Ah, the moon. Romantic, mysterious, and the subject of many Creative Writing 101 poems, our closest celestial body has also wormed its way onto many a watch face over the years. Moonphase watches evoke a sense of sophistication and elegance, and tend to decorate watchmakers’ dressier lines, despite their somewhat subversive practicality. Farer’s moonphase collection is no exception; first launched in 2023, it took one of watchmaking’s oldest complications and applied it to the British brand’s own design ethos. Here in 2025, we have two new references to pad out that lineup: The Stratton and Burbidge Eastern Arabic Editions.
Taking the same basic design of the rest of the line, the new Moonphase models are wrapped in a 38.5mm cushion case with curved sides that wear a “grain twist” texture. The case scallops in the 43.8mm between the lugs to make the strap sit flush, and a rounded crown with a solid bronze cap finishes the vintage-adjacent case look. Inside, both Moonphase models are powered by a Sellita SW288-1 M Elabore Grade movement, with blued screws and a Farer-embossed bridge. The Sellita movement allows for a 45-hour power reserve, and hour, minute, seconds, date, and of course, moonphase functions.
Where the models differ is in their case material and dial design. The Stratton Edition—named for Frederick Stratton, a WWI veteran, mathematician, and astronomer who would eventually serve as Director of the Solar Physics Observatory, among many other accolades—features a gold PVD steel case and a stone dial cut from Eisenkiesel quartz, creating distinctive iron compound “veins” that run across the black of the stone. The veins match the gold-bronze hue of the case, and give the watch an elegant, almost Grecian look. Continuing the gold theme, the moonphase disc features moons in gold-colored Super-LumiNova, developed with Tritec for the Stratton, specifically. Even numerals are complimented with indices on the odd numbers, and a railroad minute track, all in an off-white, with the Farer logo and date window above the 6 o’clock position. Capping it all off are the gold minute and hour hands, and black seconds hand with a bronze Farer “A” at the tip.
The Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition, though dimensionally identical, looks wildly different in aesthetic. Named for Margaret Burbidge, a British-American astronomer and astrophysicist who spearheaded stellar nucleosynthesis and nuclear fusion research (don’t ask me, I was an English major), the Burbidge Edition’s most instantly noticeable deviation is its steel case and arctic blue sunburst dial. Look a little closer, and you’ll see the reason for its subtitle: replacing the Western Arabic numerals on the original model are Eastern Arabic equivalents. This isn’t just limited to the hours, though, as all numerals on the dial, including the minute track, moonphase scale, and date window, feature Eastern Arabic numerals. The cohesiveness of the numeral choice unifies the design, though it’s still not the main feature: that is reserved for the pink moons on the moonphase disc. These reference the Pink Moon name given to the April full moon by Native Americans (though Farer does not specify which group specifically), and contrast beautifully with the blues of the dial and strap. This combination of characters and colors from around the world work surprisingly well, and give the Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition a wildly different look from its Stratton release counterpart.
Farer has managed to make a splash with two new and distinctive references in its Moonphase line, and with the Stratton and Burbidge priced at $2,075 and $1,895 respectively, they are certainly tempting options for those looking for a sprinkle of color and scientific discovery on their wrist. Farer
Elodie Townsend
2025-10-31 19:00:00