Farer has managed to carve out its own niche in the new wave of British-founded, Swiss-made brands, with playful (and skillful) use of colour and accessible pricing. Two new additions to the Moonphase collection continue that pattern: the Stratton and Burbidge feature Farer’s signature cushion-shaped case and crisp detailing that gives them an unmistakably contemporary feel despite their traditional inspiration.

The Stratton is the second Farer model to feature a natural stone dial, this time in Eisenkiesel quartz, while the Burbidge, limited to just 100 pieces, flaunts trendy Eastern Arabic numerals and a playful blue-and-pink palette.

Initial thoughts

Farer’s brand identity is rooted in British design and Swiss production; in this respect it’s similar to Christopher Ward and Fears. The brand offers a playful, and often colourful, twist on traditional tool watch motifs.

The Moonphase collection is among the brand’s dressier offerings, and the Stratton and Burbidge are each interesting in their own right. The most eye-catching of the pair is the limited edition Burbidge with Eastern Arabic numerals for the dial and date wheel. The blue and pink colourway is charming and the exotic numerals will likely prove to be something of a ‘secret handshake’ among those who are up-to-date with collector culture.

The Stratton, named for British astronomer Frederick Stratton OBE, sticks to regular numerals but features a natural stone dial made of Eisenkiesel. The thickness of the stone, which is a type of quartz veined with streaks of iron, adds about 1 mm to the thickness relative to the simpler Burbidge.

Both models feature Farer’s familiar cushion-shaped case, with flanks that are stamped with a grain d’orge pattern. Exterior patterns like this can come across as overwrought, but because it’s not visible straight on, it doesn’t overwhelm the design. In fact, it’s subtle enough to be a fairly private detail, and livens up the tactile experience of the watch.

The moon phase itself is positioned prominently, rotating around the same axis as the central hand stack. On a technical level, the Sellita SW288-1 M uses a 59-tooth moon phase wheel so it will need to be corrected every two to three years. This is not really an issue in reality, since watches like this are geared toward collectors who will wear them in rotation.

An appealing aspect of both models is the aggressive pricing, which undercuts big brand offerings from Tudor and Orient. This is crucial, since industrial powerhouses like Tudor retain the edge when it comes to overall build quality. The Stratton and Burbidge straddle the US$2,000 mark, and despite the low price they feel anything but generic, which enhances the value proposition.

Light and colour

The dials of both watches should glow profusely thanks to Lumicast numerals on the dial; the three-dimensional lume blocks are particularly striking on the Burbidge due to the Eastern Arabic font. Lume blocks are increasingly common, from micro-brands like Farer to industrial brands like Tudor and Omega. Even F.P. Journe uses lume blocks to light up the brand’s Octa Sport collection.

The lume continues on the moon phase disc itself; each moon is hand painted with Super-LumiNova. The gold-coloured lume on the Stratton was actually developed with Tritec (a major supplier of luminous material) specifically to match the warm tones of the natural Eisenkiesel dial and gold-coloured PVD finish on the case. Gold by day, the Stratton’s moon glows green in the dark.

Movement

The Farer Moonphase is powered by a manually wound Elaboré-grade Sellita SW288-1 M. A tried-and-true movement used throughout the industry, the Elaboré designation indicates it’s a notch up from the supplier’s standard stock, but isn’t adjusted to chronometer-grade precision.

This limitation is reasonable since the savings are passed to the customer, and even though the movement isn’t much to look at, the bridges are embossed with a repeating pattern based on the brand’s logo, which is a motif we’ve seen before from big brands like Cartier and Hermes.

Key facts and price

Farer Moonphase
Ref. Stratton
Ref. Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition

Diameter: 38.5 mm
Height: 11.5 mm (Stratton); 10.5 mm (Burbidge)
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Sellita SW288-1 M
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, and moon phase
Winding: Manual-wind
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 45 hours

Strap: Leather strap pin buckle

Limited edition: Burbidge limited to 100 pieces
Availability: Directly from Farer and its retailers
Price: US$2,075 (Stratton) and US$1,895 (Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition) excluding taxes

For more, visit farer.com