Sarpaneva

An independent Finnish watchmaker with a strong cult following, Stepan Sarpaneva began his career in 1994 - following a period of extended study in Finland and then with the industry-backed body WOSTEP.

In line with the customary practice of the 1990s, Sarpaneva spent the formative part of his career carrying out contract work for well-known brands, including Piaget, Vianney Halter, and Parmigiani Fleurier, specializing in developing complications. In 2003, he set up his own studio in Helsinki - where today, he continues to make small batches of individually handcrafted timepieces.

In addition to his own namesake brand, Sarpaneva has also operated S.U.F since 2004 - a diffusion label specializing in more affordable timepieces made at a larger scale. 

Founded in 2003 in the Salmisaari neighborhood of Helsinki, Sarpaneva is the brainchild of the eponymous independent watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva. A graduate of WOSTEP with over 25 years of experience in the watch industry, Sarpaneva’s pieces are eagerly sought after due to their unconventional design - characterized by Gothic case shapes, skeletonized dials, and his trademark usage of the distinctive “frowning” moon face.

In 2018, the brand garnered industry-wide attention following the release of the Lunations. Powered by a “phases of the moon” caliber that is so precise it only requires adjustment every 14,000 years, it’s widely regarded as one of the most inventive displays of the lunar cycle in modern-day watchmaking.

Lunations “Harvest Moon,” S.U.F Moomin, Korona K3 “Black Moon,” Nocturne