Whilst I was enjoying a well earned rest I received news of this the latest watch from Schofield watches, the Beater B5 Japanese special edition,limited to 29 pieces.
Now the overall design and style of the watch will be familiar to anyone with knowledge of Schofield’s previous watches.
This new Japanese B5 is the prettiest Schofield to date. A muted, blossom coloured dial in a specially textured case similar in finish to traditional Suzuki or Shibuichi items. The case back is traditionally made, in sterling silver and glass enamel we see a scene of an old plum tree, inspired by a Fuchū manhole cover. The watch also comes with a little lapel pin in the same design, again in silver, to wear on your jacket. All new Schofields will now come with a specific pin, designed to be a summary of the watch it accompanies. The strap above is Japanese Plum Canvas, a coarse weave with real depth of colour achieved, naturally, by dyeing with persimmon and plum . The lining is indigo calf. The buckle brushed stainless steel.The strap is plum canvas with a stitch to match the dial.
THE CASE
Schofield is known for its complex case shape which has been improved and refined over the last decad and uses a new media finish we known as Middle-tex. The 44.5mm case is stainless steel with a texture that sits between the vapour-blasted finish and the severe Brutalist finish of some rare Beaters. As well as all this detail the watch has the usual for Schofield 200m water resistance.
DIAL
This is the last dial with this familiar topography, hours at cardinal points including a slash-0 at 12, darts between the numbers and a minute track bordering the stepped level and colour change in the dial. Using Super-LumiNova C3 with a bright green emission, most obvious is the luminescent ring around the outer circumference. The handset features Schofield’s “Sign-of-Life” hand found a coun-terpoise only, indicating time is passing but without the need for precision time-telling. The hands are brushed gold and match the gold ring in the middle of the crown.
MOVEMENT
STP 1-11, self-winding mechanical. Hours, minutes and hacking sweep secondsPower reserve 44 hours,Frequency28,800 VPH 4Hz
PRICE
£3,580.00 (inc. UK VAT) with a two year warranty
The watch is available from the Schofield website.
Only one final thought. When I first saw the descrption of this watch I thought it might use a Japanese movement which might also have meant a lower cost. I must ask Giles if they ever considered this.