Context : BH176 is an old metal-rich star cluster . It is spatially and kinematically consistent with belonging to the Monoceros Ring . It is larger in size and more distant from the Galactic plane than typical open clusters , and it does not belong to the Galactic bulge . Aims : Our aim is to determine the origin of this unique object by accurately determining its distance , metallicity , and age . The best way to reach this goal is to combine spectroscopic and photometric methods . Methods : We present medium-resolution observations of red clump and red giant branch stars in BH176 obtained with the Gemini South Multi-Object Spectrograph . We derive radial velocities , metallicities , effective temperatures , and surface gravities of the observed stars and use these parameters to distinguish member stars from field objects . Results : We determine the following parameters for BH176 : V _ { h } = 0 \pm 15 km/s , \mbox { [ Fe / H ] } = -0.1 \pm 0.1 , age 7 \pm 0.5 Gyr , E ( V - I ) = 0.79 \pm 0.03 , distance 15.2 \pm 0.2 kpc , \alpha -element abundance \mbox { [ $ \alpha$ / Fe ] } \sim 0.25 dex ( the mean of [ Mg/Fe ] , and [ Ca/Fe ] ) . Conclusions : BH176 is a member of old Galactic open clusters that presumably belong to the thick disk . It may have originated as a massive star cluster after the encounter of the forming thin disk with a high-velocity gas cloud or as a satellite dwarf galaxy .