De Rijke Taps Beloved Dutch Character, Miffy For New Limited Edition Moonphase

Among our favorite micro-brand releases last year was the novel Amalfi driving watch, from the Dutch brand De Rijke. The watch pairs a simple, distinctive dial with a nifty rotating case construction which Zach Weiss reviewed in full right here. The designer / engineer behind the brand, Laurens De Rijke, is following up on the standard Amalfi with a limited edition moonphase which celebrates the work of the late Dutch artist Dick Bruna, through his most iconic creation: Miffy. The watch dials the charm factor up to 11, and whether you’re familiar with Miffy or not, this is a watch with universal appeal thanks to the exquisite execution.

The De Rijke Miffy Moonphase pay homage to a character created for children, and it’s clear great care was put into the detail to ensure it was brought to life with love and respect for the work of Bruna. The character, Miffy, who is a small rabbit that first appeared in print in 1955, appears within the moonphase disc, revealed through a large aperture at 12 o’clock. The likeness has been etched out of brass, polished and silver plated. A rich blue backdrop hosts stars and Miffy herself, each of which has been hand-filled with Superluminova in a color accurate to the original artwork. 

According to founder Laurens De Rijke: “With my brand I have always wanted to highlight a certain playfulness. With the Amalfi the playfulness was found in the rotating case and in the illustrations of Guy Allen, with Miffy, the rotating case mechanism is just another playfully aspect of the watch. Next to that, Miffy is a true work of art and quintessentially Dutch.”

The vibrant artwork plays beautifully with the established Amalfi design language, coming across as whimsical and just the right amount of playful. The case itself still rotates within the confines of the 38mm steel ring, and the entire watch measures just 10.3mm thick, an impressive feat considering the case rotation and the addition of a moonphase complication. The Sellita SW288-1 is fit within a modified Amalfi case, which loses the exhibition caseback in the process. 

Just 25 examples of the Miffy Moonphase will be produced, and each will come with Miffy branded packaging that displays the artwork featured within the watch. The watch is priced at 2724 Euro, or around $3,050 at the time of writing. De Rijke.