Sarpaneva’s latest, lumetastic Moomin 80 watch has the cute critters sleeping under a shooting star
Borna Bošnjak- Celebrating 80 years of Moomins, Stepan Sarpaneva is producing his third tribute piece, with a shooting star, dragging hours display.
- His unique style is rendered with hand-painted lume, set in a signature 42mm steel case.
- Powered by a modified Soprod A10, it’s a limited edition of 30 pieces per dial colour, with prices starting at €13,500.
Huddled together on a blanket, having freshly slurped on some delicious soup, you’ll find four ghostly white Moomins, as the trees in the darkness that surrounds them become ablaze with the light of shooting stars above. That’s the gist of what you’ll find on the dial of Stepan Sarpaneva’s latest Moomin collaboration, celebrating 80 years of the rotund little Finnish trolls’ existence, and taking inspiration from Tove Jansson’s 1946 book Comet in Moominland. Simply named the Sarpaneva Moomin 80, the watch is the third in the series but takes the literary depiction further by integrating a dragging hours shooting star complication.
As has been the case with Sarpaneva lately, the hand-made dials are where the true artistry lies. The dial comprises three pieces, including the skeletonised shooting star disc, all naturally hand-finished and painted. Sarpaneva’s signature handset has been reduced to just a single minute hand making a dial revolution once per hour, but without a distinct minute track, it merely suggests the time, as the hour disc is not the most precise time-telling element, either.
But if that’s not why you’d be buying this watch, now is it? It’s the ten different hues of Super-LumiNova that have been hand-painted to make the Moomins scene come to life in resplendent lume. You’ll also see subtle variations between the two watches, though both are just as luminous after dark. You’ll notice the difference once you flick the lights back on, however. If you’re not keen on having the colourful Moomin forest on your wrist at all times, Sarpaneva is offering the Moomin 80 in a Monochrome version as well. And if you opt for the less noticeable dial, your attention may drift to the case.
It’s again in a classic Sarpaneva style, with the general shape being a round one, but with many protrusions landing it in almost brutalist territory. Being a Finnish brand, Sarpaneva proudly states that they use Finnish steel, in this case from Outokumpu. The Supra 316L/4435 alloy boasts higher chromium, molybdenum, and nickel content for improved corrosion resistance. With a 42mm diameter, Sarpaneva clearly thought about working with as large a canvas as possible, but a thickness of just 11.4mm and a lug-to-lug of 46mm are compact enough to suit a variety of wrists.
Though Stepan Sarpaneva’s complication work usually centres around making the most of the moonphase (complete with the Sarpaneva Moon gazing into your soul), for the Moomin 80, he chose a Soprod A10 calibre that was modified to display the hours on a rotating disc. It’s an alternative to the uber-popular ETA 2824 and Sellita SW-200 families, beating at 4Hz and boasting a 42-hour power reserve. But just like the dial, the movement has been given special finishing attention, namely through the custom skeletonised rotor. Not only does it bear the Sarpaneva moonphase, but it’s also filled with lume – look closely, and you’ll see the blue pupils and wide lips are going to be staring at you long after the lights go out.
You can equip the Sarpaneva Moomin 80 on a variety of coloured leather straps, potentially matching whatever’s going on on the dial, but I would probably opt for the optional Moonbridge bracelet, even though it adds a spicy €2,500 to the price. The look is just so unique, and integrates beautifully into the case design – if you’re going with a design as distinct as Sarpaneva’s, might as well fully commit!
Sarpaneva Moomin 80 pricing and availability
The Sarpaneva Moomin 80 is a limited edition of 30 pieces per dial colour. Price: €13,500 (~US$14,200, strap), €16,000 (~US$16,800, bracelet)
| Brand | Sarpaneva |
| Model | Moomin 80 |
| Case Dimensions | 42mm (D) x 11.4mm (T) x 46mm (LTL) |
| Case material | Outkumpu steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres, screw-down crown |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Hand-painted, full lume Moomin dial |
| Lug Width | 22mm |
| Bracelet and strap | Various leather straps, steel pin buckle Optional steel bracelet |
| Movement | Soprod A10 modified, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 42 hours |
| Functions | Dragging hours, minutes |
| Availability | Limited to 30 pieces per dial |
| Price | €13,500 (strap) €16,000 (bracelet) |