I was originally turned on to Stepan's work through Vianney Halter. As Stepan had at one time worked with Vianney in Ste. Croix, I was curious to find out more about this Independent Watchmaker from Finland. We had contact last year, and I was able to work with Stepan on a new K3 variant that a client asked for, with a red gold moon. Stepan was happy to create this watch for my client and a new relationship was born.
This Red Moon K3 is cased in steel with black Diamond Like Coating:
And here is the back side showing the 18k Gold Moon rotor:
His background like many of his contemporaries is one of learning and perfecting his craft in Switzerland, then returning home to his native country to create his form of horological micro-mechanical art. He comes from a family rich in artistic blood. His father is a well known jewelry artist in Finland. The designs Stepan has come up with are "Not for everyone" as he often says, they will resonate though with certain people.
The long sold out Supernova! This image courtesy of Stepan.
The Supernova, which he only made in 10 examples, is the watch that originally captured my attention, with it's skeletonised dial, off center seconds and moonphase. There was something fascinating about the design, and I knew I wanted to meet the creator one day. Well Basel 2009 provided that opportunity finally, and I was impressed by Stepan's low key demeanor and candid way. He is a consummate gentleman and while showing me his watches and chatting about the new gold Korona watches, he mentioned that a new iteration of the Supernova will be forthcoming. This was great news, as the original was not available, a chance to acquire something from Stepan, that will be quite amazing I'm sure.
Here is the new Gold Korona in red gold:
Here another shot:
The Korona has now 4 versions, with varying degrees of skeletal dials, adding dates, a moonphase and finally the new cases of the gold Korona. The Korona model is for most people what has been talked about and shown on various watch fora. The owners all seem quite passionate and very happy with their acquisition of one of Stepan's pieces. I can tell you this about Stepan's work, it will not leave you cold! I look forward to his future creations and contribution to the watch world.
Here is the Black Moon K3, a watch that I wasn't sure I'd like until I saw it in person.
And here together with the cufflinks that accompany the watch, a gift that Stepan gives to the few buyers of this very limited production watch. Serial numbers on watch and cufflinks match!
