Finding your new watch

Sometimes a watch really grasps your attention and doesn’t let go. What is it that sets this watch apart from the rest? Is it the looks or maybe the brand’s name and fame appeals to you? Or did your father or favourite movie star had a watch that made a deep impression? Or maybe it is mainly about the technical aspects?

Since the reason will be different for everyone and will probably even differ from watch to watch, I can only describe what made me want a watch from the Finnish watchmaker Sarpaneva. In my story at World Tempus I wrote about my decision to buy a special watch. But why this one and not any other watch. There are thousands of beautiful watches, so more than enough to choose from.

One of my friends is crazy about a double straumann escapement, while i have just a vague idea of what makes this escapement differ from normal escapements. One of my other friends collects Cartier of the Collection Privee. And so do we all have a weak spot for something different. For me the first impression is mostly when the decision is made whether I like the watch, love the watch … or not. Like with girls actually, but this is as far as that comparison works 😀

The very first time I saw a Sarpaneva was when I read a story on a watch forum. It was about an independent watchmaker from Finland, named Sarpaneva, visiting Singapore to meet watch collectors for dinner and handing over the watches they bought from him. I can still remember this very well as it all made quite an impression on me. It was also the first time I blogged about Sarpaneva.

The looks of Sarpaneva’s watches immediately made an impression.The brushed case, the scalloped bezel and that dial… amazing. For me it all fits together in a perfect way. But it was more than that. Besides being impressed by it’s design, there is also the fact that it’s a product of an independent watchmaker. In this case just one man is creating a watch. And not several departments all influencing every aspect from a watch.Of course that could also been seen as an advantage, but to me this means that a design is rarely pure anymore. It becomes more of a marketing decision than a creation of an artist.

Sarpaneva’s watches don’t suffer from such compromises. Their design looks strong and pure. And this is what made me really want the watch i’m wearing right now.