Farer expands its Moonphase line with Stratton and Burbidge Eastern Arabic
Jason Lee- Farer adds two new watches to its Moonphase line-up, the Stratton and Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition, with both models continuing Farer’s approach of emphasising the moonphase as the focal point.
- The aperture is large, and the moon—executed in X1 Super‑LumiNova—sits within a painted night sky, so the complication reads instantly even in low light.
- Inside is the hand‑wound Sellita SW288‑1 M a in Elaboré grade, which beats at 4 Hz and runs for roughly 45 hours when fully wound.
Founded in 2015, Farer has quietly carved out a distinctive place among modern British watchmakers. The brand’s philosophy blends UK‑based design with Swiss execution, producing watches that stand apart through colour, proportion, and story rather than nostalgia. Each collection pays tribute to explorers and scientists, the namesake choices linking watchmaking to discovery and curiosity. Over the past decade, Farer has grown from a small independent with colourful field watches to a fully formed outfit producing hand‑wound chronographs, GMTs, and complications that rival more established names in finishing and creativity. Signature details such as the bronze‑capped crown, Lumicast numerals, and balanced case geometry have become recognisable markers of the brand’s identity.
That outlook now frames the Moonphase Collection, Farer’s interpretation of one of watchmaking’s most traditional complications. Introduced in 2023, the line took a traditional display and made it the centre of the dial, using a large aperture and a hand‑painted disc rather than a small sub‑dial. The result was immediately legible and unashamedly decorative, and it quickly became one of the brand’s best‑selling families. In 2024, Farer added the Baily with an aventurine dial; this year, the range expands again with the Stratton and the Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition, two models that treat the same idea in different visual registers. The discs are painted in Switzerland, showing a starry field with a luminous X1 Super‑LumiNova moon whose slightly textured surface gives the display a measured sense of depth.
The case architecture is consistent across both releases. Farer uses a 38.5mm 316L steel cushion case with a 43.8mm lug‑to‑lug, a shape that tends to wear compact on the wrist while giving the dial the space it needs. Thickness differs by variant—11.5mm for the Stratton and 10.5mm for the Burbidge—but the impression is of a slim, rounded profile designed for daily wear. A curved sapphire crystal with an underside anti‑reflective coating covers the dial, and a sapphire exhibition back reveals the hand‑wound movement. The crown is rounded and capped in solid bronze with an embossed Farer “A”, a recurrent brand cue. Water resistance is rated at 50m.
Finishing details add nuance without shouting. The bezel is polished but framed by a brushed chamfer, which visually separates crystal from case. The flanks carry a polished “grain‑twist” pattern that breaks up the surfaces, and the mid‑case is scalloped between the lugs so the strap sits flush against the case body. Inside is the hand‑wound Sellita SW288‑1 M a in Elaboré grade: it beats at 4 Hz, runs for roughly 45 hours when fully wound, and features an Incabloc shock protection for the balance. Practical touches include hacking seconds and a quick‑set date at six. Through the display back, you can see the arrow‑pattern bridge specific to Farer, along with blued screws and what the brand describes as “solange” finishing.
On the dial side, both watches continue Farer’s approach of emphasising the moonphase as the focal point. The aperture is large, and the moon—executed in X1 Super‑LumiNova—sits within a painted night sky, so the complication reads instantly even in low light. Around it, applied Lumicast numerals and a polished lance handset (also lumed) keep the display clean. The date is framed and colour‑matched at six, which preserves symmetry. The seconds hand carries a polished tip shaped like the brand’s “A” motif.
Where the two models diverge is in material, typography and palette. The Stratton pairs the cushion case with a warm gold PVD finish and a dial cut from Eisenkiesel, a variety of quartz shot through with golden‑brown iron veining. As with other natural stone dials, no two pieces will be exactly alike, an appealing characteristic for collectors who enjoy subtle variation. Farer has also matched the moonphase disc to the case tone, using a gold‑coloured Super‑LumiNova that the brand says it developed with Tritec for this reference. The effect is cohesive rather than flashy: metallic warmth from the case, depth and movement from the stone, and a moon whose night glow continues the theme after dark. The watch comes paired with a brown, suede‑textured strap that complements the case and dial tones.
The Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition takes a different route. Here, the dial is an arctic‑blue sunburst with a pronounced grain that catches the light, and the typography switches to Eastern Arabic numerals—not only for the hours, but also across the minute track, the moonphase scale and the date wheel. The moon is rendered in a pink tone that nods to the “Pink Moon”, a colour the moon can take and the traditional name given to the April full moon in some Native American calendars. It’s a crisp, modern colour combination that still reads as a classical complication at arm’s length. The watch comes on a textured blue calf-skin leather strap that matches the dial.
Both models retain the brand’s naming convention of honouring figures in science and exploration. The Stratton references Frederick Stratton, a mathematician‑astronomer who served in the First World War and later directed Cambridge’s Solar Physics Observatory; the Burbidge honours Margaret Burbidge, whose work in stellar nucleosynthesis and subsequent research at UC San Diego helped define mid‑century astrophysics. The choices are on‑message for a moonphase: they keep the conversation on observation, discovery and the way scientific progress often runs in parallel with navigation and timekeeping.
Closing thoughts
As an object on the wrist, the new pair reads as Farer through and through. The dimensions are accessible, the crown treatment and case textures provide tactility, and the dial furniture privileges clarity even as colour does its work. The large moonphase aperture is what makes the design, but it also creates practical benefits: legibility at a glance and a display that remains interesting even when the watch isn’t in direct light. Those who prefer stronger contrast will likely gravitate to the Burbidge, where white‑on‑blue numerals and the pink moon set up a high‑readability layout. Collectors who value material character and warmth will find the Stratton’s stone dial and gold‑coloured luminous elements quietly persuasive.
Farer has built its reputation on making complications feel approachable, and these two models continue that arc. They avoid the reflex to turn a moonphase into a museum piece, instead using texture, typography and proportion to keep the watch contemporary. If you’ve been waiting for a traditional complication in a modern package—one that keeps the poetry of the display but speaks in Farer’s precise, colour‑driven dialect—the Stratton and the Burbidge show that the brand’s most successful idea still has room to evolve.
Farer Moonphase Collection pricing and availability
These two Farer Moonphase models are available now at Farer online and physical boutiques. The Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition is limited to 100 pieces. Price: US$1,895 (Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition), US$2,075 (Stratton)
| Brand | Farer |
| Model | Moonphase Collection |
| Reference | Stratton Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition |
| Case Dimensions | 38.5mm (D) x 11.5mm (T) x 43.8mm (LTL) 38.5mm (D) x 10.5mm (T) x 43.8mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 316L stainless steel (gold PVD coated for Stratton only) |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Stone or sunburst dial with a large moonphase aperture |
| Bracelet | Blue calf-skin leather or brown suede strap |
| Movement | Sellita SW288-1 M, Elaboré grade, manual-wind |
| Power Reserve | 45 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, moonphase |
| Availability | Available now, Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition limited to 100 pieces |
| Price | US$1,895 (Burbidge Eastern Arabic Edition) US$2,075 (Stratton) |