While I’ve only seen one Sjöö Sandström watch “in the steel”, it has proven to be a delight. So much so that I’ve taken to exploring (from a distance, and the spec sheets) some of the other watches in their catalog. We’ve written about those here, and I thought I was pretty well set on the coverage (I intentionally skipped past the chronographs, as they’re really not my thing). Then what should appear in my Instagram feed but another watch that grabbed my interest – the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver.
Now, at the surface of things, the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver is instantly recognizable, calling to mind previous ana-digi watches, such as those from Butler or Breitling. Much as we’ve seen with the watches from Butler (or Gavox now that I think on it), the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver is a watch that was developed with pilots in mind. In this case, Swedish fighter pilots. If the watch can keep those guys on time in the air, I think it’ll work just fine for me down on the ground.
Functionality-wise, the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver of course gives you two time zones (one analog, one digital). You also get some other features like a backlight (on the digital bits), an alarm, perpetual calendar, time, and a chronograph. All handy things should you be zipping around searching for the Red Baron (one of you is the famous Flying Ace, right?), or, you know, keeping track of how much time you have left until your order of pad see ew is ready to be picked up.
Now, even though the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver is powered by a quartz movement (in this case, carrying the appellation SS G5) it does not mean the watch gets any less attention than it’s mechanical brethren. No, this watch is hand-assembled in Stockholm, and is hit with the same rigorous testing as their other watches.
Now, you might be wondering why I’m writing about the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver, as I have a tendency to, well, not write about chronographs. For me, the chronograph function is really secondary to what I like about the watch. With the second time zone, I’d have the capability to check my database times (which record in UTC) at a quick glance (much like I use a GMT movement these days). With an alarm, well, I can startle myself into trying to remember what it was I needed a reminder about. And with the timer, well, there’s that pad see ew that needs to be consumed, you see.
So, no, the Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver is not really intended for me to be it’s prime consumer (as I’m not a member of the Swedish Air Force). That said, there’s something about the military aviation derived watches that speaks to me. There’s a crisp legibility to them, not to mention the purpose-built nature of the watches. That speaks to me on a deep level, somehow. And I can see a watch like this very much becoming a great outdoors companion, particularly with the backlight and steel construction.
So, suffice it to say, I am a fan of the $2,744 Sjöö Sandström UTC Skydiver, even from afar. If you too like what you’re seeing here, be sure to reach out to us via email or pop on over to our Slack channel. If there’s interest, we can definitely have a chat with the brand to see about getting a loaner in for a more in-depth review. Until then, watch out for that Red Baron – I hear he’s gunning for you, Snoopy. sjoosandstrom.se
- Brand & Model: Sjöö Sandström UTC
- Price: $2,799
- Who we think it might be for: You like the ana-digi look and Sweden isn’t represented in your matchbox yet
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? Surprising everone (myself included), yeah, this would be a fun one to sport around
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: If there was a way to make the digital screens sit more flush with the dial surface, that would be slick
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: The skies, they are a-callin’
- Case: Stainless steel or Black DLC, Ø44,2 mm.
- Case-back: Engraved case back individually numbered.
- Glass: Scratch resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
- Dial and hands: Dial with white super luminova index marks and hands with super luminova.
- Dial: Black
- Bezel: Unidirectional rotating bezel, to measure elapsed diving time.
- Bracelet: Rubber or steel
- Water resistance: 10 ATM (100m)
