S.U.F Helsinki was founded in 2004 by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, who is also the founder of Sarpeneva Watches. While S.U.F (Sarpaneva’s UhrenFabrik) timepieces are made in relatively small batches, part of the company’s purpose is to produce watches in higher quantities and at more affordable prices than the far more exclusive Sarpaneva Watches models. The S.U.F Helsinki collection has so far included two model lines that are heavily inspired by Grand Prix racing, and in honor of those who possess that most elusive of Finnish qualities: Sisu.
Inspired by Jarno Saarinen
The S.U.F Paroni line was inspired by Finnish Grand Prix racer and 1972 250cc world champion Jarno Saarinen. Saarinen had begun contesting the 500cc class in 1973, winning both races he finished in before his tragic death at the Nations Grand Prix that year. The first Paroni model was released in 2004, followed by a pair of releases in 2014 that included a lefty version that was limited to 50 pieces. The next model was the Paroni Chronograph with a modified vintage Lemania 1872 movement, and was launched in 2019 with a limited run of just 26 pieces. 2022 saw the release of the Paroni Imatranajo, which had immediately sold out at the Imatranajo race weekend. Additional 1 of 1 Paroni Imatranajo models have since been produced to serve as prizes, and not available for purchase.
Mika Kallio
Sarpeneva met Finnish racer Mika Kallio in 2009 and saw that he was wearing an early Paroni model, and by the following year had completed a piece unique custom S.U.F Flying Finn for the Finnish MotoGP racer.
Valtteri Bottas
A collaboration with Formula One veteran Valtteri Bottas was announced in 2022, which resulted in a pair of S.U.F Flying Finn models. The VB77 edition was limited to 77 pieces and has a red and blue-accented skeleton dial, a special date wheel that displays a “77” instead of “7”, and features the Finnish driver’s logo on the case back. The base model Flying Finn, the FF-S, shares the same skeleton dial but mostly in silver and white and was released with a limited run of 75 pieces.
References
https://sufhelsinki.com/collections/paroni
https://sufhelsinki.com/blogs/logbook/the-flying-finn
https://monochrome-watches.com/s-u-f-paroni-flying-finn-limited-edition/
https://sufhelsinki.com/en-us/blogs/logbook/mika-kallio-the-flying-finn
https://sufhelsinki.com/collections/flying-finn/products/suf-x-vb77
https://watchesbysjx.com/2022/08/suf-helsinki-flying-finn-vb77-ff-s-sarpaneva.html