Details 

An extremely rare, important and collectible stainless steel wristwatch by Stepan Sarpaneva, independent Finnish watchmaker. Made circa 2003. Stavax ESR stainless steel case, diameter 37 mm, sapphire crystal caseback with 8 openings in the shape of a turbine, “Sarpaneva Loiste 10:0061” engraved on the rim of the caseback. Black dial with applied copper colored chapter ring and milled indexes. Caliber Eta 2824-2, self-winding, power reserve up to 38 hours. Functions – display of time in hours, minutes and seconds. Black leather strap, stainless steel pin buckle by Stepan Sarpaneva.

Lot essay 

Stepan Sarpaneva, the independent Finnish watchmaker, before founding his own watch brand (now he even runs two brands: Sarpaneva and S.U.F. Helsinki – SarpanevaUhrenFabrik), he gained experience at several leading Swiss brands. That is Piaget, where Stepan Sarpaneva got a job after his watchmaking course at Wostep, then there was Parmigiani Fleurier, where Sarpaneva worked under the supervision of Kari Voutilainen, his compatriot. He also worked for independent watchmaker Vianney Halter, where he eventually got the intention to make watches of his own design. It was here that Sarpaneva made his first attempt. The TimeTramp, a limited edition of 6 biker-style pendant watches, were uncompromisingly made from Harley Davidson gears. Sarpaneva has maintained the biker image to this day. To create a paradox, the master equipped the TimeTramp watches with a subtle, ultra-thin vintage Piaget caliber 9P. 

Of all the early designs the master tried, the ideas embodied in the Loiste 10:0061 watch proved to be the most important for the later development of the collection.

It took a few more years, however, for Sarpaneva to accumulate enough resources to launch his brand. He went to Christophe Claret, a supplier of complications. In 2003, Sarpaneva returned to Finland, where he founded Sarpaneva Watches. The first models of the new brand were Loiste and Oiva, which the master introduced in the same year. The design of both models betrays his keen sense of metal and a distinct industrial esthetic, which he based a TimeTramp design on. Loiste is a particularly successful descendant of TimeTramp, because the case, made of high-quality industrial steel Stavax ESR with high strength and corrosion resistance, has the shape of a gear. This was the original on which almost all subsequent successful releases were based - Supernova and especially Korona. 

This Loiste 10:0061 watch is also important because Sarpaneva has found a charismatic combination of two metal tones, brushed stainless steel and brushed copper – the copper tone appears in an extremely attractive chapter ring. A subtle sense of metal is an undeniable asset of the Sarpaneva collection, and the present lot gains even more value as one of the pioneers of this direction of Sarpaneva’s iron Finnish style in watchmaking. 

Reasons to bid 

The present specimen appears to be a fascinating artifact from the early years of Stepan Sarpaneva, a distinctive independent watchmaker who brought a rough Finnish style to watchmaking that also has the obvious look of a watch for a Harley rider. Of all the early designs the master tried, the ideas embodied in the Loiste 10:0061 watch proved to be the most important for the later development of the collection. In fact, the entire modern Sarpaneva brand emerged from this design, which determines the historical significance of this lot. It should also be noted that the watch is still relevant in modern times: the large shapes used for the design overshadow the case diameter of 37 mm, which is relatively modest by today’s standards, which makes it a stylish, memorable and spectacular everyday companion. 

Specification

Condition report