From one of the most unique and creative talents to have emerged among the new wave of independent watchmaking over the past ten years, the K0 Northern Stars by Stepan Sarpaneva is a stunning hand manufactured watch which captures the style and personality of this pioneering Finnish watchmaker, with its extroverted aesthetics and a moon phase which could only have originated in his Helsinki atelier.

As with all of the Sarpaneva pieces, each K0 Northern Stars is individually manufactured, so no two are completely identical, and each a one-off exclusive piéce unique. While he trades on his #notforeveryone tagline, for collectors around the world, those robust, sculpted looks, intricate layered dials and the beautifully detailed nuances are both instantly recognisable and admired in equal measure.

Presented in a 46mm case of Finnish Outokumpu 316L stainless steel, which is manufactured with as little impact on our environment as is possible, and considerably less than conventional steels, the Sarpaneva K0 Northern Stars is styled in the signature design concept which runs throughout his collections. Distinctive and uncompromising, with its familiar pronounced sculpted profile, it is a quite stunning piece, with immense presence on the wrist.

In a cool and contemporary twist on one of watchmaking’s classical and most romantic complications, the K0 Northern Stars is the setting for a stunning Sarpaneva moon phase display in a complex three dimensional dial. Beneath a gently domed sapphire crystal, the hours and minutes are indicated with polished red gold hands which taper to fine tips, and the ring of indices around the periphery are elevated and stand over the centre part of the dial. Here, on a disc of deep metallic blue with a circular brushed finish, a pair of red gold moons rotate in a 59 day cycle, and dominate the dial, each one passing under a round loop at the six o’clock position every 29.5 days to display the moon phase. Between the moons, the effect of a clear night sky is accentuated with little constellations of laser cut stars, which in low light conditions, glow brightly with the Super-LumiNova beneath.

The screw-in crown is aligned with the four, in one of the recesses around the case, and inside, and visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, the Soprod A10 self-winding movement beats behind a skeletonised blue DLC treated winding mass, weighted with a red gold moon. Heavily modified in the Sarpaneva atelier, the entire moon phase complication is manufactured in-house, and is integrated into, rather than bolted on to, the accommodating base calibre; so maintaining a slim profile, and affording extra height for the layered dial above.

An exceptional and beautiful piece by any standards, the Sarpaneva K0 Northern Stars is a highly individual watch which stands out in any setting. And if it can be said that some watches are an extension of their maker’s personality, the styling and engraved faces on each of the gold moons define the work of this remarkable watchmaker.