ALF Norrsken Automatic Watch Review - Unique Timepiece that stands apart from others

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The Norrsken series is ALF watch companies first line of watches hailing from Sweden, and mainly influenced by the Northern Lights that occur each year. They were funded on Kickstarter in July 2018 and now offer three models of their Norrsken for the public.

Case

The Black 316L Stainless Steel case is finished off with a DLC coating ( Diamond Like Carbon ), and measures in at 40MM around by 11.6MM thick. We do get 22MM lug widths which is pretty standard for these dimensions. The interesting styling of this case is quite reminescent of watches from the 70s era such as the Monaco and a few other racing watches. A nice detail is the sculting surrounding the case giving it a real raw look, which I found captivating. The caseback is rather simple, held down by 4 screws and equipped with some specifications and logo. This case is rated too 50M, so while you cannot really swim with the watch - normal rain or washing your hands should not be an issue. I think overall the finishing came out pretty good, and the case cut is neat with nice round curves on the corners.

​Dial

The Dial itself is a Multi-Layered one with a matte black finish to match the case color I assume. Small details such as the railroad track surrounding the sub seconds counter at 5:00 provide a clean and organized dial, without clutter. The inner portion features horizontal planks for some visual excitement and gives some depth to the watch as well. Working outwards, we can see the hour markers which are filled with BGW9 Lume, allowing for a nice bluish color when it lit up. The lume is pretty reactive and lasts, and I do not see an issue here. On top of all this lays a decent quality genuine Squaee sapphire crystal which features Anti-Reflective coating for increased legibility in sunny conditions. Overall, I certainly find this dial to be slight dressy/sporty and extremely legible at any given angle due to the square shape.

Movement

Powering the Norrsken is the Japanese Miyota 8245, which features 42 hours of power reserve and beats at 21.6K BPH. It is a rather robust and easy to service movement that can last some years without issues. The movement does feature hand-winding via the mid-sized textured Pull/Push black crown at 3:00. I actually found the winding to be smoother than usual, which is a good thing. These movements do not contain a hacking feature which is the only let down versus something such as a Miyota 9 series.

Leather Band

The Genuine leather alligator embossed band starts out at 22MM and tapers down to 16MM. I found it to be quite comfortable and supple once on wrist. There really is no break-in period with this one as it conformed directly out of the box to my wrist. A nice detail is the white contrast stitching which matches the hour markers on the dial.

Conclusion

Furthermore, the ALF NORRSKEN is most definitely a unique piece in my eyes for the price point. It features classic 70s styling along with modern and even slight minimalist details. I also like the fact that it is based or themed after a notable part of the Northern Lights and follows closely in tune with that. Overall, it is not a bad package for the $399.99 pricepoint they are asking. ( $320 with code WATCHADDICT ). It is always a delight to see something out of the norm , and ALF has definitely done that this time around.