Farer Moonphase is All Farer, and All Moon

Farer has revealed a new collection called the Moonphase this week, and in true Farer style, have put their own unique spin on the design across a trio of references, all while acknowledging historic British figures in the process. The Moonphase collection features a big personality within a trim 38.5mm case that’s not shy on details itself, but the star of the show is undoubtedly the enormous moon depicted within the aperture that dominates the top half of the dial. Each example features a slightly different moon, inspired by the broad range of colors it can adopt depending on the conditions.

The Farer Moonphase makes a big impression at a glance thanks to the larger moonphase aperture situated above the hand stack, but below and within the hour markers. It’s a similar layout to the Arnold & Son Perpetual Moonphase, among others, however Farer is bringing the design to a far more accessible and, dare we say, fun execution with their Moonphase. Each phase the moon goes through is indexed along the top arc of the aperture, providing a welcome practical nod to the romantic complication.

The moon itself differs between each of the watches, going from light pink in the Burbidge, to warm yellow in the Halley, and finally a neutral eggshell in the Eddington. The depictions reference the different hues the moon takes to our eyes, viewing it through different atmospheric conditions and angles. The moons themselves are hand-painted in Geneva using grade OL X1 Super-LumiNova. Farer has a knack for using lume in unique and high-impact ways and the Moonphase is certainly no exception, with each of these watches taking on a dramatic new appearance in the dark. 

Not to be outdone by the complication, the base dials all get different treatments as well. The Burbidge, so named in honor of Margaret Burbidge, a British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist, accents its pink moon with a light blue sunray finished dial with stick markers. The Halley, which takes its name from Sir Edmond Halley, the English astronomer whom Halley’s Comet was named after, pairs its pale yellow moon against a blue backdrop within a dark midnight blue dial and applied Arabic numerals at the even positions. Finally, the Eddington, named after Sir Arthur Eddington, who was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, uses a beautiful sunray copper or salmon dial with applied Roman numerals to live alongside the neutral eggshell moon.

Shared across all three watches is a steel 38.5mm cushion case that measures 43.8mm from lug to lug, and just 10.5mm thick. The case walls feature a “grain twist” imprint texture in a move that’s becoming more common with Farer, and a welcome one at that. It’s a welcome detail that’s left to be discovered without interfering with the intricate details found on the dial. 

Inside, Farer is using the hand-wound Sellita SW216-1 in elaboré grade, with their logo pattern imprint on the bridge visible through the exhibition caseback. All three watches are priced from$1,640 on rubber strap options; $1,650 on a wide range of straps; and $1,660 on their steel milanese bracelet. The Farer Moonphase is available to order direct right now, with shipping expected to commence in late April. Farer.