The same Straum Jan Mayen Arctic collection, but make it titanium… and purple. Following the clear success of the Jan Mayen Arctic steel series, Straum are bringing their most expressive dial range into Grade 5 titanium and making it a permanent fixture in the core catalogue. The same high-contrast gradient fumé, the same stamped texture, the same movement, just the titanium upgrade. Oh, and to celebrate, they’re releasing a new dial colour, the Purple Borealis, a 200-piece limited edition in both steel and titanium.
The move to Grade 5 titanium is the right one for a watch with this kind of identity. It’s a practical upgrade more than an aesthetic one. The case dimensions and finishing remain identical to the steel, so nothing that collectors love about the original is lost, but the weight difference is significant enough to actually change how the watch feels on the wrist. For a collection built around the outdoors, that’s not a trivial detail. The titanium option will be available across all four existing Arctic dial variants, as well as the new Purple Borealis limited edition.
Inside, the La Joux-Perret G101 continues to be a sensibly chosen movement. Time-only, 68 hours of power reserve, adjusted to four positions. At this price point, with dials this strong, it’s exactly what the watch needs.
With the Purple Borealis dial, Straum go deeper into the science of the northern sky than ever before. The limited-edition model is inspired by STEVE, which stands for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, and yes, the acronym came after the name, not before. STEVE is a river of superheated plasma tearing through the upper atmosphere at 6 km/s, producing a purple ribbon that has only ever been sighted alongside an Aurora. It’s so rare that the watch dial might genuinely be your best chance of seeing it.
To replicate it on the dial, a gradient runs from deep palatinate purple at 6 o’clock to a lighter rose violet at 12 o’clock. Where the rest of the Arctic collection leans into bold, vivid colour, the Purple Borealis goes the other way, darker, more serious, and easily my favourite dial in the collection. The diamond-cut hands and Swiss Super-LumiNova Grade A indices are the same as ever, but on a dial this dark the contrast is sharper, which makes them far more impactful than on the brighter Arctic colourways.
To go with it, Straum are introducing a new purple FKM rubber strap, and unlike the watch, it isn’t limited. It joins the existing seven colours already available through Straum’s quick-release strap system, which makes its Arctic line debut here for the first time. Eight colours; Black, white, beige, grey, yellow, dark blue, dark green, and now purple. Spread that across five dials and two case materials and you’re looking at 85 possible configurations.
Straum haven’t changed what works. They’ve just made it lighter, given it a new strap system, and released a limited edition to celebrate. For a collection that was already doing its job, that’s no bad thing. Pricing starts at £1,340 for steel on rubber, £1,400 for steel on bracelet, and £1,590 for titanium on rubber. Pre-orders open 2nd April 2026 at 18:00 CEST at straum.com, with delivery expected mid-July, though if you’re attending Hands On Horology on 13th June, you may well get a sneak peek before it arrives.
Price and Specs:
More details at Straum.
