By Jovan Krstevski
The Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold is perhaps one of the very few watches that makes gold appear less brash. When I see gold watches, they are a-ok, elegant perhaps but wear them to a sports event and suddenly you would look like an outsider from the gentlemen with either steel or platinum watches. I know this is a matter of personal preference but here is a watch that breaks away from that perspective.
The 40 mm 18K 5N pink gold case of the Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital looks great for a dressy watch and at 8.1 mm including the curved sapphire crystal, it does not appear uncomfortably thick. The finishing also looks cool and the edges are impressively detailed. The crown made of the same 18K 5N pink gold and is engraved with the brand’s logo also blends perfectly with the bezel with a barely there look. Fortunately, the lugs are meaty enough to achieve that sporty stance and the thin profile of the watch really makes it svelte on any occasion.
On the watch face, the Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold gives us a very nice silver dial with either silver or blue finish. Both finishes are completed with rose gold satin and polished indices. Normally I’m inclined to pick the silver one but in this case, the blue one has a better color combination. The traditional approach is welcome here with the date window at 3 o’clock and the seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock. Opposite of the cool dial is also the same material for the caseback, 18K 5N pink gold with topped with a high-quality sapphire crystal.
Powering the Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold is a Vaucher Caliber VMF 5400 replete with a micro-rotor. Previous models relied on the Vaucher caliber 5401 and as for the change, I can not say much but usually, this is done with performance in mind and obviously the date complication added to the Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold confirms this.
Then again, the new watch adds a date complication which is very functional. My only gripe is that the designers did not provide a color-matched date wheel to the blue model, it would have been perfect. Legibility wise, everything looks amazing.
Moreover, the new Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold wears on either black or blue genuine alligator bracelet equipped with a folding buckle made of 18K, 5N gold. It also comes with engraved logo and a useful quick adjustment for the length.
Price-wise, the €16,800 or US $21,000 price tag seems to be rather steep. At this price-point, I would really love all my preferences answered like the color-unmatched date wheel. It is also worth noting that there will only be 60 pieces of this watch. Given the rarely limited number of the new Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold watch, its pricing may be very subjective.
Design wise, the watch is impressive and its water resistance rating of 100 m suggests that the new Sjöö Sandström Royal Capital Gold is ready for about anything. For more info, visit Sjöö Sandström online.
