I’ve been doing this long enough that by now I probably should have reviewed a Monta. For whatever reason, I just haven’t had the chance. It’s kind of like living in Cooperstown and never going to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Inexplicable.
Of course, I’ve handled plenty of Montas over the years. They’ve been a presence at Windup Watch Fairs, and I’ve known many, many collectors who have owned Monta watches of various stripes, and I’ve tried them on and taken the requisite wrist shots at meetups and events through the years. This time around, with the release of the new Monta Noble 40, I was finally able to spend some real time with a Monta. Like all Monta watches it’s technically excellent, but the updates make it feel a little less special than its predecessor.
The Noble, along with the Triumph, is the most stripped down watch in the Monta collection. It’s not a big burly tool watch, and it doesn’t have a complication beyond the date at 6:00. It’s a bit of a cliche, but you could say that it boils down Monta to its essence, which is a really solid, value oriented, everyday watch with impeccable finishing for the price. I’ll probably keep coming back to the finishing, because it’s really the strength of all Monta watches that I’ve had a chance to handle, and that’s been the case consistently since the brand was founded. They just have a very good idea of what they’re after in terms of how their cases and bracelets should look and feel, and they’ve clearly developed a relationship with their manufacturing partners that allows them to achieve exactly that.
The Noble 40 is an update to the previous iteration of the Noble, with the most pertinent change being the case size, which represents an increase of about 1.5mm. Monta notes that the original Noble (and Noble Voyager) will remain in the collection, so the new upsized version here is not a replacement, but simply a new option. According to Monta, they’ve landed at 40mm over the previous version’s 38.5mm diameter after realizing that this is the size where “proportion, comfort, and versatility converge.” That’s language from their press release – I imagine they received feedback from clients that a larger size would sell well. I’m quite certain it will, but I don’t think there’s necessarily anything better about this watch at 40mm (for the average wrist) than this watch at 38.5mm. It’s simply a matter of personal preference, your own wrist biology, and what you find comfortable and aesthetically pleasing when you check the time. This new watch is also a bit thicker (10.5mm versus 9.7mm) but importantly it does get you an extra 50 meters of water resistance, upping the rating to 200 meters.
Monta sent both the 38.5mm and 40mm versions of this watch, and I have to be honest: I found the 38.5mm version to be significantly better on my wrist, and attuned to my own preferences. Seeing them side by side, the new Noble 40 appears kind of huge, which is just not what this type of watch should ever present as, in my opinion. The Noble was conceived as, and has always been, a sleek and easy to wear daily driver, the type of watch that could go from the beach to the boardroom, as they say. At 40mm, it loses a lot of that discretion, and enters “big sports watch” territory.
The Noble (left) and Noble 40 side by side
That said, it’s still well proportioned, and not a nuisance to wear. The extra thickness is not really noticeable in a practical way, at least in my experience. Monta has often been cited as creating cases that are very much in the Rolex Oyster mold, and that helps them with wearability at any size (turns out Rolex was on to something). The lugs are kept relatively short so overhang will likely not be a problem for most, and while the watch has a broad stance, that’s mostly a visual trick thanks to the expansive dial and relatively narrow bezel. Another way to put it is that I don’t think Monta has done anything here to make that 40mm diameter feel larger than it needs to be.
Still, the upsizing to 40mm undermines what I think was the original intent behind the Noble, which was to provide a downsized, more “medium” alternative to the brand’s larger sports watches, and to simply exist within a tradition of sub 40mm everyday watches that anyone can wear for just about anything. In 2026, at a time when the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward bigger watches, this feels like Monta trying to capitalize on where the market is heading. There’s nothing wrong with that of course – every watch brand should ultimately be making watches their customers want to buy if they intend to stay in business – but casting this watch as the ideal size for the Noble and a refinement over the previous edition does not feel authentic to me, especially considering they plan to continue making the 38.5mm version of the watch.
Dials are available in glossy, lacquered black and sunburst blue. One is classic and sober, the other a little more playful. Again, I prefer the fumè blue of the 38.5mm sample that Monta sent me over both of the options in the new 40mm size. I just find it a little more visually interesting, and it’s also less Rolex-adjacent, which I think is something that ultimately works in favor of a watch like this, even if enthusiasts are purchasing it as a Rolex (or Tudor) alternative, and we should not pretend that this isn’t, at least sometimes, the case. Everything else about the dial is executed extremely well, with crisp printing, well lumed markers, and a date window with a frame that matches the motifs of the rest of the dial furniture.
If I’m a little indifferent to the case size and dial, something that I can honestly heap some effusive praise on is Monta’s bracelet. It’s excellent, with fully articulating links and a well designed mirco-adjustable clasp. The three-link, Oyster style design makes sense for a watch in this style, and it’s just very comfortable. Each link is brushed with an extremely thin polished bevel on the outer side. It’s a classic design note and it looks great here. It’s also totally cohesive with the rest of the watch, which has crisp transitions between brushed and polished surfaces that should be the envy of other brands with watches at similar price points.
I think it’s worth considering Monta’s place in the microbrand landscape at the current moment. I’ve always thought of them, along with a handful of other brands, as real mainstays and elder statesmen of the space. The world of micros and independents has changed a lot since Monta made their debut, and preferences have shifted away from the traditional sports watches Monta trades in to more adventurous designs, at least within the hardcore enthusiast circuit. But there will always be a desire for the types of watches Monta makes, and there’s something reassuring about the fact that they seem to always be there. Not every watch will feel like an improvement over the last one, but there’s no reason to think Monta won’t continue to make every effort to give their customers what they’re looking for, which is ultimately the best possible scenario.
I also think Monta deserves credit for not haphazardly jumping into trends. As much as I might have been personally excited to see one, there’s no stone dialed Noble here. And I don’t expect we’ll see a dress watch in a shaped case from them anytime soon. Monta works in a niche that just happens to be a historically very popular type of watch in our industry, and they do it to a very high standard, and they seem committed to continuing to do exactly that. There’s a discipline and focus there that I think is appealing, and many brands could learn from.
So in an environment where collectors who may have once snapped up a watch like this immediately are now drawn to designs that are more adventurous, who is the Monta Noble 40 for, exactly? Honestly, I think it’s for people who might be looking for something like the new Longines Hydroconquest but are leery of supporting a big conglomerate owned brand, and want to be part of the micro/indie community. The two watches are not directly comparable (one is a diver, obviously) but they offer a similar level of quality (the Monta might actually have better case finishing) and the cost of the Noble is significantly lower. Monta has the Noble 40 priced at $1,595 for the first 100 units, after which the cost goes up to the full retail price of $1,895. Even at that full retail price, I think the overall quality of the Noble 40 is hard to beat. It’s just a little generic, and a bit too big, for my personal taste. Monta
