I've been keeping an eye out for a watch to buy my girlfriend on her 40th birthday next year. A couple of months ago, she sent me a link to an Instagram post with the C1 Moonphase and the "heart eyes" emoji. She does have a larger wrist as she is quite tall (my 40mm C60 Trident 300 looks just about OK on her), but I fear 41.5mm is just going to be too big for her. It's a shame CW don't make a moonphase version of the C63 Celest - a 36mm moonphase with the same design cues as the C1 would be absolutely perfect.

All the other stuff I've seen seems to either be quartz (I don't like the idea of spending over £1k on a quartz watch, no matter what brand is slapped on it), or it's hunting around for a discount on a 34mm Longines Master Collection.

Do we think CW are likely to fill this niche, and if not, does anyone have any alternative suggestions I might consider? She wants a round case (so the Farer moonphase isn't an option), automatic movement (not opposed to a Japanese movement, but I'd prefer Swiss), bracelet preferred over strap, and nothing too "girly" looking (nothing smaller than about 33mm, no mother-of-pearl dials, no super-skinny bracelets, etc...)

EDIT, I cot my "C"s mixed up, she has tried on my 40mm C0 Trident 300 which looked OK

I’m not 100% certain, but I think the JJ complication watches generally need a bigger case because of the movement size.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 10:16 am I’m not 100% certain, but I think the JJ complication watches generally need a bigger case because of the movement size.

I guess that makes sense, I did read about the JJ04 movement. Shame really. Thanks for the reply.

The JJ04 being a module adds thickness. You generally add width to get the proportions right so that the watch doesn't feel too top heavy. The C1 sits at 13.3mm. The C63s are all sub 12mm.

Take another look at the C1 it is listed at 40.5. That is still larger than the C63 which is actually 39mm though. Do you have any at 40mm/41mm she could try on?

One thing I have learned in this game is that looks will override a lot of perceived flaws. If she likes the looks she will probably wear it even if it is a little large. My wife likes the slightly larger watch look as a fashion thing. She routinely wears my C60 42mm around. I haven't measured her wrist but I doubt I could get a watch sized for her over my hand.

rkovars wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 11:21 am Take another look at the C1 it is listed at 40.5. That is still larger than the C63 which is actually 39mm though. Do you have any at 40mm/41mm she could try on?

Sorry, my mistake, I meant she has tried on my 40mm C60 Trident 300. It wasn't too bad, but it did look big on her. How does the C1 compare to the 40mm C60 Trident 300?

The 40mm C60 300 is 11.3mm thick. Although the C60 has a flat crystal and the C1 is domed which adds height to the measurements but usually doesn't feel as tall in everyday wear.

Several forum members have a C1 and undoubtedly they have both of these or something close and will probably chime in here.

A moonphase is one of the few instances where I prefer a quartz as it tends to be a faff to actually set the moon phase correctly (most watches use a recessed button that needs something like a toothpick to press it - each time it's pressed, it advances the moonphase). No point having a moonphase unless it actually shows the correct phase of the moon

If you don't mind a quartz, Longines do a 34mm Conquest moonphase and Frederique Constant have a 37mm Classic. Certina also do a quartz moonphase but it has rose gold and MOP dials.

If an auto is mandatory, how about a 40mm Raymond Weil Maestro which you should be able to get under a £1k?

CBMVic20 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 12:53 pm If an auto is mandatory, how about a 40mm Raymond Weil Maestro which you should be able to get under a £1k?

I think I just resent the idea of spending a lot on a movement type that I perceive as the "cheap" replacement for mechanical. The Raymond Weil is an interesting one, but again possibly a little big at 40mm. I'll have a more detailed look.

At risk of stating the (perhaps) obvious, would it be worth her actually trying on the C1? And others on the suggestion list? Personally I find wearing a watch of the same size but different style is more of a guide - and not always a useful one. I would say the same for the Farer as the shape is quite subtle, but it looks to be hand-wound rather than automatic.

Would she wear the watch all the time? If not, then quartz may be a "head over heart" choice. It's only "cheap" if it's actually cheap - there are plenty of inexpensive auto watches.

I've just amazed myself. I checked the size of my Sugess Moonphase, which wears very well, but it's 41mm and 14mm thick. Similarly sparkly dual, but a small moon, and large date, at only about £100 plus VAT. It's a real Moonphase, accurate to 1 day every 2.5years. ( uses a 59 tooth moon wheel)

There's a Welly Merck Moonphase on AliX resembling the CW versions also for around £100, but I believe the moon phase works on a 31 click date wheel, so it will be a couple of days off after a month. Might not be a problem if you are after the effect, rather than the accuracy. Also 41mm. More like the Moonglow, than the aventurine Moonphase ( if I have the CW versions the right way round).

The CW ones might wear ok depending on the lug to lug distance, and profile of the case. Curved lugs are very effective at improving wearability. (Which might not be a real word!)

Good luck. Certainly the decorative moon disc only watch, with no other detail on the dial might wear very attractively on your wife irrespective of her wrist size.

exHowfener wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 1:29 pm At risk of stating the (perhaps) obvious, would it be worth her actually trying on the C1?

I'm not sure how practical that is, as we're nowhere near CW's showroom. The others we could reasonably try. In answer to your question about how often she'd wear it - that's difficult. She owns a cheapo watch which she wears occasionally; this would be her first "real" watch. She usually wears jewellery, and I would hope whatever I get her would be a daily wear for her, but that depends on her really!

There's a Welly Merck Moonphase on AliX resembling the CW versions also for around £100

Are you on commission?

JAFO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 23, 2024 1:45 pm Good luck. Certainly the decorative moon disc only watch, with no other detail on the dial might wear very attractively on your wife irrespective of her wrist size.

It's a minefield. I'm currently leaning towards this Longines, which is actually cheaper than the CW at Chisholm Hunter at the moment. She does like the look of the big moonphase though.

Although not exactly pocket change, I wonder if there's any mileage in buying one of those Sugess watches from Aliexpress to see how she likes the size and style before shelling out more. Do you have a link to the one you bought?

For what it’s worth…

I have a very slim wrist, somewhere just under 6”. I thoroughly enjoy wearing my C1 moonglow, which actually has slightly longer lugs than the C1 moonphase, which means the moonphase might wear a little smaller even. They’re both 40.5mm diameter.

Pic below for reference on how it looks on my small wrist.

The only way for her to really know is to try it though.

I'm not sure how practical that is, as we're nowhere near CW's showroom.

I understand. Perhaps using the 60 day return? Though I get that part of the pleasure of buying a gift is shopping and trying on - mail order isn't exactly romantic is it?