While not exactly known for horology like some other countries, Finland undoubtedly possesses one of the most unique and distinctive independent watchmakers in the industry - Sarpeneva. Known for his frowning moon-faced watches, the brand has grown in recent times with a cult-like following.
Originally launched in 2020 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of one of the most famous comic strips in the world. Stepan Sarpaneva, under his more affordable S.U.F. line, launched the Moomin as an ode to the iconic comic strip's characters, design, and significance within Scandinavian culture.
Offered here is actually a special 20-piece limited edition Moomin made exclusively for The Hour Glass. It features pink gold hands, a crown and a bezel atop its 38.7mm x 8.6mm stainless steel case. It also features a simple domed bezel with polished and brushed surfaces and pronounced lugs that flow with the case. Encased within is an automatic, 25-jewelled Cal. Soprod A10, which boasts a respectable 42-hour power reserve. Now that we’ve gotten all the technical specifications out of the way, let’s dive into the details of what makes the Moomin such a sought-after timepiece – its’ beautiful tri-layered skeletonised dial with hand-painted Super-Luminova.
For those who do not know, the design of the dial is actually inspired by Tove Jansson’s illustration in the book Moominsummer Madness (1954). In that original illustration, Moomintroll, the lead character in the Moons series, is seen dreaming along reeds on a summer day. At first glance, the Moomin's only source of colour on its dial is its matching pink gold hands, with Moomin, the cartoon character, and the scene around him all devoid of colour. As Moomintroll once said, “making a journey by night is more wonderful than anything in the world,”. In the dark, the dial comes to life as it takes on the colourful appearance of stained glass windows with greens, blues and oranges, illuminating the Moomin's dial in the dark with eight different hand-painted Technicolour Super-Luminova emission colours in varying order that create a myriad of visually intriguing colour combinations. In a nutshell, the dial on the Moomin is absolutely spectacular in its overall presentation. It has the special ability to make one stare at its dial for long periods on end, simply just marvelling at its uniqueness and innate beauty.
Limited to just 20 pieces, this is a rare watch from a unique independent watchmaker that certainly knows how to create some truly stunning watches. With many watch collectors nostalgic for the Moomins together with the uniqueness and fun of the luminous multi-coloured dial, this S.U.F. Moomin for The Hour Glass was a huge hit during its initial release and sold out almost instantly. It is my pleasure to be able to offer this rare piece of mechanical art here and I have no doubt that it will lend some flair to any serious collector’s watch box and regular rotation.
