The Journal
Records of forecasts, observations, Pips, Toots and other signals from Riverside.
General admissions and musings ✦ Six Pips 627
I Admit… Evening all, I totally failed to get the Skeptiko online. I like to think that coffee and purpose equals laser-beam focus but, alas, like most people, I get distracted. Instead, I’ve been writing, designing, consolidating and compiling. In…
Oof! New and updated website and TEDx transcript ✦ Six Pips 626
Giles does a TEDx Evening all, there is quite a lot this week. First, the website has had a major overhaul. New copy, new images, updated navigation, improved structure and a fresh coat of fog. The homepage hero remains untouched.…
An Artefacts in Japan ✦ Six Pips No. 615
A New Limited Edition Release Evening all! Our Man in Japan has been living with a prototype Artefacts and keeping notes along the way. I won’t bore you with the differences between this and the production model other than to…
Sightings! ✦ Six Pips No. 614
A New Limited Edition Release Evening all! Sightings. This isn’t a diminutive version of the Skeptiko. It was designed in parallel with Artefacts and every component had to work across both case types. Artefacts (Ultem®) is inexplicable, it prefers secret…
Introducing the Skeptiko ✦ Pips No. 612
A New Limited Edition Release Evening all! The Skeptiko was created for The British Watchmakers’ Day 2026. It is a watch developed through an unusually introspective process; the brief was to design a watch using Schofield’s own constraints and Giles…
One Toot! The Skeptiko
The Skeptiko is issued not chosen! One Toot! is not the Six Pips. It’s an occasional, explicit declaration of achievement. This is the Skeptiko – the Skeptiko Artefacts, to be precise and it’s brilliant. I won’t bore you with the…
A Pretty Start to 2026 ✦ Pips No. 611
The British Watchmakers’ Day is nearly upon us! Evening all! …For my ways are strange ways and new ways and old ways,And deep ways and steep ways and high ways and low;I’m at home and at ease on a track…
2026 to be an epic year ✦ Pips No. 610
2026 WILL BE EPIC – PARTLY BECAUSE WE START STRONG! Evening all! This year is going to be epic! There is so much going on. How shall we start? With a new cap for all you Pipsters! The Six Pips…
Schofield Launches a new Wall Clock ✦ Pips No. 586
A huge effort launched! Plus some Luxury Watch straps Evening all! Welcome to the Advent Pips, just one quick message every evening through Advent (if I can hold to it). Tonight we start big! A new Small Wall Clock –…
New Art from mr E + Luxury Watch Straps! ✦ Pips No. 585
A huge effort launched! Plus some Luxury Watch straps Evening all! Those who visit the Buoys Club will see a progress chart of the forthcoming stuff we have in manufacture. The Skeptiko recently made a jump to 90% completed. We…
New Art from mr E + Luxury Watch Straps! ✦ Pips No. 584
A huge effort launched! Plus some Luxury Watch straps Evening all! I am super excited to have finally completed a three-part art series officially called The Monolith. The Buoys Club will get an email shortly – explaining the reason. It…
Precision watch hands on the Original Obscura ✦ Pips No. 583
Best Lume Watch – Yes it Evening all! Is the Obscura the best lume watch? I think so. The Obscura hour hand – what a way to start the Pips! First off, let’s take in the precision of details. The…
All About The Gold Watch Treasure! ✦ Pips No. 582
All About our Gold Watch Evening all! Allow me to tell you about our Gold watch – The Gold Treasure Watch. I don’t want you to pass it by just because it’s you know – gold and shiny. There is…
Schofield News! A lot to say about whats nearly new ✦ Pips No. 581
SCHOFIELD NEWS! SKEPTIKO AND THE MOON Evening all! I think this is Schofield news – I currently have exactly 8 favourite planets and roughly 422 favourite moons, this is one of them. Darya Kawa Mirza’s new composite image of our…
A Seiko Field Watch? A Gen. Purp. Watch? ✦ Pips No. 580
The Light Field Watch with a Seiko Movement. Some words on our Light watch – a Seiko field watch of sorts… Evening all! I am listening to John Surman – Upon Reflections and reading about Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, an Austrian artist…
Who Makes The Coolest Watch Straps?
Schofield & Sugar Free make the coolest watch straps! For sizes that fit the Schofield Light and other non Schofield watches. We have a sister company called Sugar Free. Why Sugar Free – Cool Watch straps (that’s the strap line,…
This is the best Damascus Watch ever made ✦ PIP No. 578
✦ Damascus Watch magic. the Obscura | No. 578 Evening all! Oh my gosh I have been busy! Most of this Pips is about our Damascus Watch the Obscura but first we need to talk about the website, yes, I…
ONE TOOT! WATCHES SOLD
One Toot! Schofield Watches For Sale Schofield watches for sale or not for sale because they have sold… Is this a Toot!? I am not really sure. It feels so in the morning but by the evening less and more…
SCHOFIELD’S DESIGN
More on the Skeptiko, The BBC & Graphic Design | No. 576 Evening all! It has been a graphic design week. Just an example of the cards that go in the Woolwich made, stapled boxes that sit atop the watch…
Where is the Telemark X-ray? ✦ PIPS No 575
The X-Ray never got a Press Release | No. 575 Starting with an image I was sent by Mr J G this morning. The B6 Deep Blue – Guffee’s Sea Change edition. ‘Tis a handsome thing! All sold out now.…
What’s Behind The Name Schofield?
Schofield Watch Company Limited (SWC) takes its name from the Schofield revolver, a beautifully engineered 19th-century American firearm. Designed by Major George W. Schofield and manufactured by Smith & Wesson, the revolver was famed for its precise mechanics and iconic…
Through the Schofield window
I never look into the shop, always out. Every morning, coffee in hand, I sit in my Vitra Petit Repos and watch the world pass. Across the road are two shops: a newsagent and a chemist. Early, around six, I…
Newness Throughout ✦ Pips No. 571
Six Pips ✦ No 571 Evening all!I love post survey action. Take the data, crunch it, list all the advice, hopes and desires until you have a big list that would please everybody. As we know, this can’t be done,…
The 2025 Survey Breakdown ✦ Pips No. 570
Evening all! Thank you to everyone who completed the Schofield 2025 survey. You guys really committed! Seriously, it is going to take a lot longer to read them all, and I will read them all. Sorry you were misled on…
OBSCURA DAMASCUS STEEL WATCH – Press Release
OBSCURA DAMASCUS STEEL / LIMITED EDITION OF 40 / MANUAL WIND – HOURS, MINUTES & SUB SECONDS 2024 The Obscura – a watch that began in 2017 and then constantly adjusted and refined. A project of self-indulgence. It is my…
A watch event in London, a front cover and more! ✦ Pips No. 499
Evening all! The front cover of the Horological Journal! That is cool right? I think so. Go and become a member of the British Horological Institute and get yourself a copy. Not only the front cover but a proper good…
Just brilliant stuff and more brilliant stuff ✦ Pips No. 497
Evening all! Let’s begin with an Obscura update. As you know this is a project and a half. Worth every bit of the wait. You will see that tonight is Pips 497 and I am really hoping that Pips 500…
The Light on Fratello! ✦ Pips No. 496
From Thor Svaboe’s review for Fratello Magazine. Many brands have a certain style or genre, while some get stuck in a favorite period, like the ’60s. But in a time when even smaller brands are diversifying and offering different takes…
A panoply of delights ✦ Pips No. 495
Evening all! Some Robert Louis Stevenson. My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky; It’s time to take the window to see Leerie going by; For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,…
💡 See the Light and more! ✦ Pips No. 494
Evening all! Let’s get into it! The Light is up and running online. You can read more about it there. Both colours are ready to ship. Both colours come with the same two Sugar Free straps – India Rubber and…
Come see the Light! ✦ Pips No. 493
The Light, general purpose field watch, in two colours. Schofield introduces a general purpose field watch. After 15 years making watches with the same case shape and dimensions, the Light brings a whole re-design, from the ground up. At 40…
The Darkness of the Strange Lights ✦ Pips No. 491
Good evening and Happy, Happy New Year to you all! Let’s start with some updates. The Obscura is so close. The final part arrived two days before Christmas so the timing has been a little off. Suffice to say it…
Sometime Podcast ✦ Pips No. 490
Evening all. A wee Christmas half measure tonight. The first episode of Sometime is live! However, it comes with a caveat, it is not your average watch podcast! I won’t be interviewing Bamford, Biver or the Schofield inner circle, I’m not…
You need Sugar Free ✦ Pips No. 489
Evening all. Let me introduce you to Sugar Free! Watch straps that fit non-Schofields, I know some have been waiting for over 10 years for this! Today is the day! Sugar Free has its own website, its own vibe and…
The Light Field Watch ✦ Press Release
THE LIGHT – AMONG THE BEST FIELD WATCHESThe Light, general purpose field watch (in two shades) by Schofield. Schofield introduces a general purpose field watch. After 15 years making watches with the same case shape and dimensions, the Light brings…
Ultimate Christmas List ✦ Pips No. 486
Evening all. Just a quick and loose note on what we have for Christmas right now. Pens, we have quite a few colours and materials in the shop that are not online – email in if you want to see…
The best thumbnail buckle in 5 shots ✦ Pips No. 485
One of my jobs is to share my enthusiasm for tiny details. Let’s start with how Schofield created the best thumbnail buckle, possibly ever. Tiny, tiny things that matter because they make the world more beautiful. The brief for all…
5 Brilliant Christmas watch straps ✦ Pips No. 484
A Christmas watch straps special but first up a dial blank, in the early stages, un-plated and not yet filled with Super-LumiNova, and that is what those outer channels are for – serious lume! Individually filled with a hypodermic syringe.…
Obscura naughtiness ✦ Pips No. 483
We have a secret, just we three, The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry-tree; The bird told the tree, and the tree told me, And nobody knows it but just us three. But of course the robin knows it…
Fun with the Landmark ✦ Pips No. 482
Evening all. How about this? Penned by Mr Q after the Waterford Festival of Time! He admits it is a little contrived to get the initial letters to work – I think it is fab. For discerning watch collectors…
Giles Ellis Design Lecturer ✦ Pips No. 481
Evening all! A brief Pips tonight as just moments ago I was lecturing final year BSc/BA product design students at the University of Sussex for their ‘Design Philosophy’ module. A refined ‘How to Design a Beautiful Thing’ was, I am…
A bit about British ✦ Pips No. 480
Evening all! I am really sorry that there were not more Telemarks last week but a limited edition is a limited edition. I think the one for sale would have sold 20 times! A customer asked if I made an…
As cool as it gets! ✦ Pips No. 477
Evening all. Check this out! The Black Cherry; ceramic coated steel, Japanese Edition B5. We are only making two, this one is sold. There is one other available – email if you are interested or want the full spec (you…
Busy, busy, Schofield ✦ Pips No. 478
Evening all. From Mr L – “The whole experience from meeting you, going for the Black Cherry, the visit, the straps, the deal, the waiting, the arrival – has all been so so enjoyable. Why the **** I waited on…
Terrific, kickass cork boxes ✦ Pips No. 476
Evening all! So tonight we look at cork boxes and the stars! The Obscura is around the corner! Tonight I am showing you the case back, clearly this is a drawing but I have the real thing in my mitts…
Completely Pink Watches ✦ Pips No. 473
Before the pink watches – In a brief moment the rain stopped. A Drop fell on the Apple Tree – Another – on the Roof – A Half a Dozen kissed the Eaves – And made the Gables laugh –…
See the amazing Black Cat Watch ✦ Pips No. 472
Evening all! This Pipage is too introduce the New Black Cat Watch – I go away tomorrow for a week and the ocean liner that is Schofield will have to drift without navigation. Oh-boy, today has been a rush! I…
Magical Schofield events and other excitements No. 471
Evening all! Let’s start with some Schofield events – ‘save the dates’. On the 16th of September we are doing the Best of British, RedBar watch show in Brighton. You need to be a member of RedBar, but we will…
Strong Heroic designer watches No. 470
Evening all! A pips about Designer watches? Having returned from a Welsh reset, I am thrown back into the maw of Schofield; this is sent to you on a new service hence the ever so slightly new look. The Six…
Get inspired at Clerkenwell Design Week No. 462
The important Pip is about Clerkenwell Design Week below but let’s start with a spring poem, but that’s the feeling now the sun is out. These are our wild native Daffodils or Lent Lilis and are unusual to find growing…
Astounding Watches for Designers No. 461
Considering watches for designers is what we are up to, it really is not that thrilling apart from the odd titbit I can share regarding new releases which will not happen fully until much later this year, and there is…
A Meltdown of Ti Watches No. 460
Let’s talk Ti watches and more specifically – titanium. Discovered in Cornwall in 1791, and there we have a nice link to the Blacklamp Carbon watch we made which has a structure akin to the crazy geology of the cliffs of…
How to design a beautiful thing No 458
Evening all! What a fortnight we have had since the last Pips! Almost a new website. A complete rebuild. It looks much the same because I like the way it looks but now much cleaner. It should load much faster so…
An Armageddon of Black Watches NO. 455
Evening all. Much to my surprise many of you liked the Undercurrents article on black watches that went out last Sunday. In fact many of you inquired about a Blacklamp Evo. It is a long way off yet;Â I did not…
Cool Things NO. 454
Evening all! You will be pleased to know that I have been busy. I’m not sure the fruits of my work will be seen for a while, this is watchmaking. Cool stuff takes a long time. But I wanted you…
Using the Best Watch Dials No. 453
Evening all. It is a Toot Toot Pips tonight. I don’t blow the Schofield trumpet very often, many proper marketeers would suggest I do it more. Here are two emails received this week. It is all about watch dials and…
A Stunning Wooden Watch Box No. 452
Evening all! A Pips about all things. But right at the end I want you to focus on just how cool our wooden watch boxes are. A wooden watch box cannot be beaten. Until now (2023) when Schofield reveals the…
Only 4 Super Special Watch Dial Artworks No. 451
Evening all! Happy New Year! Let’s get right into a big start to the year. First up, The Real Time Show, featuring me. Blurb – The Real Time Show is a twice-weekly watchmaking podcast that alternates between interactive Question &…
1 Effortless Desk Clock No. 450
Evening all. Happy, happy Christmas to you all. Apologies for the poemy Pips of late. But I rather like this one some parts seemed apt, others dated. This Pips features a desk clock – yes, the Small Wall Clock on…
4 Unusual Customised Watches | No. 448 ▶◀
Evening all. Let’s talk customised watches! here is the B5! A little update – all the Orange Ladyfingers have sold. One 70’s ‘finger left. We still have a little stock of coloured buckles, so get in quick. Currently all watch…