Today, I would like to talk about one of the new-wave watchmakers you absolutely should follow. If I mention a watchmaker with a Brazilian temperament and a distinctly German attention to detail, I think you will recognize Felipe Pikullik. Before presenting his latest creation, which marks a major step in the life of his brand, allow me to tell you more about his background.
Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1994 to a Brazilian father and a German mother, Felipe Pikullik was a curious child who very quickly became interested in manual work, watches, and astronomy. Receiving a watch every year for his birthday from the age of nine, he liked to take them apart before reassembling them and spent a lot of time repairing his grandmother’s mechanical wall clocks. His parents immigrated to Germany in the 1990s to offer their family a better life with improved job prospects. However, Brazilian traditions, vibrant and colorful, always remained an integral part of their life, with the beauty of nature at its center.
At school, he was drawn to mathematics and physics but lost interest in other subjects with less real-world application, which led to his being refused entry to watchmaking school. Different from other young people, Felipe Pikullik entered the Glashütte watchmaking school in Saxony through the side door after a practical test. He passed the trial and impressed the teachers so much that they offered him a place on the spot. Then came the revelation: he completed the three-year curriculum in a single year, after which he set out to put his knowledge into practice and develop it with two mentors.
His thirst for learning and his work ethic, still undeniable today, first led him to Stephan Kudoke for an apprenticeship and an initiation into skeletonization. He then went to the legendary Rolf Lang in Dresden to learn design through watchmaking research and development and to finish watches. Homesickness grew stronger there and finally pushed him to return to Berlin. Back in the German capital, he faced new challenges. To support himself and fuel his passion for watchmaking, he worked various jobs, including as a mover. At the same time, he repaired watches from brands such as Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and Patek Philippe, deepening his knowledge of different movements. All his income was invested in tools and watch parts. One point that seems important to me: Felipe also worked at A. Lange & Söhne, and it is interesting to find certain traits of Saxon style in his watches.
The next step on his path to becoming an independent watchmaker was initiated by a friend who challenged him to create a watch with a special dial bearing a hand-engraved lion’s head. Then in 2017, at only twenty-three, he decided to launch and produce watches under his own name, combining traditional watchmaking savoir-faire, playful creativity, and originality. From the outset he stated that he wanted to create watches out of passion and has strived to collaborate with artists who share his vision in order to design dials, movements, and other unique elements. His creations are marked by great attention to finishing and aesthetics. Assertive case lines, robust lugs, and relatively thin bezels are some of his distinctive signatures.
In his creations, he draws on the past while adapting it to contemporary use. After a lightning development of his brand, which truly began with the Felipe Pikullik Sternenhimmel, he presented in 2023 an even more impeccable watch, perfection in the smallest details, the Moonphase I. With this watch, he made a significant modification to the previously used ETA/Unitas calibre by integrating a spherical moonphase display set between the bridges. Its design is creative, striking, legible, and modern without being ostentatious. This watch remains faithful to Felipe Pikullik’s interest in classical watchmaking and celestial complications. Today, I will talk about the second version of this model, which introduces a first movement designed ninety percent in-house. It also introduces a new collection, FP-Complicated, a tribute to Haute Horlogerie that pushes the limits of craftsmanship, design, and technical innovation. Now it is time to present this watch.
Table of Contents – Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II
What are the features of the Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II?
Case
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II features a case water resistant to 50 m in this stainless steel version, fully polished except for the mid-case, which has vertical brushing. With a diameter of 41 mm, a thickness of 10.5 mm, and a lug-to-lug of 50 mm, this watch is, as you can see in the photos, slightly large for my wrist. One detail to note: if we go by the press-release photos, the crown will be different and the front of the lugs will also feature a finish alternating facets, brushed surfaces, and polished bevels, allowing for a more refined case. Overall, even if the case is not the primary argument of this watch, I find it well executed with a generous opening onto the dial and movement.
Dial
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II is adorned with an aventurine-base dial that was very difficult to make given its extreme thinness and openworked form to give maximum space to the movement. It creates a striking miniature universe and asserts the piece’s aesthetic identity. This deep blue stone, speckled with golden particles, evokes a nocturnal sky, giving the impression that the wheels, bridges, and the moonphase indication float above like celestial bodies. The result is that of a miniature mechanical cosmos, where light, reflections, and motion interact poetically on polished and brushed surfaces. I very much like the contrasts of this captivating and somewhat unexpected dial that we can discover and rediscover with a loupe, so many are the details in the movement. A watch with asymmetrical elements that sparks curiosity and draws you back to its design again and again.
Movement
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II houses the FPMP2, the brand’s first movement made ninety percent in-house. It is the fruit of years of experimentation. Beating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 Hz), this three-dimensional, hand-wound calibre offers a power reserve of about 40 hours. Indicating hours, minutes, moon phases, and a 24-hour indicator that helps set the moonphase, this calibre is enhanced with remarkable finishing with which we were already familiar from Felipe Pikullik.
The lower part of the dial is dedicated to the regulating organ, positioned on a mirror-polished base. The balance is held by an arched transverse bridge, showcasing another noteworthy decorative technique. Next to it is the three-dimensional moonphase display, a Felipe Pikullik signature, driven by conical gears. A discreet 24-hour indicator, engraved directly on its drive wheel, is placed at twelve o’clock. An interesting detail: the time-setting and winding mechanism is a module, a self-contained unit that can be assembled independently of the movement. This design simplifies servicing and allows the young watchmakers in the workshop to participate directly in the watch’s assembly.
The movement benefits from exceptional hand finishing, notably numerous inner angles, mirror-polished chamfers, and skeletonized components that catch the light from every direction. A pronounced bevel on the balance bridge serves as a mirror to the oscillating balance. The balance bridge, with its mirror chamfer, draws the eye, while a sculpted recess beneath the balance creates a reflective chamber that lets you admire the beating heart of the watch from different angles. This movement is a true field of expression and represents a perfect fusion of technical precision and aesthetic harmony. The back is, as one would expect, more restrained, with a wide mainplate covering all the technical elements. Entirely hand engraved, it bears the individual number of the watch.
Strap
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II is delivered with a dark-blue strap. Made of calfskin, it is closed by a steel tang buckle that is too simplistic for my taste. Perhaps it will evolve between the prototype and the final version.
What is the price of the Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II?
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II is strictly limited to 20 pieces per material. The stainless steel version is offered at €45,000 (Sold Out), while the bronze variant is €58,000 and the platinum variant is €65,000.
Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II: a miniature mechanical universe
The Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II is not a simple first independent watch; it is a true statement, a decisive milestone on his path toward independent watchmaking. It marks the transition from reinterpretation to creation, from exploring the possibilities offered by tradition to forging a new identity. It also inaugurates a new phase in movement development, complication design, and artistic vision.
What I appreciate in this watch, beyond its aesthetic dimension, is the vision Felipe Pikullik wants to instill in his brand. For him, the brand is an opportunity to teach others how to make modern watches in the most authentic way possible. He devotes his time to training his team, coming from all over the world, in the most complex aspects of artisanal manufacture, which further limits the time he can dedicate to creating these watches. Growing his workshop to continually push the limits of excellence while passing on his know-how to his collaborators is remarkable given his age. He does not want to remain in Berlin in the future. He wants to create additional workshops abroad and turn these apprentices into competent generalists.
I also like the idea that, in the years to come, he does not aim for mass production. He intends to increase the number of collaborators working alongside him in order to produce increasingly complex watches while maintaining the same cadence of five to ten watches per month. This work ethic and his experience make him, today, a watchmaker who seems very interesting to follow in the years ahead. These three elements combined, the importance given to the team, the willingness to make the most of every situation, and the insatiable ambition to create new timepieces, are the recipe for his success.
So why not imagine seeing him, in the years to come, write a book compiling all his knowledge into a single guide. Also, why not see him develop even more complex and ambitious watches, such as a planetarium. In order not to skip steps, let us give him the time to make his way in watchmaking. In any case, I have rarely seen a young watchmaker with so much vision and clarity in his ideas. He shows once again that with tireless work and by continuing to learn every day, one can achieve one’s dreams. I look forward to discovering his new collection at the beginning of 2026, with a more accessible movement and price point in a core collection called Architecture 1. Many thanks again to Felipe Pikullik for presenting this piece, and I wish him every success going forward.
Felipe Pikullik Moonphase II – Watch Specifications
- Brand: Felipe Pikullik
- Model: Moonphase II
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Dial: Openworked, Aventurin inlay
- Functions: Hour, Minute, Moonphase and 24 hour
- Movement: FPMP2, 90% produced in-house, Hand-Wound, 21’600vph frequency (3Hz)
- Power Reserve: around 40 Hours
- Water Resistance: 5 ATM
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Caseback: Sapphire
- Case Dimension: 41 mm × 10.5 mm
- Lug to Lug: 50 mm
- Strap: Blue Calfskin with Stainless steel pin buckle
- Availability : Limited Edition of 20 Pieces
- Retail Price: 45,000 EUR (excluding VAT)
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What do you think of Felipe Pikullik’s work? Do you appreciate this kind of independent watchmaking, or do you prefer more futuristic watches? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
For more information about Felipe Pikullik, click here.
