Before Arctic Blue, there was a different watch with a much paler complexion. And we called her Elsa.
 
Elsa began as an exploration of a new texture. A fractured, almost flaky surface that reminded us of ice.
 
It was the first grand feu enamel dial we ever created using the texture that would later become one of the defining characteristics of the Arctic Blue.
 
But the colour was very different.
At the centre, the enamel is almost completely transparent, creating an exceptionally bright, icy appearance. Towards the edge, it gradually transitions into a delicate light blue, creating an unusual two colour fumé effect across the dial.
 
The result looked almost like a sheet of fractured ice. Bright and crystalline at its centre, with icy blue gradually emerging towards the edges.
 
We loved it.
 
But at the time, another very light dial was already taking shape, a design that would eventually become Tempest Grey. Putting both into the collection would have taken things in a direction that felt a little too light.
 
So we made a decision.
The icy texture would stay, but the colour would change.
We pushed the blue considerably further, and that decision eventually gave us Arctic Blue.
Elsa remained.
 
The prototype dial was kept and later assembled into the watch you see today. It represents an early branch in the development of Vitreum and a direction we ultimately chose not to pursue.
And the name?
 
Elsa seemed rather inevitable.
A princess with the ability to turn everything around her to ice, with roots reaching back to Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.
It seemed fitting for the dial that started Arctic Blue.
 
Please read before purchasing
Elsa is an experimental prototype.
As with all handmade grand feu enamel dials, subtle variations are part of the character of the craft. Elsa was created during the development process that eventually led to Arctic Blue and was never intended as a production model.
 
It should be appreciated for what it is: an original piece of Vitreum's development history and the prototype that helped pave the way for Arctic Blue.
 
Specifications
Case: Stainless steel
Case diameter: 39.5 mm
Lug to lug: 46.5 mm
Thickness: 9.5 mm
Lug width: 20 mm
Movement: Sellita SW210, hand wound mechanical
Power reserve: Approximately 42 hours
Water resistance: Splash resistant. Not suitable for submersion.
Dial: Grand feu enamel, made in Wales
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Assembly: Denmark