Some of you will immediately recognize the bold case design as a Schofield creation.
While it certainly symbolizes the brand, it's an entirely different product of Giles Ellis's wild imagination. Will it set the tone for a new line of Schofield futurism or become a standalone totem? By unveiling the Schofield Obscura, Giles piqued my curiosity.
This time, the guardian of a small Sussex brand (UK) employed ancient metalworking techniques, resulting in an intriguing case. Though the signature form still appears large, this metallurgical masterpiece deserves every millimeter of wrist space it occupies.
Result of a Seven-Year Creative Process
Giles Ellis and his brand Schofield surprised us this year. After years of meticulously refining the design of the well-known 44mm Schofield watches, we see the results of Giles's internal reflections. It's not just about beautiful free dial designs and innovative steel and bronze processing. Watches like the Beater B3 and B4, with a Japanese touch, surprised many with their wrist comfort. With a base of 44mm and a bezel of 42mm, this size remains unchanged. Except for the creation of a new 40mm Light model, the brand's first "small" case, the ethical principles remain unchanged.
Surprisingly, in the last almost 15 years, Schofield watch prices have rarely increased, except for one watch. The Blacklight watches were a magnificent, small-batch creation of a new carbon fiber composite Morta, priced around 10 thousand pounds. And now, after extensive work on the Obscura model, we have a similar wristwatch sample. Considering the seven-year creative process, Giles speaks of the watch release:
“This is my best work, and I can finally retire happily. Of course, I'm not going to retire and probably never will, but the point is that Obscura is unlimited in expenses, details, materials, and craftsmanship. (It is) a watch that can only be made now, with the experience, team, and craftsmen accumulated over the past 15 years.”
On the Wrist and in the Dark
I have not yet worn the Obscura on my wrist. However, I know they have the same ergonomic shape and seemingly large size as my sold Signalman. It may be wide, with long lugs, but many brands could learn from one small fact: Schofield's lugs extend a few millimeters below the case back. This ensures comfort, but this time the case represents a multi-layered work of art. The result of complex forging techniques, the intricate industrial texture frames a strange dial. As you can see in the image above, these watches truly come to life after dark.
With a bright combination of Super-LumiNova in circular tracks, markers, and hands, it's simply Jekyll and Hyde. And that's a big compliment. The dial is a complex multi-layered work with a dark gray ruthenium base and a silky matte texture. Above it, sage-green and black petal hands, marking the hours and minutes, move quietly. Their design is slightly different from what we've seen on the Light, but the main decoration is a small seconds pointer at the “6 o'clock” position. A miniature blue candy-like hand seems to live its own life, rotating outside the gray circle, balancing the engraved “0” at the “12 o'clock” position. Highlighted in red, white, and blue, it reminds of Schofield's British home.
Forged steel, living its own vibrant life.
The patterns on the case captivate me. I understand Giles's description of the alien vibe of the “Obscura”:
“Something (in the case), that if found in the undergrowth, should be left alone or turned in. This is a watch of suspicious origin, possibly military, possibly alien.”
Indeed, the watch looks like something not from our planet. The watch case is made of stainless steel and has a Damascus finish, mainly known in the world of sword and knife making. Unlike anything I've seen, it has an organic appearance that may vary for each watch case. The only contrast is the intricately shaped dark DLC crown, topped with a bright luminescent SWC logo.
The Obscura case was forged in the American forge Vegas Forge with giant Nazel hammers, smashing steel layers against each other. But here they do not form the wave-like patterns we are familiar with. No, this pattern resembles lizard skin or some alien life form. It has a “cellular” structure that at first glance resembles a superconducting material. But it is matte, textured, and hand-finished at Schofield's base in Sussex.
A total of 40 pieces of the Obscura watch will be released, each with an acid-etched surface for added texture. Yes, there is much of interest here, including bronze bushings in the strap holes. Here, threaded and recessed straps securely hold Schofield's signature straps. Saving is not a concept familiar to Mr. Ellis, and it shows.
Where Will the Schofield Brand Go Next?
At the moment, anything is possible, and the Obscura was delightfully non-linear in design compared to other models. But, despite this stellar example costing over 10 thousand euros, and Light – these are new models, there is still a common thread between them. It is clarity and obsession with details, which lacks gloss and polish. I see Giles’s love for Japanese craftsmanship in every watch from the studio in Sussex, but don't forget to keep an eye out. We too easily fall for the glamour of Zaratsu and white gold hands polished to a shine. In Obscura you will find more layers to unpack than in a perpetual calendar, but in a much calmer and more restrained form.
The SWC crown glowing pink-red controls the manually wound Unitas/ETA 6498-2 caliber with a 46-hour power reserve. Unlike all other Schofield watches, the movement can be viewed through the strange but mesmerizing choice of not one, not two, but three gray sapphire crystals with PVD coating. The wide soft strap is made of Cloud gray leather – calfskin of Italian tanning and British finish with a speckled and matte surface. On the underside of the strap is a bark-patterned calfskin lining with a green foil logo, complementing this multifaceted British design.
Finally, Obscura has a tempting and understandable price of 9,558 pounds sterling including VAT (UK / free shipping) or 7,965 pounds sterling excluding VAT (USA, Canada, Europe, Western European countries + shipping). The watch is available now, exclusively at Schofield Watch Company.
What do you think, friends? Is modern forged steel your thing? Tell me what you think about the alien Schofield Obscura model on the Telegram channel.