This Handsome Affordable Watch Will Make You a Fan of Solar Movements

Without a seconds hand, no one is any the wiser.

Silver mesh strap wristwatch with light blue dial and date window on a pale yellow background.

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By Brad Lanphear

Published May 29, 2026

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Updated May 29, 2026

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Quartz dress watches don’t have the best reputation. With the exception of Cartier, most watch enthusiasts won’t even give them the time of day, so to speak.

I used to agree, but the Frederique Constant Moneta is one of the collections drawing me over to the quartz side. And a new light-powered upgrade makes the handsome design even more convincing.

Silver Frederique Constant wristwatch with textured burgundy dial, date window, and black leather strap. — The Moneta Solarmetre features the same two-hand dial design, with a date instead of a moonphase.

Frederique Constant introduced the Moneta to its Classics collection in 2024. The impeccably classic dial was inspired by the Patek Philippe Calatrava, featuring dauphine hands and faceted indexes on an otherwise clean dial.

The Swiss watchmaker made the watch its own with an elegant coin-edge fluted rehaut framing the dial. A quartz movement was cleverly disguised by removing the seconds hand, always a nice touch on a dress watch.

The Moonphase version filled some negative space with the lunar-cycle complication at 6:00.

Silver Frederique Constant wristwatch with white textured dial, date window, and mesh metal strap. — The Moneta Solaretre debuts with white, ice blue and burgundy dials.

The new Moneta Solarmetre ditches the moonphase in favor of a framed date window at 3:00, and “Solarmetre” is printed above the 6:00 marker. The dial layout is otherwise unchanged, sans seconds and all.

Let the sunshine in

The Moneta Solarmetre introduces a new semi-transparent dial that allows light to reach the photovoltaic cells below, converting light into electricity to power the quartz movement.

Frederique Constant’s first solar quartz movement, the Caliber FC-120, was developed in collaboration with La Joux-Perret. Both companies are owned by Citizen, giving them access to the industry-leading Eco-Drive light-powered watch movement technology.

Silver Frederique Constant wristwatch with textured light blue dial, date window, and dark blue leather strap. — The Moneta Solarmetre’s semi-transparent dial allows light to pass through to the photovoltaic cells below.

One minute of light exposure adds 24 hours of power, and the watch can run in the dark for up to 10 months on a full charge.

The dial has a frosty texture like freshly fallen snow. It works really well with the ice-blue and white dials and looks nice in burgundy, too.

More to love

While the polished round case with slightly curved lugs and an onion crown looks identical to the existing Moneta collection, it is scaled up from 37mm to 39mm.

Silver round wristwatch with light blue dial, date window, and dark blue leather strap worn on a wrist. — The Moneta Solarmetre has a 39mm case.

The new proportions are still within the classical dress watch range and make the gorgeous Moneta design more accommodating for larger wrist sizes.

Ciao bella

Along with the user-friendly movement upgrade, Frederique Constant made the Moneta more versatile by adding a new strap. The solar version comes on a steel mech Milanese bracelet that adds a sporty vibe and is more comfortable for daily wear.

Silver Frederique Constant wristwatch with light blue textured dial and mesh metal strap. — The Moneta Solarmetre comes with a leather pin buckle strap and a steel mesh bracelet.

Better still, you don’t have to choose because the watch also comes with a quick-release leather pin buckle strap embossed with an alligator texture. The strap is navy for the ice blue dial, black for the burgundy dial and brown for the white dial.

Availability and pricing

The Moneta collection contains the second most alluring quartz dress watches I’ve seen after Citizen’s The Citizen collection, and they sell for half the price. I’m still partial to the black-and-gold reference from 2025 for the deleted hour markers, but the new Moneta Solarmetre isn’t far behind.

Frederique Constant’s Moneta Solarmetre is available now from the brand’s European website for CHF 1,150 (~$1,470), and it should be available on the American site by the end of June 2026.

Silver round watch with textured light blue dial, silver hour markers, date window, and dark blue leather strap.

Frederique Constant Moneta Solarmetre

Specs

Case Size	39mm
Movement	Frederique Constant Caliber FC-120 solar quartz
Water Resistance	50m

$1,470 at Frederique Constant

About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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