Although Schofield Watch Company was a product of the 2010s’ ‘Rebirth of British Watchmaking’, the project was always far more interesting than that. Its founder, designer and CEO Giles Ellis wanted to know what a watch born of British design culture (at least that eclectic, hipster, south coast version) would look like. He’d already had some experience of manufacture, making bespoke parts for mountain bikes, and of craftsmanship, through another business restoring mandolins and banjos, as well as a successful branding business.
The resulting watch, the Signalman, has seen countless variations over the last 15 years, with low-run editions selling out quickly to a collector base that appreciates the energy put into making every last detail fit the brief. The new design, what Ellis calls a ‘field watch’ (essentially, legible, robust and with a hint of military) is his first ground-up design since then.
The Light, Schofield’s new watch
Much smaller than the Signalman, at 40mm, the Light is deceptively simple until you notice the details of the design – the way the crown has a subtle recess, the precisely calibrated, stepped crown, the curve around the bezel that drops down to the lugs or the caseback that has its design printed on the inside surface of a crystal disc. It’s these details that set Schofield apart at this price level (the new watch is £2,190 including VAT) and it’s typical of Ellis’ approach that he explains every decision around the watch on his Six Pips newsletter and podcast, ‘Sometime’.
The watch comes in two variants, made in editions of 150 each, Light: The Light One and Light: The Dark One, each with monochrome contrast dials that feature a number of details familiar from earlier designs, including a raised hour band and boxy, lacquered time hands that are filled with green light emitting SuperLumiNova. A new detail is the slightly ghosted logo and brand name on the inner section. The ‘Dark One’ also has a PVD-coated case.
The watches come fitted with a Seiko NH34A automatic movement with GMT function and come with two straps (one made from India Rubber and the other in grey leather lined with red calf).
