What We Know
Over the last few years, Felipe Pikullik has quietly built a reputation as a very compelling and impressive independent watchmaker. His new, in-house developed Sternenhimmel FPA1 is the latest example, but it’s far from the only one. For starters, Pikullik, who we wrote about a few years ago, and his team are based in Berlin—far from the traditional infrastructure of Switzerland or even Glashütte—making the level of in-house production he achieves all the more notable and more complex. He trained as a watchmaker and spent time working with Stefan Kudoke and Rolf Lang, but much of his approach to finishing came from going beyond formal education, sourcing books, and teaching himself techniques not covered in school. And perhaps most strikingly, despite the amount of handwork involved, his watches have remained priced at around €20,000.
Felipe Pikullik’s Mondphase 1.
The new Felipe Pikullik Sternenhimmel FPA1 goes further than Pikullik’s previous releases, which relied on ETA or Unitas movement gear trains (albeit ones he recreated in-house). Pikullik has created his own in-house movement, the Felipe Pikullik Architektur Eins (FPA1). But let’s start with the dial. The watch, housed in a 39mm by 10.5mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance, is capped by a floating green or blue aventurine dial with two diamonds at 9 and 3 o’clock. There’s an applied and engraved nameplate, an “open heart” style to show the balance, and a retrograde date display from 10 to 2 o’clock.
The movement side shows a high level of handwork and technical ambition, with details that would challenge even seasoned watchmakers. The crown and winding wheels feature “wolf teeth” geometry, designed for smoother energy transfer and reduced friction, alongside a hidden click mechanism integrated into the ratchet system. As Pikullik notes, the ratchet system in any movement generates friction and fine metallic dust over time. To address this, he has enclosed the click mechanism within its own structure (as much as possible), allowing particles to be contained within the system and later removed during servicing.
While some parts are roughed out by CNC machines, all finishing is done by hand, and you can tell. While many Swiss brands can get 95% of a movement finished with machines, it doesn’t seem like that’s what the brand has done here. The German silver bridges have hand-executed tremblage; other bridges are hand-engraved, the central finger bridge is black highly polished, and the anglage is obviously done by hand. Then there’s the case, which is a step up in finishing from past designs. The case features a date-adjustment pusher discreetly integrated where the lugs and case meet, but instead of leaving the case imbalanced, Pikullik added faux pushers to the other lugs. In the future, if more complicated watches are made, those pushers can be made functional.
The Felipe Pikullik Sternenhimmel (or Starry Sky) FPA1 retails for a very reasonable €17,500 or just over $20,000. It’s available directly through the brand.
What We Think
This is a fantastic release from Pikullik and his team. I don’t think people realize how much easier it is to build a brand outside of the watchmaking infrastructure in Switzerland or Glashütte. Sure, you can reach out to far-flung suppliers, but that’s not always as affordable, especially for smaller indies with small order quantities. The fact that Pikullik is also teaching the team finishing techniques while also building and designing watches is admirable. Sharing knowledge is core to his ethos.
It’s worth noting that, yes, the finishing still isn’t that of Rexhepi, Dufour, or even Chopard’s LUC 1860, which is understandable given the price tag of around $20,000. There are several areas that could be improved: the evenness of the anglage and where it meets the engraved bridges; the anglage itself is generally uneven and convex in some places; the wheels are more roughly polished, etc. I also think the watch would look better with a closed dial. With all that said, that’s all somewhat nitpicky and misses the forest for the trees, because I think that, for the price, it’s a really great watch. I also think they’ll only get better with time, as the case is well-considered, the tremblage looks wonderful, and the use of wolf’s teeth is a very “watch person” addition.
The Basics
Brand: Felipe Pikullik
Model: Sternenhimmel FPA1
Diameter: 39mm
Lug-to-Lug: 47.5mm
Thickness: 10.5mm
Case Material: Stainless
Dial Color: Blue or green aventurine dial
Indexes: Engraved date, diamond markers set into the dial at 3 and 9 o’clock
Lume: None
Water Resistance: Not shared TKTK
Strap/Bracelet: Rubberized leather strap and rubber strap
The Movement
Caliber: FPA1
Functions: Hours, minutes, retrograde date
Power Reserve: 46 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 18,000 A/h
Jewels: 20
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: German silver bridges with hand-executed tremblage
Pricing & Availability
Price: €17,500
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: No
For more, click here.
Mark Kauzlarich
2026-03-27 17:20:00