The British brand Schofield revealed their latest concept this week in a new watch dubbed the Obscura, hinting at the obscure themes prevalent in its design and execution. The base of the watch is easily identifiable as Schofield thanks to the tall, lighthouse inspired case, but every component used within breaks new ground for the brand. The result is a visually fascinating composure that feels equal parts design driven experience, and timekeeping device. This will be a very limited production run, but the ideas represented within offer a compelling story about how this brand is evolving.
The familiar shape of the case is about the only thing connecting it to the existing collection of lighthouse inspired watches, meaning it’s still a bit of a tank in terms of proportions. At 44mm wide at the base, 15mm in thickness, and 52.7mm from lug to lug, this is a frame best suited for larger wrists. That acknowledged, the rest of the details are nevertheless interesting in their own right, and portray a brand embracing the conceptual realm in terms of expressing their ideas.
The case is machined from a piece of Damascus steel made by Vegas Forged in the US, and rather than the typical wave pattern we associate with Damascus, it’s been done in a manner that appears more structural and cell-like in nature. The surface has been acid etched to emphasize the textures at work here. Because of its nature, each case will be unique in appearance. The gray color palette carries through to the dial, and serves as a perfect base to apply some color (and colored lume, as you can see).
Moving into the dial you’ll find no numbers and no hour markers of any sort. There is a chapter ring indexed to the minutes surrounded by 8 segments that create small gaps representing the hours between the cardinal positions. The large segments at 3 and 9 o’clock are rendered in a salmon like color, which is also picked up in the tip of the running seconds hand positioned at 6 o’clock outside of any sub dial or hash marks. The segments of the dial create depth and interesting negative spaces around which the design is structured. As a whole, it’s akin to a modern art piece that happens to be attached to a strap.
Schofield is using a hand wound Unitas movement that is made visible in a rather interesting manner. There are three small domed apertures on the caseback that offer an obscured look at parts of the movement, and play with the overall Obscura theme of the watch, and while I can’t speak to what they feel like on the wrist, I appreciate the novel approach to an interactive caseback.
Just 40 examples of the Obscura will be produced, each priced at £9,558. That price feels a bit aggressive considering the Unitas movement within, however the unique approach to the case is the real star of the show here, and likely accounts for much of the value. The Obscura is available now. Schofield
