Hands-on with the Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky Watch

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Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky

I can’t believe it’s been four years since I reviewed the Straum Opphav, the debut model of the Norwegian brand. Since then, they have been releasing these Jan Mayen models, and twerking both the dials and the case along the way. Now they have new Arctic dials and have put them in both steel and titanium watch cases, and today I have one of the latest models in titanium, the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky. This gorgeous watch has a 39mm blasted and polished Grade 5 titanium case, with a dial patterned after the colors of the Northern Lights, the La Joux-Perret G101 no date movement, and a very unique quick-release strap system. There are other colors availbe and hopefully a titanium bracelet at some point, and the starting price is $2500.

Specifications

38.7mm Grade 5 Titanium Case

41mm (9-3) Including Crown

45.7mm Lug to Lug

11.5mm Thick Excluding Crown

82 Grams 

100m Water Resistant

Screw Down Crown

Double Domed Sapphire

Super-LumiNova hands and indices 

LJP G101 Automatic Movement

Custom FKM Rubber Strap System

Price $2500 Including Taxes and Duties Included 

https://straum.co/collections/jan-mayen-arctic-titanium

I was very enamoured with the Straum Opphav when I reviewed it, and at the time, it was quite a bold move for a debuting microbrand to hit the scene with a watch such as that, and that original model had a price tag of around $800. In the last four years, Straum has evolved even more with the Jan Mayen models, and this latest collection is really impressive.

The case on this Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky is all titanium, of course, grade 5 titanium. and it has an absolutely exquisite micro-blasted finish. This is an extremely smooth, blasted finish, with an almost satin feeling to the touch. To offset the light grey case finish are polished accents around the bezel area, on top of the crown, chamfers running the top and bottom of the case, and on the first link area below the lugs. Another improvement over the Opphav model-a screw down crown. While many may not care for a 100m watch like this, for me, this makes this watch with an art dial a piece that I can daily wear.

This case is also 39mm, a somewhat big departure from the Opphav, which was 41mm. I know I usually discuss the size and how it wears towards the end of the review, but being someone who does prefer a watch over 40mm, primarily in that 41-42mm size range, I was really surprised how well this watch wears. The Jan Mayen wears larger and measures 41mm east to west, including the crown, and at no point did I ever feel this watch looked small on my 7 1/2 inch (19.05cm) wrist. This watch felt right at home the moment I put it on.

And while Straum is definitely more than just striking, out-of-this-world dials, their dials are still a huge part of what attracts so many to their watches. With their new Arctic dial collection, they have taken their dials even further, with more colors, more gradients, and new textures. The Straum Jan Mayen Titanum Aurora Sky dial mimics the night sky of the Northern lights with robust greens and blues and deep blue, almost black at the bottom of the chipped rock texture dial. While I love a basic diver or field watch, wearing this watch makes me feel like I have a $50,000 watch on my wrist. It’s just so beautiful, and I love how the dial plays with the light.

They also went ahead and made these dials as clean as possible. No text except the brand name, below the beautifully applied S logo, and there’s no date to interfere with this incredible dial texture. The indices curve from almost the underside of the dial, a unique concept, though I do miss the floating indices that they did on the Opphav. And while the dial is a work of art, the hands are bold, as are the indices, and there’s still a minute/second track running around the edge of the dial. Beauty meets function.

Straum has been using the La Joux-Perret movements since the introduction of the Jan Mayen models around three years ago, so more of an early adopter for this movement, as it seems like many brands are now using these calibers. This is the G101 example, Soigné grade, and it’s a nice enough looking movement, and overall I do like the case back, but feel something is missing. I think the movement could have used some blue screws or a little more decoration to the rotor, something to make this pop a little more. While the Opphav had a basic Sellita SW200-1 powering it, I loved the case back on that model, and was kinda hoping it carried on to the Jan Mayen models.

I’m sure I am in the minority on this, and either way, it’s a great movement, and has a 68-hour power reserve, meaning you could not wear it for a day, leave it on your nightstand or in your collection box, and pick it back up 2 days later, and it will still be running.

In the photo of the case back above, you can see the strap of the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky is removed, and yet, there’s still something attached in between the lugs. That would be a first link, as Straum calls it, and it’s their adapter for a unique quick-release strap system. The adapter can be removed, as there are drilled lugs on the sides of the case, though you wouldn’t be able to use an off-the-shelf strap due to the inner lug size. This type of case really needs the fitted flared strap, in my opinion.

On the front, it looks like the first link part would be the button, but actually, it’s on the back. Your thumbnail, or at least mine, should be all you need to press on that little thin rectangle, and the strap with prongs just releases. And it’s even easier to put the strap back on, as there’s no need to press anything; just insert the prongs back into the adapter, and it locks in. Unfortunately, optional colored straps (this is the green) will run you around $100, and that is a strap only, no adapter or buckle, and currently, there is no timeline for the proposed titanium bracelet.

There’s more to this FKM strap, though. Firstly, it’s a very attractive strap, and feels substantial while still being pliable, and it’s got quite an odd length,  100mm x around 190mm including the buckle. But if you have a smaller wrist and don’t want to have a lot of strap left over to slide into the keepers, Straum has engineered this strap to be cut. There are two spots on the strap that they label medium and small, where you can cut, then put the buckle back on through the provided holes, and you have made the strap a better fit for your wrist.

I did not cut the strap of the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky, but as you can see above on my wrist, I probably could cut it to the medium spot, as I am quite far up on the strap, but I like a good amount of tail left over, and didn’t find it to be an issue. As I said, I found this watch to be very enjoyable on my wrist and extremely comfortable.

And even though this watch has a striking dial, and some would consider it to be more of an occasional piece, Straum makes their watches to be worn, and even in the dark, you can easily tell the time with a strong amount of Super-LumiNova, and it will last about a good four hours or so.

I think it’s safe to say that I am pretty enamored with this Straum Jan Mayen Titanium Aurora Sky. The evolution from the Opphav is evident, and while this is a $2500 watch, expensive for what most will consider a microbrand watch, there’s just so much good here. The dial is incredible, the case design, reminiscent of Genta designs, is beautifully machined and finished, and the whole strap mod quick-release system is great as well. I am disappointed, though, that there’s no titanium bracelet yet. It’s in development on the Straum website, and they do have one for the steel version, but there are many who will prefer a bracelet and will probably hold off until one is available. That mistake aside, this is a lot of watch for the money, but not everyone’s money, as it may be too niche for them with these dials.

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