New Sarpaneva Supermoon Featuring a Larger, Moody, Melancholy Moon
by Nina Scally
Sometimes it seems like every well-known Swiss watch brand is chomping at the bit to be the most extraordinary. To be the biggest, to stay the best, to create something wholly new and unique. They aren’t always successful.
Then there are brands like Sarpaneva. The Finnish brand, founded in 2003, spends its time searching for pockets of space that aren’t yet occupied by archetypal sports watches or the predictable diver.
Sarpaneva Supermoon at new (no) moon
Stepan Sarpaneva, an accomplished watchmaker has worked on very complicated movements and studied at the highly respectable WOSTEP in Neuchatel, so it’s not like his innovations don’t have any Swiss influence at all. In fact, Stepan has spent an entire decade working for industry-leading names like Piaget and Parmigiani Fleurier.
But there is something extra special about a watch brand that comes from the lesser-common corners of the globe. In this capacity, exceptional craftsmanship comes in the form of beautiful enamel vistas, Korona case shapes, and grille-like dials – all of which are bound together by the founder’s empathy for nature and his surroundings.
————————————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————————–
Sarpaneva’s Love for Luna
In Stepan’s Helsinki workshops, masterpieces inspired by the cosmos are a continually evolving concept. His depictions of the moon and its relationship with the Earth are spellbinding.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
Stepan adds an endearing splash of humor to the celestial body and its orbiting dance with our World by giving the moon a characterful face that appears center stage on several of his dials.
No design perpetuates Sarpaneva’s take on the milky white satellite quite as well as the newly released Supermoon. It is just one of the brand’s intriguing and mystifying moon phase designs, this time on a reimagined dial.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
One of the most striking enhancements is the larger 12 mm white gold Moontaking center stage on the dial.
The Supermoon joins a collection of whimsical, celestial-inspired timepieces developed independently by Sarpaneva. These models take design cues from the company’s popular Korona series.
Sarpaneva Supermoon on the wrist
And if you weren’t already aware, the Korona has an identifiable scalloped case, taking residence upon the wrist with noticeably large dimensions, though not to the point that they are cumbersome. Such examples include the Korona K1, K2, and K3 models, and the Korona Moonshine.
—————————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————————–
The first Korona watch arrived in 2008 with a design that captured Stepan’s view of the moon through a metal fence, set against a backdrop of dense forestry.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
It’s quite possible that Korona watches like this were some of the largest moon phase dials of their time, displaying the complication in a totally unique way using time discs that were part-lumed to display the moon’s current position in the sky.
Other designs take inspiration from the skies above the brand’s Helsinki workshops and natural phenomena like the Aurora Borealis. In the latter, luminescent material escapes through a lattice-like dial grille, while in designs like the Northern Stars watch, the moon phases are exposed through a black enamel dial.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
The new Sarpaneva Supermoon is a great example of how niche timepieces like this (in this case, a limited edition of just 12 pieces), are emotive and personal to the wearer. When a collector invests in a Sarpaneva watch, they are buying into the creator and his artistic approach to timekeeping.
The Supermoon could even mark something spiritual for a wearer and borders on a supernatural-esque collectable.
Bigger and Brighter
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an astrophile, you’ll already know what a supermoon is. That point where a full moon is at its closest point to the earth is quite the spectacle if you know when it’s.
Apparent diameters of an average full moon on December 20, 2010 (left), and the supermoon of March 19, 2011 as viewed from Earth (photo courtesy Marcoaliaslama/Wikipedia)
There is a name given to the moon when it is nearest to the Earth, and that is called a “lunar perigee”. On the other hand, the point at which the moon is furthest away from the Earth is called a “lunar apogee”.
It is the combination of a full moon in its lunar perigee stance (within 10 percent of its closest distance to our planet) that we call a supermoon – a bigger and brighter version of the sky’s celestial pearl. There are specifics that constitute this natural phenomenon, which makes an intricately crafted watch like the Sarpaneva Supermoon even more fitting.
—————————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————————–
The Sarpaneva Supermoon
The new Sarpaneva Supermoon watch illustrates Stepan’s fixation with the moon with its melancholy human-like face. And it’s all intentional. Stepan wanted to seize the Finnish spirit by combining urban and natural elements together, and to paint the moon with a happy face would look somewhat out of place and unrealistic here.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
The complex expression that you glimpse through the lattice-like structure of the watch’s three-dimensional dial accurately captures Stepan’s observations of Finland.
The hollowed-out dial evokes the ironwork of Helsinki’s pavements and looks a lot different to any standard skeletonized dial. Here, interpretation is left open to the wearer. The structure could easily emulate glimpses of the moon through the branches of a forest at night or through a set of metal gates.
The case itself, measuring a diameter of 42mm and a height of 11.4mm, is crafted from Finland-sourced high-grade Outokumpu stainless steel. Brushed and polished finishes add depth to the case, complete with a distinctive 4 o’clock crown.
Having looked at the watch in detail, all the shades Sarpaneva chooses for this watch seem perfectly aligned with the nuances of the moon, including the craters and surfaces that succumb to shade when you observe them under a telescope.
The colors of magnesium, iron, and other minerals that make up the dusty appearance of the moon are all present in the Supermoon watch’s palette of grey shades.
—————————————————————————————————–
—————————————————————————————————–
The three-dimensional dial of the new Supermoon by Sarpaneva features two-tone hands, plated in white gold, and comprises a three-part stainless steel structure with a DLC-coated finish. Despite the monochrome effect of the dial, the industrial-like hour markers and the hands provide good legibility.
Sarpaneva Supermoon
Propelling those hands around the dial is the modified Soprod A10 Calibre, which Stepan’s moonphase complications are known for. The Swiss automatic movement delivers a 42-hour power reserve and boasts black gold-plated elements, along with traditional cotes de Geneve and perlage decoration.
The white gold moon peeking through the 6 o’clock window is attached to the movement’s stainless steel winding mass. While the gracefully rotating globes show the positionof the moon underneath a montage of sculpted lines and materials, the layers of the dial, which have been painstakingly crafted, look resolutely modern and organic.
There is no Sarpaneva moniker on this dial, a design feature that previously, had been seenon the rear of the sapphire crystal in other models. Still, Sarpaneva chooses sapphire crystal for the front and caseback of the design, complete with anti-reflective treatment to grant a crisp, clear view of the waxing and waning moon.
Sarpaneva Supermoon on the wrist
Lastly, Sarpaneva equips the new Supermoon watch with a leather strap available in various colors. The band secures to the wrist with a stainless steel pin buckle, hallmarked with the Sarpaneva name.
If you want a dressier option, the brand’s stainless steel Moonbridge bracelet, recognized for its distinctive crescent-shaped links, has to be your first choice. This signature bracelet, which fits all 42mm Korona cases, is an instantly identifiable example of the brand’s craftsmanship.
Whether you like the moody, melancholy Nouveau Gothic frown of the moon in this new depiction, or feel this surrealist take on the moonphase is a step too far, you cannot look at this watch without appreciating the Finish brand’s workmanship. This is a timepiece that’s going to garner some attention and guarantee interesting conversation.
Personally, I’m here for it. The moonphase complication is what put Sarpaneva on the map, not to mention the brand’s interesting collaborations with world-renowned comic book artists and illustrators. I’m already crossing my fingers for the next chapter of Sarpaneva’s urban, somewhat eerie, celestial story.
For more information, please visit https://studiosarpaneva.com/products/supermoon
Quick facts: Sarpaneva Supermoon
Indications: Hours, minutes, phases of the Moon with 12mm large white gold moon disk
Dial/hands : 3-part stainless steel, hand finished, DLC coated, two-tone hands white gold plated
Case: stainless steel, screw-down crown
Dimensions: 42mm diameter x 11.4mm high
Movement: Soprod A10 with automatic winding, 42-hour power reserve
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap/bracelet: Sarpaneva leather in various colors, Sarpaneva pin buckle, optional Sarpaneva Moonbridge steel bracelet
Limitation: 12 pieces
Price: 19,000 euros (excluding tax)
You might also enjoy:
Sarpaneva Nocturne: Night and Day are Different Worlds
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!
Prime example of why we should not let women write articles
I think your comment says more about you than the author Jacob.
Regards, Ian