Moon Phase Watches at THE WATCHERY

At 3am Tuesday morning as I was staring up at the rare lunar eclipse , it occurred to me the extent to which humanity is transfixed with the moon. Although one may not always be consciously aware of it, one expect to see the moon in its various stages of waxing and waning hovering above us in the nights sky. Looking up at the strange burnt orange hue of moon, I suddenly realized the novelty of wearing a watch with the moon phase complication. A complication which mirrors the happenings in the heavens above. IWC
Grande Complication Perpetual Calendar IW927020
THE WATCHERY PRICE $238,500 Save 25%

A moon phase complication depicts the varying phases of the moon: New Moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. A lovely example of a moon phase is at the 12 'o' clock position of the IWC Grande Complication Perpetual Calender. The case and bracelet of this luxury timepiece is crafted from platinum.

Below I will briefly describe the basics of the watch components of the moon phase. The phases of the moon are usually displayed on a disc visible via an aperture, or more rarely by a hand. A typical moon phase watch a disc portraying two moons is driven by a wheel with 59 teeth. Every 24 hours a finger turns the wheel by one notch. In reality a lunation lasts 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds or 29.53 days; however, the lunation displayed by an ordinary moon phase watch lasts 29.5 days thus the moon phase depicted on the watch is out one day every 2 years, 7 months and approximately 20 days. Astronomical moon phase watches compensate for this difference by utilizing a wheel with 135 teeth, thus achieving a lunation of 29 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes. This reduces the difference to just one day every 122 years.
Many watch companies invent new ways of depicting the moon phase. The De Buthune DB25 Moon Phase Watch reveals a spherical moon phase below the 12 'o' clock. Consisting of two hemispheres, one in steel and the other in platinum, rotates on its own axis.
You may have noticed most moon phase complications adorn the dials of men's watches; however, true to Girard-Perregaux's Cat's Eye Movement Collection which adds complications to women's watches, a gorgeous moon phase luxury watch accompanied by the signs of the zodiac mark the waxing and waning of the moon. (Click here for more info about Girard-Perregaux's Cat's Eye Movement Collection)

Moon phase Watches are available at THE WATCHERY