Ulmus glabra
Did you know that when the Londoners decided to build a pipe system in the 1600s, the designers chose to make the pipes out of elm wood? The most astonishing part, however, is that hundreds of years later when the system was excavated in the 1930s, the piping was still in impeccable condition. Elm stands out among wood species with its exceptional resistance to water.
Another exceptional feature of elm is its resistance to bending. This is because the tree has an interlocking grain: the wood grain spirals upwards, but in contrasting directions in different annual rings. This makes the wood very rigid, much in the same way as plywood is durable because the wood laminates are glued together with their grain interlocking. This feature, in the olden times, enabled the construction of e.g. ships, horseshoes and longbows. Elm wood darkens when in contact with air and its annual rings have a clearly distinguishable color variation giving the wood an extravagant feel. This makes elm a personal and stylish choice for your wooden wristwatch.
Origin: Finland
Tree height: 20-30m
Diameter: 30-50cm
Dry weight: 650 kg/m3
