The New Felipe Pikullik Sternenhimmel, Powered by the New Calibre FPA1

The path of Felipe Pikullik has never been about sudden breakthroughs, but about steady, hands-on progression. Early pieces from his Berlin atelier were built on reworked Unitas movements, extensively modified, skeletonised and hand-finished to create something much more personal than their origins suggested. From the poetic Sternenhimmel to the more expressive ZBM1, and later regulator-style FPSK25 and Mondphase creations, each watch served as a learning ground. More recently, Pikullik presented the Mondphase 2, an increasingly independent construction that signalled a shift away from adapted calibres towards in-house thinking. The Mondphase watches, with their astronomical focus and evolving mechanics, made one thing clear: the next step would be a fully developed movement architecture, and that step is now here, with the Sternenhimmel FPA1.

The Sternenhimmel FPA1 is Pikullik’s first proprietary calibre platform, designed from the ground up in Berlin. Named FPA1 (Felipe Pikullik Architektur Eins), it is a foundation made to support the future of the atelier’s collection. While the familiar aventurine dial keeps a visual link to his early work, the mechanics beneath mark a decisive transition, from modification to construction, from learning to creating.

For the Sternenhimmel FPA1, the stainless steel case has been resized and refined. Now more compact, it measures 39mm in diameter, 10.5mm in height and 47.5mm lug-to-lug. The fluted crown is positioned at 3 o’clock, no surprise. However, the integration of four pushers within the lugs is a notable addition. Only one active here, used for quick date correction without interrupting timekeeping; the remaining are reserved for future complications.

The dial, preserving the Sternenhimmel identity, in aventurine glass with its shimmering, granular texture, is available in deep blue or green. Unlike earlier editions, which featured diamond markers at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, the new model retains only two, as the 6 o’clock position now reveals the balance wheel through an aperture. The display remains simple: central hours and minutes, and a retrograde date. Its arched scale runs from 10 to 2 o’clock, with a small crescent-shaped indicator in blue or green appearing from beneath the glass.

The new FPA1 calibre introduces a fresh architecture rather than adapting an existing base; it operates at 18,000 vibrations/hour and delivers a 46-hour power reserve. The crown and winding wheels of the FPA1 feature wolf ’s-tooth gearing, a classical solution for smoother energy transfer, reduced friction and long-term wear. The click mechanism, usually exposed, is here enclosed within its own structure to prevent microscopic debris generated during winding from spreading across the movement.

The hand-crafted balance wheel, produced within the atelier, is a technical milestone and reinforces the brand’s ambition to move more of its production in-house. Images available today show an early prototype of the movement featuring a frosted finish, but for the series, the bridges in untreated German silver will be finished with hand-executed tremblage so that the granular surface contrasts with polished bevels and sharp edges.

The Sternenhimmel FPA1 is delivered with two straps: a rubberised leather strap and a full rubber strap. Priced at EUR 17,500 (excl. VAT), the Sternenhimmel FPA1 is not limited, yet production will remain low due to the atelier’s scale.

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