From sky to wrist. A watch marking a century of Swedish aviation.
For 100 years, the Swedish Air Force has protected Swedish airspace and developed alongside some of the most advanced aviation technology of its time. To mark that history, Sjöö Sandström has transformed its Royal Steel Worldtimer into a tribute to Swedish aviation: Annual Edition 2026.
The Critical Moment
Imagine entering a steep turn at 10,000 metres. G-force presses you into the seat. The breathtaking Swedish landscape shifts rapidly beneath the aircraft. Inside the cockpit, information has to be read, understood and acted on in seconds.
Here, time is more than a number. It is distance, coordination and control.
Precision has been fundamental to military aviation from the beginning. So celebrating 100 years of the Swedish Air Force is about more than looking back. It is also about the instruments, engineering and people behind a century in the skies.
“We wanted to create a timepiece worthy of the skies, with a clear face designed to be read instantly in any condition. At the same time we set off to echo the feeling of speed and altitude, captured in the frame by Sjöö Sandström."
— Horolgist’s note
Turning a Partnership into a Watch
When the brief for Annual Edition 2026 reached the drawing board, the Swedish Air Force centenary - was a natural starting point.
Sjöö Sandström has been an official supplier and the Official Watch of the Swedish Air Force since 2011 — a relationship built over 15 years around precision, performance and Swedish engineering.
The challenge was how to turn that connection into a watch without making it feel like a piece of memorabilia.
The starting point was the Royal Steel Worldtimer, a modern Sjöö Sandström classic built around travel, movement and time across borders. For the Annual Edition, parts of its familiar expression were stripped back to make room for references to the Swedish Air Force.
The result stays recognisably Sjöö Sandström: functional, Scandinavian and understated, with the aviation story held in the details.
The Story Is in the Details
Turn the watch over and one of its most significant details appears.
The steel case back is engraved with the official emblem commemorating the Swedish Air Force’s 100th anniversary — a discreet connection to the history behind the edition.
On the dial, the story becomes more visible.
The black dial.
A coarse, matt surface gives the dial depth while reducing reflections. Its dark expression draws on the visual world of modern aviation. The name “FLYGVAPNET” (Swedish for The Airforce) printed in high letters.
Three golden aircrafts.
Three miniature aircrafts appear across the dial in a metallic gold tone. Their formation creates a subtle reference to altitude, precision and speed.
The clarity.
Clear, enlarged indices in high contrast together with the hands that are inspired by altimeter designed to secure immediate read in any condition with a nod to aviation instruments.
Nothing is added simply for effect. Each detail has a role in connecting the watch to the story without losing the character of the original Worldtimer.
One of 86
Annual Edition 2026 is produced in a strictly limited run of 86 pieces.
The number refers to 1986, the year Sjöö Sandström was founded in Stockholm, and has become part of the Annual Edition tradition.
This year, those 86 watches mark another milestone: 100 years of the Swedish Air Force.
But the story is bigger than the mechanics.
The watch celebrates the pilots, engineers and people on the ground who have shaped a century of Swedish aviation — and a partnership that has connected the Swedish Air Force and Sjöö Sandström since 2011.
A century in the skies, forged in steel.
Annual Edition 2026. One of 86.
