1. Evening all. Watches that weather! Here we are, zoomed out, and better still the shop is currently harbouring the same again in Rare Things! You must come visit. B5s, B4s, B3s both pat and raw, gold and silver Treasure watches, Strange Lights NQG and NQR and the last of the Daymarks and Daymark Darks.
2. The B5! The Bronze B4 was only half the story. This Japanese B5 is the light to the B4’s dark! The prettiest Schofield to date. A muted, blossom coloured dial in a specially textured case similar in finish to traditional Suzuki or Shibuichi items. There are depths to the texture because the machining marks can be seen below the finish. The case back is very special indeed, traditionally made in sterling silver and glass enamel we see a scene of an old plum tree, inspired by a Fuchū manhole cover. The strap is plum canvas with a stitch to match the dial. Somebody wrote that the Bronze B4 is Giles’ love letter to Japan, having been a Japanophile his entire life and so the B5 needed to reflect elements of Japan the B4 missed – the Sakura, the subtle, beauty and calm.
3. We are known for our complex case shape which has been improved and refined over the last decade. The B5 case differs from others in three ways. Firstly, the underlying machining path has been reworked to exaggerate the fingerprint left by the 5 axis CNC mill. Secondly, we have added a radius to the bezel for a slightly softer look as well as improving dent resistance and thirdly, by offering a new media finish we call Middle-Tex.
4. Mr B, a journalist at Hypebeast wanted a bit more info on Middle-Tex, my reply: Middle-Tex is the finish. We have made this quite sparkly effect from playing with the route the cutting tool makes, called a machining path. That alone is pretty cool. But on the B5 it is treated with a low pressure, medium, coarse media, which gives a matt texture without removing the machining lines. I like these lines, they are the fingerprint to the birth of the case! 🙂 Middle-Tex (texture) because it sits between the very heavy Brutalist finish seen on some of our Rare Things and the fine vapour-blasting of the Marker range of watches.
5. We have also made a little lapel pin in the same design, again in silver, for you to wear on your jacket. In fact, all new Schofields come with a specific pin, designed to be a summary of the watch it accompanies. It comes in the box, sitting in its own little recess next to the watch. The B5 is ready to go, it is online, waiting.
6. Summer’s lease hath all too short a date. It’s not over is it? The sun sets over the River Adur, next to the Schofield Riverside Store.
