Viking Shield

A round Viking shield hangs on your wrist as it would on the wall of a hall: limewood boards under painted hide, a rawhide rim stitched round the edge, and a hammered iron boss in the middle. The boss is the hub of the hands, and the shield is the dial.

Made to be read

• The hands are hand-forged iron with a bright bevel filed along them, so they stand out on light paint and on dark alike, each with its own shadow on the boards.
• The hours are marked on the rawhide rim: hammered iron rivets, or pegs of polished bone.
• The day and date are cut into a small bone plate lashed above the boss.
• Steps, unread notifications and battery sit on three iron plaques low on the shield, each beside the icon of the data it holds.

Firelight and a blow

• Every minute the firelight catches the iron: a glint runs round the boss and wakes each hour mark in turn.
• Every hour the fire flares and a warm wave crosses the shield.
• Tap the shield and it takes a blow: dust and splinters fly off the boards and the boss rings with a flash of light.
• In always-on mode the shield goes dark: the rim, the boss's ring and the hour marks traced in faint firelight, with the hands, the date, your steps and your battery.

Make it yours

• Shield: red ochre and bone white, or woad blue and charcoal.
• Hour marks: iron rivets or bone pegs.
• Seconds hand: on by default; switch it off to save battery.
• Three complications on the plaques: steps, unread notifications and battery by default. Choose other data for any of them in the watch face editor, and the plaque shows that data's own icon.

To customize, touch and hold the watch face, then tap Customize.

Works on watches with Wear OS 6 or later. Made in Watch Face Format: nothing to install on your phone, no permissions, no data collected.

Part of Tempus Arcanum, a collection of animated watch faces.