Hands-On: The Raymond Weil Maestro 2239 Series Moon Phase

By James Stacey

I’ll admit that for someone with my taste for sports watches, Raymond Weil isn’t always the most interesting brand. But that doesn’t mean I’m not open to being surprised. Shown at Baselworld earlier this year, the new Maestro 2239 Moon Phase may be little more than a subtle spin on a longstanding design from Raymond Weil, but the outcome makes the most of a solid base, strong proportions, and an easy-wearing but detailed design.

Offered in both a silver/white dial and a black dial version, the Maestro Moon Phase uses a 39.5mm steel case that is matched with a Milanese mesh bracelet, or a contrast stitched leather strap. Both dial examples at Baselworld were on the mesh strap and while it’s not really the sort of watch to turn my head, once I put the silver dial on my wrist, I was surprised by how much I liked it. The sizing is excellent, the dial has a mix of finishes but still manages strong legibility, and the blued steel hands work well with the deep blues of the moon phase display.

I like the idea of a simple dress watch on a fine mesh bracelet (like that very fun Mido Commander Shade I wrote about after Basel) and, in either dial, the Maestro 2239 Moon Phase feels more special than I ever would have expected from an image, or even if I saw the same watch on a leather strap in a display case. Yes, like it’s other Maestro siblings, but I’d argue it works really well, offering a winning mix of that medium-sized case, a wide dial, short lugs, and the more casual mesh bracelet.

Using Sellita’s SW 280-1 automatic movement, the Maestro 2239 has hours, minutes, central seconds, a date display at three, and a moon phase at six. Based on the SW 200 and visible through an included display case back, the 280-1 ticks at 4Hz, has hacking seconds, hand-winding, and a power reserve of 38 hours.