S.U.F Helsinki is a small, independent watch brand from Finland, helmed by renowned watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, who also produces (handcrafts) watches under his “Sarpaneva Watches” brand. S.U.F stands for “SarpanevaUhrenFabrik”, which is a homage to his Swiss training as a watchmaker, and translates to “Sarpaneva Watch Factory”, which itself is housed in the old cable-factory-turned-cultural-center in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

I had the pleasure of visiting Helsinki on a business trip and I was impressed – not just with their ability to put back drink and withstand sweltering saunas – but with the Finns in general. When I found out about Stepan’s watch studio, I was intrigued and suddenly wanted a Finnish watch. This is one of the most Finnish watches there is – hear me out – I did the research. The name is certainly not random, as it refers to a legendary feat of Finnish engineering. In the end of the 1930s, Finland was fearing a Russian invasion and wanted to prepare, but due to the general smell of war in the air, airplanes were scarce – and so were most of the materials. This meant that Finland’s State Aircraft Factory had to build planes out of scraps, plywood and fabrics, barely held together by glue and grit.

Since this watch has been crafted in honor of the airplane, it is obviously a pilot watch, with design inspiration taken from the vintage cockpit instruments. It is driven by Switzerland’s ultra-reliable Soprod A10 mechanical movement, with automatic winding. I don’t like watches with a “busy” face where there is too much going on. I prefer watches that are either elegantly simple or very ornate, where there is a cohesive artwork rather than a bunch of little details. Stepan Sarpaneva makes both types of watches (albeit under different brands) and I love his work.