The Sarpaneva Korona K0 Wuoksi - A Most Arresting Moonphase.
The Moonphase is a most ethereal of timepiece complications. Although its original purpose as a navigation aid is largely defunct, it is nonetheless a resplendent addition to any dial. Despite the silvery glow of La Lune, most watchmakers choose to replicate its beauty with a golden representation and some choose to add personality, for example, Blancpain have a characteristic little "man-on-the-moon" face, all happy and heavenly.....
De Bethune created a beautiful and ingenious spherical ball which rotates on its own axis to display the progression of the moon, a stunning panorama....
Or how about the Schaumburg MooN Galaxy, with its remarkable photo-realistic mirage on a goldstone starfield dial, complete with star-tipped date pointer a timepiece which, thanks to its luminous display, promises to imitate the moonphase after dark in a most striking chimera.
Then there is Stepan Sarpaneva, and Independent Watchmaker who has created a devilish moon man, strongly thematic of the folklore and mystical stories handed down through generations in his native Finland. This is a moon replication like no other, one which shuns the purity and innocence of classic displays, and instead concentrates on the moodiness, the melancholy and the dark side. This is his latest piece, the Sarpaneva Korona K0 Wuoksi......
Wuoksi means "high tide" or "for the sake of .." and, as always there is a story to be told - the desperation of the village smith, his mission to save his daughters from the murky depths - both his and their salvation would depend on his skills to create a moon machine to aid his rescue attempts....
The previous Korona K0 was a most undiver-like diver's watch, one which incorporated the diver's bezel with the mainplate so both could move as one and therefore dive time could be initiated whilst the unique, sculpted Korona case profile remained. For the Korona K0 Wuoksi, the diver's bezel has been sacrificed in order to include the moonphase disc - a forfeit more than worth the effort, for in its place is the synonymous moonphase indication which playfully and wickedly peeks from behind a labyrinthine dial. Only the eyes are seen, but they are enough - this is the watchmakers most arresting moonphase yet.
Inside is a modified Soprod A10 Calibre with 42 hours power reserve, and for the first time, not content with dial domination, the profile of the mischievous little fellow appears in a skeletonised rotor visible through a sapphire case back.
The term "executive class sports watch" tells nothing of the beauty, the ingenious design and the craftsmanship of such a timepiece, yet despite its supremely artistic appearance the Sarpaneva K0 Wuoksi is still utilitarian with water resistance of up to 300m thanks to the screwed down crown tucked in neatly at the 4 o'clock position.
The stainless steel case measures 46mm and there are choices of DLC or TiN dial options with the moonphase disc made from either copper, bronze, silver or gold.
Stepan Sarpaneva is no stranger to complicated timepieces. Although youthful, he has served his time in restoration pieces and he has worked with some of the best in the business, including Vianney Halter and Christophe Claret. He knows his way around Minute Repeaters, Tourbillons even Perpetual Calendars. Since he began creating timepieces under his own name he has experimented with shapes and materials. A glance at his early creations reveals dramatic cases, razor-sharp styling, shuriken forms with automotive or perhaps motorbike-inspired components. These pieces are the reference points of a man discovering what can be done, and what he is capable of doing when freed from the constraints of a design department, as an independent watchmaker. It is, perhaps logical that the case forms would become refined as he evolved and developed his own style. Still original? Yes. A Master of the Moonphase? I'll say.
A glance at our extensive Sarpaneva Archives?
And - Stepan's early pieces at Tempered Online.