After several years of admiring the distinctive watches from Sussex’s most famous watch company, I managed to exchange a few words with the founder Giles Ellis. On an off chance, I asked if there might be the opportunity to do a review.
Just after the Christmas break an e-mail arrived out of the blue. Giles had remembered and asked if I would like to do the first review of their new Telemark, a watch I had admired at its launch during the Salon QP week.
Schofield Telemark
The Telemark sits within the ‘Markers’ family of Schofield watches, which was originally pioneered by the Daymark. This model being inspired by the 1960s war film ‘Heroes of Telemark’.
This watch has features common to previous watches however, the Telemark stands alone as a bold addition to the Markers collection. It is Schofield’s first white dialled watch, Schofield’s first fully numerated dial and even Schofield’s first design to be inspired by a coastline outside of the British Isles.
Before giving more details I think it is important to describe what this very particular watch is like to wear.
But before covering the watch I cannnot ignore the very impressive black Osmo Ash box, below. Though it does make you wonder whether someone with a collection of several watches can find space to store the increasingly large and impressive packaging.
The Telemark Box
After a lifetime of relatively regular sized watches I have recently got used to my slightly larger than my usual, Pinion. The 44mm Telemark takes my “large experience” to another level, especially the case height.
To my surprise once on my wrist it actually doesn’t feel that large and it is perfectly possible to almost not notice your wearing it and I didn’t even once risk bashing it on walls or furniture which I frequently do with my personal Speedmaster. The watches distinctive character though does not really come from it’s size but the design itself and the white dial in particular. The white/grey/brushed steel combination does express a wintery “Telemark” vibe.
Telemark on the wrist
The first thing I did then was to put the watch to my ear, The dial does not mention automatic and I had not yet read the specifications, I wanted to understand wether it was an auto or manual. To my surprise I couldn’t hear the sound of a rotor inside the case. To be sure I then checked the spec sheet and discovered it was in fact an auto. I imagine the case thickness keeps the watch quiet.
Design wise there are some many details to be appreciated. The most obvious on my particular watch being the fucsia lining to the grey strap and the design of the caseback.
The reverse of the Telemark
Should this strap not be to your taste one of the wonderful features of the Schofield range is the wide choice of straps available making the watches even more individual. Then we shouldn’t forget the customised straps from Schofield+Cudd. I kept thinking this watch would be great on one of the Harris tweed straps, something I would never consider for any other watch I can think of.
Once turned over the more design details become visible, for the first few days I continued to see something I had not noticed. For example the Schofield brand name being written very discretely in the number 6 position on the dial. There are so many little quirky features I will resist the temptation to list them but for me the dial hand combination works really well.
Then there is my favorite detail of all the crown and the groove in the case that makes it really easy to operate.
Schofield Telemark Crown
The Technical Details Are:
- Fully numerated submarine dial
- Dimensions – 44mm diameter base, 42mm bezel, 15.1mm high
- The word ‘Schofield’ replaces 9 minute marks on the chapter ring
- The hour markers in the chapter ring are black anodised appliqués filled • with Super-LumiNova C5
- Case – Vapour-blasted stainless steel
- Weight – 134 grams with strap
- Date disk reprinted for horizontal readability at 4:30
- All the parts of the hands and the windows line up when overlapping
- The second hand tapers towards the tip and the counterpoise
- The second hand counterpoise is filled with lume
- The case has a nail rebate for pulling out the crown
- The crown also has a groove for your nails to grip to pull out
- The case has a slight radius on the outer edge of the bezel
- The box is Osmo ash, the queen of English timbers
- Colour – Silver
- Crown – Push in, machine finish stainless steel, engraved
- Dial – White, luminescent applied markers Super-LumiNova C5
- Hands – Laddered baton, Super-LumiNova C3
- Movement – ETA 2824-2
- Power reserve – 38 hours
- Functions – Hours, minutes and seconds and date
- Case back – Stainless steel, engraved with Jomfruland lighthouse
- Crystal – Sapphire
- Water resistance – 200m
- Strap – Your choice
- Strap bars – Stainless, vapour-blasted
- Buckle – Brushed stainless steel, engraved
- Serialisation – Sequential numbering
- Warranty – 2 years
For more information and lots of really super images you should visit the Schofield website.
So in conclusion, I really enjoyed my time with the Telmark. The perfect location for a review would have been my February ski break, but I already had other horological commitments for that. At the same time I was really pleased to have the opportunity to write the first review which I did not want to postpone. Maybe I have another chance for next February.
My thanks to Melodie of Schofield for organising the logistics of this loan and for her cheery notes.
