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What We Know

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment when microbrand watches went from just good to genuinely competitive, but without a doubt, Monta was one of the brands that showed that the transition was more than just happening; it had happened. Thinking back now, it seems obvious, but 2016 was a very different world in microbrand watches. When I got into watches around 2010, microbrands were a bit of a Wild West, with brands popping up and disappearing often just as quickly.

Put another way, they were daunting. A lot of the early micro-brands were born out of forums and felt like a mismatch of parts sourced from wherever they could be had. By 2016 (or 2018, when James offered up a primer on microbrands), that was increasingly not the case. In 2026, the microbrand movement has come even further, and Monta is no small part of that history.

Now, the brand — based in St. Louis, but whose watches are “conceived” and made in Neuchâtel — is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a pair of limited editions, the Monta Skyquest Neuchâtel X and the Monta Triumph Neuchâtel X. At their core, each of these limited-edition watches is a relatively straightforward re-dial of the standard collection Skyquest and Triumph, but each is filled with detail meant to elicit memories of the mid-century sports watches which served as clear inspiration for these models.

The most obvious change here is the shift, in each case, to an Opalin silver dial with painted indices and numerals, and “vintagized” (their word) tan C3 Super-Luminova. Additionally, the brand has refined many of the other visual touches that make the watches what they are. New, thinner text and printing (including on the logo) lighten and open up the dial, while the hands have been updated slightly to match the rest of the dial (and in the case of the Triumph, have been finished in a glossy black finish that stands out impressively against the white dial.

Beyond these changes, the Monta Triumph and Skyquest are largely identical to their core collection counterparts. The Monta Skyquest Neuchâtel X is 300M water-resistant, measures 40.7mm across, 11.8mm thick, and 47.4mm lug-to-lug with a 20mm lug width. The Monta Triumph Neuchâtel X is just a little bit smaller at 40mm across, 10.5mm thick, and 47.8mm lug-to-lug, also with a 20mm lug width. The Triumph is water resistant to 200M. Each watch features a flat, beveled sapphire crystal and comes with Monta’s impressively good three-link bracelet, a quick-adjust clasp, and two half-links for fit. The Triumph also includes three micro-adjust settings.

Inside the watches, you’ll find the Monta Caliber M-22 in the time and date Triumph, and the Monta Caliber M-23 in the Skyquest. Each of these is based on a Sellita/ETA movement, with the M-22 based on either the Sellita SW300-1 or ETA 2892-A2, and the M-23 based on either the Sellita SW330-1 or ETA 2893-2 (for those keeping score at home, this means the Skyquest is a caller GMT (to complement its bright Pepsi-tone bezel).

Each of these watches is limited to just 100 pieces, with early access coming at Windup Watch Fair in NYC this weekend, and a subsequent public release on October 17. Previous Monta customers can order the watches online when they go on sale at Windup a day earlier (October 16th). Prices are a slight premium over standard models, with the Skyquest coming in at $2,485 (a $50 bump from the standard watch) and the Triumph priced at $1,895 ($45 dollars more than the standard black dial Triumph).

What We Think

It’s hard to undersell just how much of a step forward brands like Monta (alongside many others) were in the microbrand watch space. These watches showed what small, independent brands working at the scrappy end of the spectrum could do. I still remember my first time picking up a Monta bracelet. There was no getting around how good it was, and my thought was simple: “The big brands might be in trouble.”

Now, years later, Monta doesn’t occupy quite the central role they once did in the microbrand space, but their watches continue to be solid offerings, and on a lap around Windup this weekend, you’ll see that the brand still commands plenty of deserved attention. To that end, while I’m not sure these latest limited editions quite hit the nail on the head for me, Monta absolutely deserves to be celebrated in this fashion, and these are a strong way of doing that.

The Basics

Brand: Monta
Model: 10th Anniversary Skyquest Neuchâtel X, 10th Anniversary Triumph Neuchâtel X

Diameter: 40.7mm (Skyquest), 40mm (Triumph)
Thickness: 11.8mm (Skyquest), 10.5mm (Triumph
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Dial Color: Opalin Silver
Indexes: Painted
Lume: C3 Vintage-style Lume on Hands and Indexes
Water Resistance: 300M (Skyquest), 200M (Triumph)
Strap/Bracelet: Stainless Steel Three-Piece Bracelet

The Movement

Caliber: Monta Caliber M-23 (based on ETA 2893-2 or Sellita SW330-1) [Skyquest], Monta Caliber M-22 (based on ETA 2892-A2 or Sellita SW300-1) [Triumph]Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date (+GMT on Skyquest).
Winding: Automatic
Chronometer Certified: No.

Pricing & Availability

Price: Monta 10th Anniversary Skyquest Neuchâtel X, $2,485. Monta 10 Anniversary Triumph Neuchâtel X, $1,895.
Availability: In person at Windup NYC starting October 16. Online for past customers starting the same. Publicly available online beginning October 17
Limited Edition: Yes, 100 pieces each.

For more, click here.