Icelandic watchmaker JS Watch has just announced a beautiful new aviator called the Frisland 1941. Part of the Frisland collection, the 1941 is a classic looking Pilot watch with a little bit of JS Watch flair to it. The watch has a retro World War II look to it in honor of the Reykjavik airport that opened in 1941 during World War II. It was built by the British in Iceland and in 1946 was handed over to Iceland’s sovereign government to run on their own. Apparently the area did serve as an airstrip before the formal airport was built, but that is enough history to justify the production of this watch collection.

As a pilot watch, the Frisland 1941 is very humble in stature being 42mm wide. We know that pilot watch sizes can get very large, but that is inline with the heritage of the genre. Pilot watches that are too small just don’t look right in our opinion. At 42mm, we feel that the Frisland 1941 strikes a good balance between “daily wear size” and being “aviator sporty.” The good news is that at 12mm thick, it isn’t too chunky of a timepiece. The case is steel and totally polished – which is something you don’t find a lot with aviator watches. We actually like the idea of a mirror polished aviator. That should offer a nice themed looked with a hint of elegance.

Aviator watch features include the style of the case as well as the strap and dial. In fact, JS Watch offers three strap choices including buffalo leather, ostrich, or calfskin. Each of the straps has the ‘required’ double rivets on the strap and contrast stitching. It just isn’t a proper aviator without them. The straps are also 20mm wide in case you were wondering. The straps come with standard buckles (that we recommend), but a deployant clasp is available.

Purists will immediately opt for the black and white dial versions of the Frisland 1941 – given that they most accurately represent the classic pilot watch look. We like the mix of both baton and Arabic hour numerals and the properly sized hands. The red seconds hand plays with the “1941” label adding a nice touch of color you don’t always see on aviator pieces. Note the date window integrated into the 3 o’clock hour marker. Overall, the dials are well balanced and legible. We’re also excited about the silver dial version of the Frisland 1941 with green, versus white lume paint on the numerals and hands. With a sunburst finish, the dial looks classic, but also unique. We’d have to see it in person but it looks like a great looking alternative to the standard aviator pattern.

Inside the JS Watch Frisland 1941 will be “execution top” (well, factory decorated) Swiss ETA automatic movements. They aren’t COSC Chronometer certified, but they are designed to offer Chronometric performance. The case is also water resistant to 50 meters and has a sapphire crystal over the dial as well as over the movement for the exhibition case back. Overall these are nice looking aviators with a little Icelandic personality and a lot of what people come to expect from an aviator. Prices aren’t cheap and start at 2,250 Euros. Actually, the red seconds hand is a 35 Euro add-on, as is the buffalo leather strap which is another 200 Euros. The good news is that anyone not in Iceland gets a 20% discount because you don’t need to pay their VAT duty. jswatch.com

Tech specs from JS Watch

Movement:
Swiss Made Mechanical movement “Execution Top”
Automatic winding. 25 jewels, Custom decorations, Blue screws and Rhodium plated finish.
42-hour power reserve when fully wound.
Fine tuning “Assortment Chronometer”.
Shock protection Incabloc.
Adjusted to five positions.

Case:
Material: Surgical grade German Stainless Steel “316L”
Diameter: 42mm, height 12mm.
Surface finish: Highly polished.
Curved Sapphire Crystal with multi anti reflective coating on the inside.
See-through Sapphire Crystal back.
Water-resistance 50 meters.

Dial:
Sunburst Black or Silver with Arabic numerals and indexes.
White or green luminous material on numerals and ho ur markers.
Date display at three o’clock.

Hands:
Rhodium plated with white or green luminous.

Strap:
Handmade 20mm Buffalo pilot, Genuine Alligator, Ostrich or Calf skin
with JS Watch co. Reykjavik buckle or optional deployment clasp.