10 moonphase watches that interpret the complication differently

At its simplest, a moonphase display allows the wearer to see the face of the moon as observed from the earth, or to track the current phase of the moon, be it full, half, or a new moon. A moonphase complication is designed on the basis of the time taken by the moon to complete a lunar cycle i.e 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds, or 29.5 days. While the most conventional way of showcasing this on a dial is via moonphase ‘window’, several watch brands have masterfully interpreted it in different ways, be it through material innovation or craftsmanship. Below are 10 moonphase watches that go beyond the usual…

Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel 7327

Paying tribute to the brand's early automatic timepieces designed with the perpetual calendar mechanism, the Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel 7327 features a moonphase indicator between 1 and 2 o’clock with the blue lacquer-coated sky and a hammered moon that gives it a touch of realism. The 502.3.P movement, which is an extended version of the Calibre 502 combined with a calendar feature, powers the watch. Read all the details about the watch here.

Konstantin Chaykin Kolobok

Presenting the moonphase complication in a creative way, Konstantin Chaykin’s Kolobok is a playful timepiece displaying moonphase via the openwork yellow circle in the mouth; generally, the mouth of this Wristmon (‘Wrist Monster’) watches are typically employed as moonphase indicators, but in the case of the Kolobok, it also becomes a day-of-the-week indicator. The automatic K.18-20 calibre (based on ETA 2892-A2), drives the watch. Read full details of the watch here.

Arnold & Son Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite

Bringing alive a 3D moon on the wrist is Arnold & Son’s Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite, making the moonphase complication visually appealing. The timepiece features a moon, half formed with Cacholong opal and the other half from blue PVD meteorite; the moon revolves to mirror the actual phase seen from earth. One can see the time and moonphase in dark also, thanks to the blue-green glowing Super-LumiNova coating on the hour subdial and opal half of the moon. A new in-house, hand-wound movement A&S 1021, powers the timepiece.

Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow

The fascinating timepiece is capable of tracking the moon’s orbit accurately for 128 years. There are two three-dimensional moons on the dial, opposite to each other; while one moon tells the exact phase of the moon, the other one hides beneath the smoked glass. The moon glows, thanks to the Grade X1 GL C1 Super-LumiNova® that is coated on them for the 'moonglow'. The automatic Calibre JJ04 runs the watch.

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Sarpaneva Lunations Black Ruthenium

Stepan Serpaneva, founder of the eponymous brand, has a fondness for the complication, and as a result, all moonphase watches by the brand are unique and highly artistic. One such piece is the Lunations Black Ruthenium, limited to 10 pieces only. The dial displays a moon face at 6 o’clock, and on the caseback there are two moons that rotate and cover the moon on the dial to tell the right phase. The timepiece only needs to be adjusted for a single day of error, once every 14,000 years, as its accuracy of lunation lasts 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.3 seconds, thanks to the Sarpaneva Moonment® calibre beating inside the watch.

Hermès Arceau L’heure De La Lune

First introduced in SIHH 2019, the Arceau L’heure De La Lune grabs eyeballs with its dial incorporating the moonphase complication. The blue mother of a pearl dial displays grey lacquered hours and date subdials, and two white natural mother-of-pearl moons opposite each other. The striking part of the dial is the mobile counters that overshadow the moons to showcase the correct phase. The timepiece is equipped with the Hermès Manufacture self-winding movement H1837, with the "Lunar Time" module.

De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar

The moonphase on the DB25 Perpetual Calendar is certainly dainty, but does its job with accuracy. A big round aperture is located at 12 o’clock, inside which is the moonphase sphere on the star lit background, just above the gold palladium leap year indication. Further, on the hand guillochéd dial there is a date counter at 6 o’clock, month window at 3 o’clock, and a week of the day window at 9 o’clock. The timepiece is fitted with the self-winding DB2324 Calibre.

Ulysse Nardin Executive Moonstruck Worldtimer

The timepiece is encased with a worldtimer and features an astronomical display starting from the Northern Hemisphere placed centrally circled by the date indicator counter. One can also see the slightly tilted orbit of the moon, and the disk for the sun that carries hours from 1 to 24 and rotates once every 24 hours. On the periphery of the dial, there is a city ring. The in-house calibre UN-106 powers the watch.

CVDK Real Moon Tides

Titled as the most accurate 3D moonphase in the world to be encased in a mechanical watch, the deviation occurs only one day in 11,000 years. Apart from the 3D moon, a moon's miniature and shows the right phase of the moon at 6 o’clock, there is a tides indicator located at 12 o’clock, which shows the waves go up and down. The timepiece is equipped with automatic calibre CVDK7383. On the caseback, there is a rotor engraved with planets and stars, along with the logo of the brand.

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept

Here is a minimalistic moonphase encased in a 42mm diameter. Devoid of any hour makers, date, or day features, the blue Aventurine dial only has a moonphase aperture located at 6 o’clock. Equipped with the hand-wound movement HMC 801, the timepiece can showcase the correct moonphase up to 1,027 years as it only requires a correction once after 1,027 years. It is a limited edition of 50 pieces only.

Images: Courtesy brands

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