This year marks eighty years since the first appearance of Tove Jansson’s Moomin family (and their friends) in ‘Comet in Moominland’, and a new collaboration between Stepan Sarpaneva and Moomin Characters Oy.

The new Sarpaneva x Moomin 80th Anniversary Limited Edition comes in two variants – Monochrome and Colours, limited to thirty pieces each. The cases are made from high-grade Outokumpu stainless steel from Finland (SUPRA 316L/4435). Featuring a mix of brushed and polished finishing and with a moonface crown at 4 o’clock, they are 42mm (11.4mm thick) with water resistance of 100m.

Once again, the dial is where it’s all happening in his Moomin watches. The skeletonised three-part hand-painted and hand-finished stainless steel dial features an illustration from ‘Comet in Moominland’, with a shooting star-shaped aperture at the top that reveals the hours and stars, on a 12-hour rotating disc. The opening is illuminated in dark conditions, and there are ten Super-LumiNova colours used on the new watch.

Through the open case back you can see the modified automatic Soprod A10. Beating at 28,800 VPH with a power reserve of 42 hours, it has rhodium-plated bridges and a skeletonised stainless steel rotor with Sarpaneva’s moonface, and white gold weights.

The Sarpaneva x Moomin 80th Anniversary Limited Edition comes on a leather strap and is priced at EUR 3,500 (without taxes), but for an additional EUR 2,500, you can have a Sarpaneva Moonbridge Steel bracelet.

If you are going to Finland this year or making plans for a holiday and it is one possible option, the official Moomon Museum in Tampere are holding many celebratory events and exhibitions throughout the year. You can find out more at this link.

Although she is best known for her Moominvalley stories, she is also highly regarded for her adult work, which feature the same type of reflection that lies at the heart of the lives of the residents of Moominvalley.

On non-Moomin Tove Jansson happenings this year, the English-language film adaptation by Charlie MacDowell of one of her most highly-regarded and popular adult books – ‘The Summer Book’, had its worldwide cinematic release in Helsinkin on 31 January 2025, topping the box office during its opening weekend.

‘The Summer Book’ is in print and easily available in many languages (my English-language one is from sort of books). Another of her adult titles – ‘Sun City’ (also translated by Thomas Teal), has just been published by nyrb and is the NYRB Classics Book Club selection for March 2025. Set in the 1970s and centred on a St. Petersburg, Florida retirement home, you can read about it at this link.

Finally, if you will be in New York (or even if you aren’t, as you can attend online) on March 10, ‘A Celebration of Tove Jansson’ will discuss the life and works of Tove Jansson. You can find out more about the event here.

[Photo credit: Sarpaneva Watches]

Categories: Limited Editions, Sarpaneva, Watch Profile, watches, Women's watches