Liberation and Veterans' Day 8/5 - 2023
"High Five" to Ukraine bomb victims, Frontline Medics' Sørsveen and Johnsen
From left: Radium designer Thomas, Voluntary Ukraine-medic Sander Sørsveen, Watchmaker Simen Sørvold and Radium Production Manager Sjur Stangebye-Hansen.
Volunteer Ukraine Medics Sander Sørsveen and Simon Johnsen are members of Norway's largest watch group on Facebook, Klokkeriet. When Klokkeriet heard that two of their members were seriously injured during a Russian shelling in Ukraine in February, they started a fundraiser for Frontline Medics and raised 110,000 kroner in a short time.
At the request of Klokkeriet, Radium Instruments developed watches for the two men, which were recently delivered to Sander and Simon. We decided to call the watch "HIGH FIVE" because the guys deserve gratitude and respect. Looking at the 12-marker on the dial, a stylized "high five" symbol is apparent.
Watchmaker Simen Sørvold presented the freshly assembled watch to Sander Sørsveen.
Simon and Sander experienced the support of the Norwegian watch-community as meaningful and highly needed surprise
"The fact that the community wanted to create watches for us gave a feeling of support and care during a time that was pretty terrible. That Klokkeriet and Radium supported us, both as individuals but also our work in Ukraine - it's absolutely amazing! It's hard to describe, but I am eternally grateful for it and it means a lot."
- Simon Johnsen, ambulance worker, Frontline Medics
"Klokkeriet's sponsorship helped us a lot. We are completely dependent on financial support and donations to do our job since all expenses are paid by ourselves and collected funds. And not only was a fundraiser started to support us, but we were also going to have our very own and personal watches designed to honor us. We were both very happy with the initiative."
"Sometimes "Home" is the only word that means anything. The watches are specially designed for this project and inspired by a compass. Features like navigating effectively and finding one's way are at the core of the design."
- Thomas Malling, designer, Radium Instruments Norway
No-name version secures future support for Frontline Medics
In addition to Klokkeriet's fundraiser and watches from Radium, the watch brand will support Frontline Medics further with each sale of this model.
"We want to offer the watch model for sale, but without a name on the dial, and Radium will also support Frontline Medics financially for each watch sale."
- Sjur Stangebye-Hansen, production manager, Radium Instruments Norway
The two ambulance workers appreciate Radium's continued support
"Selling these watches to others is a very nice gesture that I support. We need funds and that someone might want to do such a thing for us is fantastic. Those who buy the watches will get an incredibly cool watch, but will also support vital work in Ukraine."
- Simon Johnsen, ambulance worker, Frontline Medics
"If the watches are further produced and sold, it would undoubtedly help us a lot. All financial support we receive means that we can help and save more lives."
- Sander Sørsveen, ambulance worker, Frontline Medics
Both men try learning from the accident
"We have certainly learned from the incident. Where we were hit was 2-3 km from the Russian line, so initially we had a good margin not to be hit or targeted. What we have seen afterward is the way the terrain was shaped. We were on a small hill, and on the other side, the Russians were also on a small hill and had a direct line of sight to us"
- Sander Sørsveen, ambulance worker, Frontline Medics
"One can always improve. We learn from the attack and use the knowledge in our further work. The work we do is unfortunately not risk-free, and it never will be. But we always strive for the missions to be as safe as possible."
- Simon Johnsen, ambulance worker, Frontline Medics
BELOW, FIND PART ONE OF THIS STORY, PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY 2023:
RADIUM HAS BEEN ASKED TO CREATE WATCHES FOR TWO UKRAINE VOLUNTEERS. THOMAS, WHAT'S THE STORY OF THE "HIGH FIVE" WATCHES?
It’s a story about the courage of two men and the appreciation of the entire Norwegian watch community. And a reminder of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the dangers faced by those who volunteer there.
On Thursday February 2nd, Two Norwegians sustained serious injuries in a bomb attack in the war-torn city of Bakhmut, Ukraine. Sander Sørsveen Trelvik and Simon Johnsen were evacuating injured people following a Russian attack in the city when the assault occurred. Both men were taken to a local hospital for treatment and are expected to make a full recovery.
Both men are wristwatch enthusiasts and members of the Norwegian watch forum Klokkeriet. As soon as news of the attack broke, forum members got engaged and quickly decided to do something special to pay tribute to the men. Later that day, Klokkeriet contacted us about designing and producing a super limited edition watch for Simon and Sander. The next day, we presented the Klokkeriet representatives with our suggestion. They approved.
In-house, we call the watch "HIGH FIVE", going for an informal way of expressing our gratitude and respect.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DESIGN PROCESS?
Fast! Designing a dial normally takes a couple of weeks. This one was done in a day. We got inspired and laid everything else aside.
We immediately decided not to feature a model name, "HEDERSKLOKKE" is not present on the dial, that's merely a project tag. Rather, the names JOHNSEN and SØRSVEEN take center stage. You could say that the model name is the Surnames of the guys. This is our way of honoring them.
Discussing the project with the guys over at Klokkeriet we agreed upon highlighting activities such as navigating the operations area and finding your way home. So, the overall theme is that of a traditional compass, the kind you’d expect to find on a ship or an aircraft.
The case will be 41mm Auto SL.
The dial is crisp and no-nonsense as usual, with focus on utility. It features minute markers and lumed hours and we have added a very distinct 12-o’clock marker in order to make the watch instantly recognizable as the "HEDERSKLOKKE" and to support the compass theme. The handset is SL AUTO standard.
Sketch.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE DESIGN?
I am. It’s Radium DNA through and through, however in a more modern or technical style, objective, even. The 12 marker is an evolution of our classic double-line index. Bolder with more lume and direction. We want these watches to be instantly recognizable within the watch community - that’s part of the tribute in my opinion. We really hope Simon and Sander will like them.
HOW WILL THE WATCHES BE MADE?
Locally! We’ll be using our traditional Norwegian aluminum from Magnor. The dials will be etched in the town of Ski right outside Oslo and hand painted and lumed. The cases are milled and assembled in Oslo. They will be fitted with Sellita automatic caliber 200B.
WILL THE HEDERSKLOKKE BE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE?
Not with Surname dial. But it might be interesting to offer it without name engraving in a plain version, as those owning no-name versions would then become part of the telling of Simon and Sander's story. But, for a name to be present on the dial, it must be by request of a legit commuity. Earned not bought!
CONGRATULATIONS ON A FANTASTIC PROJECT
Thank you. We are deeply honored to join the Norwegian watch community in paying our respects to Sander and Simon. Our thoughts are with them and we hope for their speedy recovery. Touch wood!
WHEN WILL WE SEE THE FINISHED WATCHES?
ASAP - I can't wait to see them in the flesh. No pun intended of course. We'll keep you posted.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.