Norwegian watch brand Straum is expanding into a new area of watch design with the launch of the new Straum Expedition, their first dedicated tool watch. It’s part of their new brand direction exemplified by the motto “Inspired by, built for, Norwegian Nature”. Everything they’ve produced previously with the Jan Mayen and Frozen Metal series falls under the definition of ‘inspired by Norwegian nature’ – adapting the natural textures and patterns of the country into artistic dials. Now though, they’re adding the second pillar of ‘built for Norwegian nature’, and that means rugged, practical design.
The first step in producing a watch capable of tackling the outdoors is getting the case right. The Straum Expedition features a new case that is based on the Jan Mayen Titanium but with some significant changes. The diameter has been reduced from 38.7mm to 38.2mm (not including the crown or crown guards), reducing the width by 0.5mm. On its own that’s not a hugely impactful change but that’s combined with a redesigned bezel which has a new, stepped design. The steps and slimmer diameter mean that there is less flat area exposed to scratches at the uppermost level of the watch and means that any sharp blows are more likely to be deflected away from the crystal.
Those aren’t the only updates to the case. The crown at 3 o’clock has been increased in size to make it easier to manipulate with cold hands or while wearing gloves. It’s actually the cold weather of Norway that inspired Straum to use titanium for this watch rather than steel. Not only is titanium lighter but also it has lower thermal expansion and lower thermal conductivity, which means the metal contracts and expands less under different temperatures and transmits heat slower so that it feels less cold or hot to the touch (so no nasty, chilly shocks when you put it on).
On the reverse side of the case, the Straum Expedition features a new solid titanium caseback. This is designed to be a practical tool watch so a solid caseback is the natural choice over an exhibition window. That doesn’t mean that the caseback is boring though. It features a dramatic engraving of a lone hiker looking out at the Norwegian landscape on a starry night where the moon has been replaced with the Straum ‘S’ logo. It’s really evocative of the landscape that the watch is designed to be used in.
Alongside the new case is a new dial. It’s again designed with practicality and utility in mind. It has a peripheral 60-minute scale on the flange, oversized hour markers around the edge of the display with the 12/3/6/9 markers given in Arabic numerals and a 24-hour sub-scale around the inner ring. There’s also a date window above the 6 o’clock marker with the numbers in hyper-legible Fluor Orange.
There are three colourways of the dial being produced, two of which are core models and one of which is a limited ‘Launch Edition’ with 200 pieces. That launch edition has a blue dial with nickel-plated hands and hour markers made from Super-LumiNova. The core models are then the Titanium dial version in grey with the same lume markers and then lastly the White Lume edition, which flips the script by having a fully luminous dial and black hour markers. Both core models have black hour and minute hands while all three have a Fluor Orange tipped lollipop seconds hand.
Inside the watch is the La Joux-Perret G100 calibre, an automatic movement with 68-hour power reserve. The G100 is the date function version of the G101 that’s used in the Jan Mayen, so if you’re already a Straum collector, you’ll be familiar with this movement. It’s currently regarded as one of the most high end third-party movements on the market, used by brands across the entire spectrum of the watch industry from micros to independents and even some major brands.
For pricing and availability, all three Straum Expedition watches are £1,840 on rubber strap or £2,070 on titanium bracelet, excl. tax, VAT and duties. That is an increase of between £180 – £250 compared to the titanium Jan Mayen on equivalent strap options. Specs-wise they are very similar watches, so I think that price increase is likely due to the more complex manufacturing of the stepped bezel and detailed caseback picture as well as the lume display elements.
My favourite thing about the Straum Expedition is how they’ve managed to take the same ingredients used to make the Jan Mayen but by combining them differently with a small stylistic tweak here and there, they’ve managed to make a watch that feels completely different.
Price and Specs:
More details at Straum.
