GoS Gustafsson & Sjögren Sarek Trollius

For well over a decade Swedish craftsman Patrik Sjögren and Johan Gustafsson have been making watches, a curious blend of Damascus steel and Scandinavian heritage. Every creation in hand-forged steel features details inspired by Viking folklore and the natural beauty of Sweden’s landscape. Now, all that culminates in the Sarek Trollius, a fully engraved version of an existing model in their collection.

The Sarek collection was first introduced in 2016 and has seen various iterations, including a ladies’ version. All Sarek watches are inspired by the Sarek National Park in Lapland, Sweden. Since its introduction, the collection has been updated with more and more handcrafted components and has evolved into a line of highly limited and bespoke pieces. For the GoS Sarek Trollius, Patrik has collaborated with Anders Hedlund, a master engraver and knife maker. Anders is regarded as one of the best in the world in his field of work.

The 43mm wide by 10.5mm high GoS Sarek Trollius is inspired by the Trollius Europaeus, a flower indigenous to Europe and western Asia that also grows in the Sarek National Park. The yellow bulb of the flower is represented by the solid gold pins on the caseband and in the chapter ring. These pins are also used in artisanal knife making, a perfect combination of Patrik’s and Anders’ craftsmanship. A 24k gold pin is mounted between each elliptic groove of the caseband.

The bezel of the GoS Sarek Trollius is hand-engraved with a floral pattern, designed to look exactly like the petals of the bulb of the Trollius Europaeus. Other touches that set out this bespoke version from other Sarek models is the wildflower pattern of the dial, the Damascus steel rotor, engraved lugs and engraved parts in the movement. The traditional GoS triskele (triple drinking horn) rotor with Damascus steel counterweight, is engraved by hand, a first for the Scandinavian brand. Finally an engraved caseback ties together the front, caseband, rotor and counterweight

Other design elements like the chapter ring inspired by Viking bracelets and the crown that resembles the hilt of a Viking sword are still in place. The hands are shaped like Viking arrows or spearheads, with a polished surface and a raised centre ridge. Normally a GoS comes on a soft, supple moose leather strap, this time around tapered from 22 to 20mm, with an elegant snap lock buckle.

On the technical side not much has changed either. The Sarek Trollius still uses the same Soprod A10 automatic movement. This movement is a direct clone of the ETA 2892. We’ve covered various versions of the Sarek before, so all the details on the movement can be found in our full review from 2016.

Like all GoS watches, the Gustafsson & Sjogren Sarek Trollius is a unique piece. The fact of the matter is that no two dials will ever be alike due to the hand-forged Damascus steel. It is impossible to recreate the pattern a second time. Yes, there are going to be multiple versions of the Sarek Trollius, but again, no two will be the same.

The GoS Sarek Trollius is available at a price of USD 18,500. For more details please revert to goswatches.com.