When Raymond Weil introduced the Millesime collection in 2023, it was a hit. This simple and stylish “sector dial” dress watch proved to be comfortable to wear and highly versatile. I reviewed the Raymond Weil Millesime Automatic Small Seconds 39.5mm recently, and for 2024, Raymond Weil has increased the size of the Millesime collection with new complications, colors, and smaller 35mm models. Amongst those new watches are the Millesime Automatic Moon Phase 39.5mm models that include Midnight Blue and Silver.
Note that I believe the pricing below reflects the cost of the watches on a leather strap. There is, however, an accompanying steel metal bracelet that fits all the Millesime 39.5mm wide cases. The polished steel with silver dial Millesime Automatic Moon Phase 39.5mm watch that we checked out when meeting with Raymond Weil at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024 was fitted with the steel bracelet, and it’s an attractive pairing. What I don’t know is if this watch will officially come on the bracelet, or if you will need to purchase it as an option to go with the watch.
Why a moon phase indicator as a way of extending the Millesime watch family? The brand’s strategy is admittedly an old-school one, the idea being that when a brand’s watch collection proves popular, you can leverage that popularity by making more versions of it. In recent times, “more versions” have translated mostly into more colors, sizes, and materials for popular watches. In the past, it also meant adding more features and complications to popular models. Probably most recently popular in the 1990s, this “add more complications” strategy continues to be important for some companies that want to amplify the success of various product families.
In a very real sense, the addition of complications is somewhat arbitrary, and based on what stylistically looks right. Raymond Weil took the core Millesime look and simply experimented with making various versions. So far we have the Millesime with both a central and subsidiary seconds hand, a chronograph, and also a moonphase. Perhaps it didn’t look as good with a GMT complication? Moon phase indicators are emotional and historic. We rarely use them, but they sure make a timepiece feel a bit more timeless and classy. A great example of understanding the value of the moon phase is to notice how Raymond Weil wishes to display its moon – with a nice little face on it. This watch simply wouldn’t work as well if the moon indicator was blank and boring. The combination of utility, history, and personality make this watch as fun as it is, and just adding that small face graphic makes a world of difference.
Both the 39.5mm and 35mm Millesime Automatic Moon Phase watches have the same movement, the automatic Swiss Sellita-based Raymond Weil caliber RW4280. These use a small module for the moon phase complication and operate at 4Hz with 38 hours of power reserve. You can view the automatic movement through the window on the rear of the case. The case is 10mm thick and water-resistant to 50 meters. Over the dial is a box-style AR-coated sapphire crystal.
The Midnight Blue version of the Millesime Automatic Moon Phase watch costs a bit more due to the rose gold-tone PVD coating on the case. With that said, the price of this model on the strap might be around the same as the Silver model matched to the steel bracelet. Classy and with just the right amount of personality, this Moon Phase version of the Millesime Automatic 39.5mm is a lovely addition to the product family. Its combination of grace, poise, style, and value made it one of aBlogtoWatch’s favorite new watches of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024. According to Raymond Weil, availability for these watches will begin around October 2024. Price for the Raymond Weil Millesime Moon Phase reference 2945 -PC5-50001 Midnight Blue on the strap is $2,325 USD and the reference 2945 -STC-65001 Silver on the bracelet is $2,225 USD. Learn more at the Raymond Weil website.
