Sarpaneva Watches was founded in Helsinki by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva in 2003. Sarpaneva is a graduate of the Finnish School of Watchmaking, studied at the Swiss Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program (WOSTEP), and has worked for multiple watch brands including Piaget, Parmigiani, Vianney Halter, and Christophe Claret. Sarpaneva is also the founder of S.U.F Helsinki, and continued to work for Christophe Claret until 2007 when he began working on his own watches full time.
Moon Motif
Characteristics of Sarpaneva Watches include their nouveau-Gothic designs, primarily made of locally sourced steel, and the distinctive “new moon” logo that features on many of Sarpaneva’s pieces. Sarpaneva has also since gained recognition for the Sarpaneva Moonment, a highly precise moon phase caliber.
Valtteri Bottas
The Sarpaneva x Valtteri Bottas “Kilpisjärvi” was announced in late 2022, a collaboration between Sarpeneva and Finnish Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas with a limited release of only 17 pieces. Drawing far more inspiration from the northern lights than F1 starting lights, the Kilpisjärvi was named after a small village in northern Finland where Bottas owns a vacation home and is perhaps the most unconventional timepiece that can still qualify as a motorsport-themed watch. The dial features random assortments of five different colors of Super-Luminova, which makes each piece completely unique. Longtime enthusiasts of Sarpaneva Watches may recognize the case, which is also used in the K0 Emali and several other older models as well as sharing the same movement inside.
References
https://www.sarpanevawatches.com/watchmaker/
https://studiosarpaneva.com/collections/sarpaneva-watches/products/sarpaneva-x-valtteri-bottas-kilpisjarvi
https://escapementmagazine.com/articles/stepan-sarpaneva-watches/
https://monochrome-watches.com/introdcuing-sarpaneva-x-valtteri-bottas-kilpisjarvi-specs-price/
https://watchesbysjx.com/2022/11/sarpaneva-valtteri-bottas-kilpisjarvi.html