GoS by Gustafsson & Sjögren

Far away to the north of watchmaking's established home there is a magic of age-old legend going on. Because in the Swedish town of Linköping two masters of their very different crafts have been combining forces, and together raise, quite literally from the elements, their unique and remarkably beautiful GoS watches.

The worlds in which co-owners Johan Gustafsson and Patrik Sjögren function could scarcely be more diverse, for one is a bladesmith whose domain is amid the violent noise and fiery heat of his forge, and the other a watchmaker, whose atelier is in comparison an oasis of tranquility. It is hard to imagine a more vivid contrast and the product of this unlikely union is evident in each GoS watch.

Defined by the patterns, contours and an almost wood-like grain of the hand forged damascus steel from which they are crafted, GoS watches capture forever the influences of a rich Nordic culture and the beauty of the natural world which surrounds them. No two pieces are identical as the process of creating the damascus steel ensures a unique result every time.

Regarded around the world for his work with damascus steel - a material whose strength and superiority over regular steel gave the marauding Vikings a sizely advantage over their adversaries whose brittle blades were no match for their fearsome longswords and weapons as they cut a swathe of dread and terror around the coasts of Europe - Johan Gustafsson keeps alive a centuries-old native profession, and the results of his painstaking and physically draining work are simply mesmerising, as the steels he creates transform into striking and individual colourful pieces of art.

Patrik Sjögren, the other half of GoS might well be considered the gentler soul of the partnership: his expertise and knowledge lying in his skills and dexterity at the watchmaker's bench where he fabricates, etches, heat tempers and finishes the bespoke GoS dials and bridges in the same damascus steel as is used elsewhere in the watches. A student at the Swedish School of Horology, Patrik also went on to achieve his Swiss WOSTEP certificates before returning to his homeland where he established his own successful atelier from where he now works.

Following a chance meeting in 2007, the two men saw how one could complement the other's skillset, andthe marriage of these two very diverse talents today produce a very limited number of exquisite hand crafted timepieces which are as individual as their creators, as uncompromisingly Scandinavian in their design, and which are already 'forging' a new identity for Swedish craftsmanship and watchmaking.

Chronolux Fine Watches are delighted to be one of a very few Appointed Dealers for Gustafsson & Sjögren watches.