The Hundred Dollar Grail: Affordable Moonphase Watches

The moonphase complication is a staple of the most sophisticated European watch makers like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, and Breguet. During the day, the sun shows in an aperture and at night a sun shows. Sometimes, the sun and moon have delightful faces and smiles reminiscent of old fairy tales. I've enjoyed moonphase watches since my first one from Relic (reviewed here on this blog).

Mondia Mistral Moonphase Watch - Photo by Clyde94, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Today, we can find affordable quartz moonphase watches from a variety of manufacturers. While the mechanical masterpieces from the elite watchmakers may never grace our wrists, the elegant looks can.  If you collect watches, a moonphase watch is an attainable $100 grail.

The Harry Williams Moonphase Quartz Watch

I recently bought a Harry Williams Moonphase watch off of Amazon. I like the clean minimalist design and the contemporary 40mm diameter size of this watch. However, this whimsical brand has one definite quirk that may be upsetting to some. The sun and moon phases appear upside down in their aperture. I think it is just European humor from an unusual brand. These watches have commanded nearly $80 on Amazon, but now they are available for a song.  Check out my affiliate link here for astonishing savings on the Harry Williams Quartz watch.

Peugeot 14K Gold-Plated Moonphase Watch (Amazon Photo)

Another brand that offers a variety of inexpensive quartz moonphase watches is Peugeot.  The have several dial options and many of their watches are plated in 14K gold.  Amazingly, they all cost less than $100. To check out the Peugeot Men's 14K Gold Plated Men's Vintage Leather Dress Watch, check out my Amazon affiliate link here. Peugeot also offers free lifetime battery replacement.

Several other brands also offer inexpensive moonphase watches.  Check out brands like Fanmis and Olev's on Amazon. If you'd like to add a moonphase watch to your collection, it's a very attainable grail!

Relic Multifunction "Moon Phase" Men's Watch

When you have nice watches, you naturally want to protect them.  I chose to protect my Relic watches by keeping them in their storage tins.  Of course, when you keep them in the tins, you tend not to grab them first when you choose a watch in the morning.  But, when you do grab and open a random watch tin, it is like getting a surprise on Christmas morning.  Recently I rediscovered this "Moon Phase" watch by Relic.

I like this stainless steel Relic watch because it has a complication that shows the sun rise and set or the moon rise and set depending on the time of day.  This is something you'd expect from a high end European watch.  However, Relic makes this high end look available at a relatively affordable price point.

A Relic Stainless Steel Multifunction Watch

I enjoy wearing this sharp looking relic watch to work.  It looks like a million bucks!  Unfortunately, I couldn't find model ZR15557 on Amazon.  However, as of 2025, Fossil offers a very similar Neutra moonphase watch on a leather strap.  You can find it here on Amazon.

Fossil Neutra Moonphase Watch (Amazon photo)