A rough and rugged biker from Finland, Stepan Sarpaneva made his name among watch aficionados with his iconic (and very personal) “Moon” watches. Dark and daring yet humorous and distinctly Northern, Stepan brings a breath of (subzero) fresh air into the realm of independent watchmaking. In this post we look at one of his latest moon-less creations, the Sarpaneva K1 Varjo.
In case you’re wondering, “varjo” is the Suomi word for shadow. While the choice may not be immediately obvious, it makes complete sense after seeing the watches and how the dials “play” with light.
Like all of Stepan’s work, your eyes will likely be on the dial. While we’ve seen the same sort of “web” dial from Stepan before in the K1, K2 and K3 collections, the K1 Varjo is perhaps his purest version yet. The three-part blued stainless steel dial consists of a glistening matte-finished plate, a satin-brushed “skeleton” dial of concentric rings and radial lines (which serves as the minute markers) and finally an additional skeletal metal ring with “open” hour markers. The dial has tremendous depth, while remaining relatively restrained (or as restrained as you can expect from Stepan). It has an almost eerie feel as the blued dial shape shifts from a shadowy blue to a lighting storm of electrical blue.
Unlike the original K1, there is no date window, no seconds hand, not even a logo on the sapphire. The only trace of Stepan is the steel screws that hold the two cutout parts of the dial in place, a reminder of his painstaking work. The hands, which are half polished and half-matte (this actually makes them much more legible under different lightings) don’t have the arrow tips from the former K1, giving it a less aggressive look.
The K1 Varjo sees the signature scalloped Sarpaneva case take on a slimmer silhouette. It’s still 42mm wide but much thinner than its predecessors with a height of just over 10mm. A perfect size for an all-occasions watch, the K1 Varjo would look just as good with a suit and tie as it does with jeans and a leather biker jacket (obsiously).
Remember when I said the K1 Varjo had no moon? Well, I lied. The custom Soprod A10 movement has Sarpaneva’s own rotor, which features his melancholic Moon in the matte finishing we’re used to. It just wouldn’t be a Sarpaneva without it.
The K1 Varjo is available in other dial colors and case metals, made to order. With this collection I feel Stepan once again shows us his mastery of multi-layered, multi-textured dials in a more elegant context.
Find out more on www.sarpanevawatches.com
