De Rijke & Co.’s Final Miffy Moonphase is Here, in a New White Ceramic Case
One of the things I really enjoy about covering microbrands and small independents is seeing how young brands develop in unexpected ways over time. My first exposure to De Rijke & Co. was through Zach Weiss’s review of their Amalfi 1S back in 2020. At that point, the brand’s calling card was their trick case design that allowed the wearer to easily rotate the dial for a better viewpoint while driving, as well as customized design options so clients could effectively create their own unique version of the watch. This “gentleman driver’s” watch, as they referred to it, remains quite appealing, and the case of course is still a part of their collection. In no way, however, could it have predicted the success the brand would find making watches featuring the “Miffy” character, a staple of Dutch children’s books since the 1950s.
Over the last three years, De Rijke & Co. has released several Miffy themed watches that go well beyond simple character dials. The Miffy motif has been used to experiment with bold colors, lume, and different expressions of the moonphase complication. These watches are whimsical, a lot of fun, and quite far removed, in my opinion, from the earlier Amalfi pieces, and it’s fascinating to consider how the brand got to this point.
Today, they’ve unveiled what is said to be the final Miffy watch. According to the brand, the new White Ceramic Miffy Moonphase has been in the works for three years. It is, it turns out, quite complicated to create a ceramic case with the same rotation function as the steel version. In the steel cases, a relatively simple clickspring is used to rotate the inner case. The use of ceramic necessitated a different approach, and the entire construction of the case has been rethought. Now, a steel ball bearing and compression spring allow for a similar rotating experience. The ceramic case is completely modular, and now features a brass movement holder through which the crown tube and rotation mechanism are threaded. The caseback also screws into the movement holder, which is uncommon. It’s held together with six M1 screws and is fitted with a custom gasket for 50 meters of water resistance.
Aesthetically, the watch is a study in white. The case and dial is a white lacquer that appears to match the tone of the case perfectly, so the outer minute track and applied hour markers outlined in black really stand out. De Rijke & Co. tells us that the moonphase disc has also been tweaked, and now has a new finish with blue nickel plating. The case measurement is 38mm in diameter and 11.3mm tall. It’s 42mm from lug to lug.
I’ve never been a huge fan, personally, of character watches, but I’ve been drawn to the Miffy series for their graphic sensibility and general weirdness. It’s been quite a run for De Rijke with these Miffy pieces, and I think it’s important to note that these watches have been cynical examples of character licensing – the brand has used this character as a creative springboard to make real advancements in their own production and watchmaking, which one would expect would continue to non-Miffy watches down the line. The ceramic case here is a perfect example, as is the way De Rijke has used sapphire and lume in their dials. While it would have been interesting to see what De Rijke & Co. could have done by iterating on the Miffy concept in the years ahead, I’m even more excited to the brand applies what they’ve done with these watches to future projects.
The White Ceramic Miffy Moonphase is a limited edition of 100 pieces. The retail price is EUR 3,950. De Rijke & Co.
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