many other Northern Cities, the real magic is up country, up North and further East.

As the OP, I am pleased it only took 2 and a half years to sniff out another JS Watch owner lol.

I think I was spoilt after living in Norway for 16 years😀

Professor · Jan 23, 2021

sgrenald
Their word for "Friday" means "Fasting Day," so I assume that food was an issue for many centuries. A volcanic eruption around 250 years ago killed off most of the crops and livestock and about 20-25% of the people. But the Gulf Stream warms the island, so I don't think it's ever been ice locked.

OK, I cheated and pulled up some old photos of my chronograph from another watch forum. You can see my name engraved on the rotor, too! 😀

Iceland is also subject to sea ice drift from the Denmark Strait and the super cooled Greenland Current.
The Norwegian Sea is normally ice free but when everything gets out of balance, as in 1962-1968 anything can happen. Even Britain was subjected to huge sea ice build up on its coast in 1963.
I'll have to look up the details, which might not be easy due to apparent loss or suppression of records during that time frame.

sgrenald · Jan 23, 2021

padders
And you would think someone with troll in their name would get Iceland! Personally I think it is a fantastic place, though the capital is not unlike many other Northern Cities, the real magic is up country, up North and further East.

As the OP, I am pleased it only took 2 and a half years to sniff out another JS Watch owner lol.

My first trip to Iceland was in the summer of 2010, a few months after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. I can't say that I went there SPECIFICALLY to buy that watch, but stumbling across JS Watch on the internet certainly got my interest piqued. Anyway, that spring they'd been promising the Chrono "this month" then "next month" then "the month after that," etc. So when I popped into the shop on that Monday in July, I asked Gilbert & Sigurdur when the watch would be available. Sigurdur said "Well, we have the cases, movements and dials. But we only have the Icelandic day wheels. The English ones haven't come in yet." So I said something like "Why would I want to buy a watch in Iceland with ENGLISH days of the week?" So he said he could make the watch for me and to come back in an hour! You can see the FöS in my picture above, which is the abbreviation for "Föstudagur" which, as i mentioned above, is Friday ("Fasting Day"). When I was back in Iceland six years ago (and I brought the watch) Gilbert told me that it was their first chronograph. They normally make a prototype for themselves, but I was there, and wanted one, so... 😀

The other watch that I always wanted was the older Frisland, which used the ETA movement and had a date wheel (with English & Icelandic). When ETA stopped being available, they switched to a different movement without the date wheel. Just by coincidence, I was looking for one online last summer and a guy who had written a review of the Frisland in 2009 was selling his. So now I have both. JS Watch even sent me a new rotor for it to replace the one in the watch with the guy's name on it.

GadgetGuy88 · Jan 23, 2021

Oh I’m so glad I saw this thread!

I have a Sif NAART, which I got in 2019 from Gilbert. He’s a character. So I feel like getting the watch is 50% talking to Gilbert and being in Reykjavik. For those who are curious, the watch is powered by a Soprod A10-2 top decorated calibre. Although it’s thick, it wears well at 40mm and I have no guilt bashing it here and there. The bezel is part of the case. It’s 40mm and has 20mm lugs. A classic sporty look!

When I got mine, Ed Sheeran had visited the week before. So they were quite proud of his visit.

sgrenald · Jan 23, 2021

I wasn't in love with the Sif originally, but it's starting to grow on me. I will have to start looking at the used market for one...

Oh, and the other reason I have to get JS Watches is that my initials are "SJG" 😉

Professor · Jan 24, 2021

A good title for one of their collections would be "Surtsey".

sgrenald · Jan 24, 2021

Professor
A good title for one of their collections would be "Surtsey".

I'd prefer "jokulsarlon" myself, as I ended up typing that into my phone enough when I was planning my last trip there, that autocorrect learned it. But no one can pronounce it properly. 😁

I kind of wish I'd pulled the trigger on that limited edition Islandus with the engraved movement that they had 11-12 years ago. But it was twice as expensive as the chronograph, which was considerably more expensive than any watch I'd bought before (and is still the 3rd most expensive watch I own - although it's going to move down that list this year)

JimInOz · Dec 20, 2024

My Daughter and Grand Daughter recently decided that Brisbane was too hot/boring, so went to Iceland for some cool weather.
They knew of my watch fetish, sorry, watch appreciation, and decided to visit one of the watchmakers in Iceland, in fact, the ONLY watchmaker in Iceland.

The shop of Gilbert O. Gudjonsson and the home of JS Watch Co Reykjavik.

Here they are with Gilbert.

After talking with Gilbert and telling him what an admirer of his watches I was, he signed a company brochure for me as a memento.
" Jim, Gilbert O. Gudjonsson ".

How good is that!
I may have to plan a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, and maybe do some shopping 😉.

sxl2004 · Dec 20, 2024

We have been to Iceland in 2023 and I visited Gilbert and his job.
We had a great discussion about straps.
Absolutely love his watches but was sadly not in a position to buy a memento to the trip.
Iceland is so much fun ………

J S Watch Sif Nart, Show and Tell

padders

Tet

padders

sgrenald

Foo2rama

Professor

sgrenald

lillatroll

padders

lillatroll

Professor

sgrenald

GadgetGuy88

sgrenald

Professor

sgrenald

JimInOz

sxl2004

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