Spinning right round with the S.U.F. Helsinki 180

Have you heard of S.U.F. Helsinki? No? Well, how about Stepan Sarpeneva? You no doubt are familiar with his creations, as they – aside from being very stunning designs – do very interesting things with moons and luminous materials. While the eponymous brand does some flashier high-end pieces, I view the stuff coming from S.U.F. Helsinki as being a more restrained – but still high-end – approach. One of the first we’ll take a look at is the S.U.F. Helsinki 180.

Per the brand’s own site, the S.U.F. Helsinki 180 is their take on a stripped-back field watch. And sure, I can sort of see that, in that you’ve got a fairly clean dial with a simple three-hander approach to telling the time. When you take a closer look at the dial, the details really pop.

For starters, the S.U.F. Helsinki 180 has a railroad track around the outer edge, which is expected. Less expected? The little bubbles of lume at each of the hour marks, which look to be actually set into the dial, not just painted on with a brush. Likewise, the luminous strip in the handset is also set in to the handset, giving things a very clean look (and one presumes the capability of having some solid lume).

Frankly, the S.U.F. Helsinki 180 has a good amount going on with it’s super-clean dial, especially once you realize that it’s housed in a 38.7mm case (and even more deliciously, it’s only 8.9mm thick!) For that compact size to have an automatic movement (a Soprod A10) – while not nearly as uncommon as it once was – still speaks to proper design and packaging.

Just as some of the more fanciful luxury watch designs aren’t going to be for everyone, I’m sure a simpler design such as what the S.U.F. Helsinki 180 features is going to be one that turn some folks off. Me, I like what I’m seeing, but that could just be the Estonian side of me calling out to this Finnish watch. Heritage aside, if you’re liking what you’re seeing, only 50 pieces of each color (blue, black, white, and red) are being made of the $2,405 watch, so this is not one to snooze on for too long. sufhelsinki.com

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: S.U.F. Helsinki 180

Price: $2,405 (outside EU)
Who we think it might be for: You want a pared down design that puts a Sarpaneva on your wrist
Would I buy one for myself based on what I?ve seen? I can’t deny that these are attractive watches!

What spoke to me the most about this watch: While it appears simple from afar, it’s the zoomed-in look that reveals the precision details

Tech Specs from S.U.F. Helsinki

Movement
- Soprod A10 Calibre, 11.5 lines, 28800 mph (4 Hz)
- Mechanical Automatic winding
- Hours, Minutes, Seconds
- 25 jewels
- 42 Hours power reserve
- Rhodium plated, Perlage Finishing
Case
- Stainless Steel (SUPRA 316L/4435), 38.7 mm in diameter, 8.9 mm in thickness
- Water-resistant to 10 ATM
- Lug to lug width: 46.4 mm