When people think of luminous material on a watch, the first thing that comes to mind is a diving watch. Why can’t the luminous glow be the vocal point of a watch? It has been done before but without any real flair. Now we have a watch that has done it very well. The Sarpaneva Korona K0 Northern Lights.
When the press shots were released before Baselworld, we thought it looked über cool! It was one of the watches we wanted to take a closer look at in Basel. It didn’t disappoint!
The watch features Stepan Sarpaneva’s signature Korona case and unique looking “Moonface” moonphase. The other contributor to the watch was James Thompson of Black Badger Advanced Composites. Mr Thompson makes rings and other accessories, that feature his signature “moonglow” composition, which glow in the dark very brightly. Luminous material from Ambient Glow Techologies (AGT) was used to provide the wicked glow for the dial. The collaboration between Stepan Sarpaneva and James Thompson has produced something special.
The three colours of the Sarpaneva Korona K0 Northern Lights: Green, Blue and Violet
In daylight the watch looks great. The stainless steel case has been polished and a nice contrast is provided with the bezel having a brushed finish. We really do like the curves of the Korona case. The knurled crown gives it a touch of steampunk. The mesh-like DLC coated dial blends in nicely with the case. The moonphase made from 18k gold at 6 o’clock provides a vocal point with the “moonface” looking back at you and giving you the eye.
The Sarpaneva Korona K0 Northern Lights
When you turn off the lights, the watch transforms! The hour, minute and seconds hands plus the hour markers on the dial are covered in SuperLuminova, but the pièce de résistance is the dial itself. Utilising luminous material from AGT, the dial glows brightly just like “Aurora Borealis” the Northern Lights. The glow adds depth to the dial and provides the moon-phase with a completely different look. The luminous material needs to be charged up, to produce the cool glow. Walking in the sun for a little while will produce a very bright glow at first, but then it fade slightly afterwards. The glow will last for many hours when charged up.
Lights, Camera, Action! The stunning glow from the luminous dial!
The watch is powered by the Soprod A10 calibre. This has been modified to accommodate the moonphase complication made in-house by Stepan Sarpaneva. The DLC coated winding rotor features a similar pattern to the dial and is finished with a 18k gold “moonface”.
The movement featuring the Sarpaneva Moonface
For $14,500 Euros (Excluding Taxes), this watch represents great value. It has a great case shape that is well constructed, the look of the moonphase is cool and you have a party piece when the lights go down! We having a feeling the 8 pieces of each colour will be snapped up very quickly!
The watch looks good with a suit and would definitely work with jeans, a shirt and beer in hand also!
It really is a fun timepiece and with its magical glow, it will certainly have people asking you questions about the watch!
For more information please visit Sarpaneva Watches
