Farer Stratton II Moonphase: The Moon Finally Earns the Stone Dial
Farer’s Stratton II Moonphase arrives with two obvious talking points: a black Eisenkiesel dial crossed by golden-brown mineral veins and a photorealistic moon that glows. The temptation is to treat both as decoration. For collectors, however, the more important question is whether these changes make the watch easier to justify after the novelty has worn off. The answer is mostly yes, because the new display gives the familiar cushion case a clearer hierarchy—but the natural dial remains the part that demands the most careful buying.
The moon is now the anchor
The moonphase disc is produced by AJS Production using precision lasers to etch multiple layers of paint and Super-LumiNova. At less than six millimetres across, the lunar image carries surprising surface detail. This is more than a technical flourish: it fixes the visual relationship between complication and dial. The earlier, more graphic moon had presence; this one looks deliberately integrated with the mineral beneath it.
Farer supports it with applied Lumicast numerals and markers, polished gold-tone lance hands and a crisp peripheral minute track. The date at six remains the least romantic element, but its dark aperture is quiet enough not to break the composition. In low light, the moon and hour furniture glow together, turning a traditional complication into something legible rather than merely ceremonial.
Natural stone means choosing the actual watch
Eisenkiesel is quartz marked by iron compounds, so every dial will differ. That individuality is appealing, but it also means catalogue photography cannot fully represent the watch a buyer receives. Some examples will show broad gold veins; others may look darker or more fragmented. Collectors who are sensitive to balance should ask to see the specific dial before committing, if the retailer can provide it.
The rose-gold PVD treatment warms the steel case without pretending to be solid gold. Its polished upper surfaces are broken by brushed bezel chamfers and a “grain twist” texture along the flanks. That contrast matters: a fully polished case would make the stone and moon feel theatrical, while the textured sides give the design enough restraint for regular wear.
Proportions are the practical argument
The current maker specification is 38.5mm across, 43.8mm lug to lug and 11.5mm thick including the curved sapphire crystal. Those numbers keep the cushion form compact, and the 20mm lug width makes strap changes straightforward. Water resistance is 50 metres: adequate for ordinary daily exposure, not a reason to treat this as a sports watch.
Inside is the manually wound Sellita SW288-1 M in Elaboré grade, with approximately 45 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, date and moonphase adjustment. Farer exposes it beneath sapphire and adds blue screws plus bespoke patterned bridgework. The finish does not turn an industrial calibre into haute horlogerie, but it makes the view deliberate rather than apologetic. Manual winding suits a watch whose appeal is tactile, but it also sets a clear ownership test: buyers who rotate through a large collection should be comfortable resetting the moon display after the reserve expires.
The collector’s decision
The Stratton II is listed at £1,895, US$2,175 or €2,225, with 100 watches in the initial batch and further production planned for 2027. Those are maker and retail list prices, not evidence of completed secondary-market sales. At this level, the value is not rarity alone. It is the combination of a genuinely variable stone dial, a technically convincing luminous moon and a case sized for use rather than display.
Buy it if the individual dial pattern works for you and the ritual of hand winding is part of the attraction. Pause if you expect solid-gold heft, sports-watch resistance or effortless grab-and-go ownership. The notable achievement is that Farer has made the moonphase more precise without making the watch colder. The stone supplies variation; the moon supplies focus.