Felipe Pikullik Shoots For The Moon With The Mondphase 1

When we first discovered the work of German independent watchmaker Felipe Pikullik, we were impressed with the creativity, level of detail and relative affordability. Moving forward and perfecting his craft with every watch he makes, Felipe has really upped his game with his most recent creation. Breaking out with the Sternenhimmel and ZBM, he was already developing what would be his crowning achievement over the past two years: an in-house complication. And not just any complication, but a hand-crafted 3D spherical moon phase! Perhaps the most romantic complication of all is neatly integrated into the dial and shows Felipe’s devotion to finishing and traditional craftsmanship. Presented in a run of just 20 pieces, this is the Felipe Pikullik Mondphase 1.

It’s never easy to follow initial success with a second or third collection. Just think of the many musicians famous for just one hit song or album. But with the Mondphase 1, Felipe not only repeats his initial successes but goes many steps further! The case of the Felipe Pikullik Mondphase 1 is 41mm in diameter and has a modest height of 10.5mm. Made of stainless steel, it’s fully polished and has classically styled lugs. A sapphire crystal covers both the front and back. But it’s what’s sandwiched between those crystals that really steals the show!

For the dial, Felipe started with a brass base which has been frosted and rhodium plated. Surrounding the dial is a black-polished chapter ring. The hands are crafted by hand and have a polished and frosted side. The dial also reveals part of the running gear, but the real talking piece is, of course, the 3D spherical moon phase that pokes through. It has a frosted finish with a dark and light side and some dimples to give it a bit more life. The finishing touches are the hand-engraved inscriptions ‘Felipe Pikullik’ and ‘Gefertigt in Berlin’ (Crafted in Berlin).

For his creations, Felipe Pikullik has relied chiefly on the ETA/Unitas 6498/6497 movements. This time around, he has massively reworked it, dropping the small seconds indication in the process and integrating his in-house developed and made 3D spherical moon phase display. The attention to detail of the front continues around the back, with a myriad of traditional finishing techniques on display. A rhodium-plated mainplate holds hand-skeletonised bridges, gold-plated gears and a gold-plated and hand-engraved balance cock. The screw heads are black-polished, and the crown and barrel wheels have a sunburst brushing. All the edges have been bevelled and polished by hand as well. When fully wound, it will keep running for 50 hours.

The Felipe Pikullik Mondphase 1 is offered on a handmade leather strap measuring 20mm in width at the lugs. It is limited to 20 pieces and will cost you EUR 24,000. That’s an impressive increase over the previous work we covered, but the level of watchmaking on display here is miles ahead of his earlier work. The details and level of finishing look to be outstanding, and don’t forget that neatly integrated 3D moon phase display that’s done entirely in-house, by hand!

For more information, please visit Felipe-Pikullik.de.