Round-UpWaxing Eloquent: Top Watches With Stellar Moon Phase Displays

The concept of moon phases was discovered eons before the era of script and foundation of any religion or language. People kept tabs on the lunar cycle for their hunting and migrating activities; the earliest evidence of this was discovered in Scotland—a 10,000-year-old lunar calendar consisting of a series of 12 large, specially shaped pits which resembled the different moon phases. Archaeologists believe that the hunter-gatherers of Mesolithic Britain used the calendar to keep track of the passage of the seasons and the lunar cycle. As humans continued to evolve, they desired to understand the movement of celestial bodies. This led to the development of the Antikythera mechanism. Built by the ancient Greeks in 205 BC, the astronomical calculator was able to display the position of the moon, dates, and even the timing for the ancient Olympic Games. The emergence of this ‘poetic complication’ on watches started by brands putting two identical moons on a disc under the dial. It was controlled by a 59-tooth driving wheel that uses a mechanical finger to advance the disc once per day. After every lunar cycle, 29.5 days, the second moon replaces the first moon, creating a total of 59 teeth (29.5 x 2). As a result, the moon phase watches will be off the mark by one whole day once every two years, seven and a half months, which implies the wearer must manually adjust the watch once every three years. At present, luxe watches feature a 135-tooth driving wheel to ensure accuracy and will only be off by one day after 122 years.

Here’s listing mechanical timepieces with the best moon phase displays.

Arnold & Son Perptual Moon 41.5MM And MintNight

The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon collection in steel, gold and platinum, is noted for their larger-than-life moon phase displays. In particular, the Perpetual Moon 41.5mm gold and platinum versions stand out for their dials, made resplendent with the unique ‘stellar rays’ finish—irregular lacquered engraving with crevices, causing a play of light and shadow. The Super-LumiNova-applied moon crafted from mother-of-pearl and placed against the backdrop of a stunning Prussian blue aventurine night sky. These iterations run on the same manual-winding calibre A&S1512, which powered the earlier editions of this astronomical wonder.

The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon features a Super-LumiNova applied moon crafted from mother-of-pearl and placed against the backdrop of stunning Prussian blue aventurine night sky

₹37,00,000

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The Perpetual Moon 41.5mm gold and platinum versions stand out for their dials, made resplendent with the unique ‘stellar rays’ finish—irregular lacquered engraving with crevices, causing a play of light and shadow

₹40,80,000

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The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight is enhanced by the sparkling ruthenium moon and dial foreground, coupled with a total of 80 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel, horns, hour markers, and the crown

₹64,00,000

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Another version that deserves mention is the Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight, is an unconventional attempt at portraying the night sky. The 38mm case, made from 18-karat white-gold, showcases the night in shades of mint green, turquoise, teal, and sky blue, hand-painted constellations and a gentle graduation of the mother-of-pearl clouds. This watch is enhanced by the sparkling ruthenium moon and dial foreground, coupled with a total of 80 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel, horns, hour markers, and the crown. This 18-piece limited-edition features an additional 22 diamonds on the buckle; the total weight amounting to 2.57 carats.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic Watch Day, Date, Moon Phase

The Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic Watch, Day, Date, Moon Phase—42mm is a stainless steel iteration that features a grey lacquered dial in sunray finish with a moon phase sub-dial posited at six o’clock. In the previous timepiece, only the space displaying the night sky is openworked. The latest version feature imagery of a starry night sky with two moons. The sub-dial is partly visible and partly covered by a translucent grey sapphire crystal that appears like a cloud. With the reliable Baumatic movement BM14 1975 AC2, decorative technicalities like the moon phase and day-date complications, and subtle dial hues, the Baume & Mercier Clifton Day-Date Moon-Phase watch is set to impress with its understated elegance.

Bovet Récital 23

The Bovet Récital 23 complies with the brand’s ‘haute horlogorie’ aesthetic, by featuring 174 round-cut diamonds on the 18-karat red gold case plus 72 diamonds on the bezel. Its highlights, however, are the oval-shaped 43mm case with ‘writing slope’ construction, off-centre dial placed at six o’clock, and a moon phase indicator at 12 o’clock. In particular, the moon phase stands out for its hand-engraved hemispherical design infused with Super-LumiNova, and 3D circular aperture. This moon phase as practical as it is beautiful, as the complication moon phase requires correction only once every 122 years. Moreover, the brand incorporated a push button into the cabochon-cut sapphire crown to adjust the moon phase. The stellar aventurine dial with 10 twinkling diamond studded hour markers perfectly juxtapositions the display as the night sky.

The Bovet Récital 23 features a moon phase display that stands out for its hand-engraved hemispherical design infused with Super-LumiNova, and 3D circular aperture. Moreover, this complication moon phase requires correction only once every 122 years

Frederique Constant Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture

Frederique Constant marked their 35th anniversary in 2023 by unveiling the Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture collection. This significant release, driven by the brand’s 31st in-house movement, the Calibre FC-735, integrates useful complications like an oversized double date aperture at 2:30 (between two and three o’clock), practical 50-hour power reserve indicator at nine o’clock and delicate moon phase at six o’clock. The semicircular moon phase indicator has a darker blue shade that the textured meteorite dial in this iteration. It resembles an umbrella, appears subtle in its execution yet still detailed in its smooth moon disc and five-pointed tiny stars, all elements are Super-LumiNova applied. Operating this complication is the self-winding mechanical calibre FC-735, which is Frederique Constant’s 31st manufacture movement.

Girard-Perragaux Cat’s Eye Celestial

Drawing inspiration from the elusive feline, Girard-Perregaux launched the exclusive Cat’s Eye Celestial that combines haute horlogerie and joaillerie. This variation of dials features distinctive, horizontal or vertical oval cases. Each watch is a masterpiece as it showcases the 230-year-old brand’s craftsmanship and creativity through artworks created using techniques such as guilloche, materials like aventurine and complications such as power reserve, small seconds or moon phase display. On this featured watch, the moon phase display occupies the top half of the dial. A mother-of-pearl moon set against a starry, twinkling Aventurine night sky. This moon disc, measuring 9mm in diameter, takes 59 days to complete one rotation. This lunar complication is powered by the in-house GP03300. The deep blue of the glittering aventurine dial, recalling a night sky full of stars, contrasts with the delicate hand-polished and guilloche mother-of-pearl elements of the Cat’s Eye Celestial. Adding to the starry glimmer are the diamond paved horizontal dividers, bullet-shaped hour markers, 52 diamonds on the bezel, and 31 diamonds on the strap buckle. This dressy timepiece comes fastened with a midnight-blue alligator strap or pink gold bracelet.

On Girard-Perragaux Cat’s Eye Celestial, the moon phase display features a mother-of-pearl moon set against a starry, twinkling Aventurine night sky. This moon disc, measures 9mm in diameter, and takes 59 days to complete one rotation.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Quantième Lunaire

The Duomètre Quantième Lunaire by Jaeger-LeCoultre comes in a 42mm, 18-karat pink gold case that is polished and satin-brushed. This watch extols a unique dial symmetry where the home time is contained within a sub-dial at three o’clock, which is the same size of the moon phase next it at nine o’clock, and a smaller jumping stop seconds counter at six o’clock. It gets even better as this is a moon phase calendar, which also points to the date. Contained within is a rose gold moon peeping from fluffy white clouds, imprinted with the words ‘quantième lunaire’, meaning lunar calendar, and surrounded by small twinkling stars. Powering the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre Quantième Lunaire is the manual-winding manufacture calibre 381, which beats at 21,600vph and offers upto 50 hours power reserve. Here, these two separate barrels, supply energy to two separate hour-minute and moon phase calendar mechanisms. The jumping stop seconds system displayed through a counter at six o’clock, ensures accuracy of up to 1/6th of a second, and the calendar even displays the age of the moon.

Longines Flagship Heritage Moon Phase

The Longines Flagship Heritage Moon Phase watch, released in 2023, extended the brand’s legendary Flagship Heritage collection. This pictured stainless steel version appears minimalist, with dainty timekeeping elements such as stick indexes and lume applied sword hands contained within the 38.5mm case. What lends character to the watch, however, is the impressive moon phase calendar at six o’clock. Within this counter the top half is indented with a glistening gold moon and stars atop cottony clouds featuring the word ‘automatic’; indicative of the in-house movement powering this complication. This is the L899.5 self-winding mechanical movement, which offers upto 72 hours of power reserve, also operates the date indicator hand.

Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétual Retrograde

The Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétual Retrograde in 18-karat rose gold is lauded for the guilloche nest of a dial, an overarching retrograde date display going from eight o’clock to four o’clock, fluted bezel and crown, and a moon phase counter with glittering aventurine backdrop at six o’clock. This counter takes lunar display to the next level by indicating the north and south hemispheres. A ‘N’ headlined with an upward arrow and ‘S’ with down facing arrow marks this counter that is underlined with the phrase ‘Luna de Precision’, promising an accurate representation of the real-time moon phase. A subtle encouragement to this precision is the day and month apertures close to the coaxial.

The Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétual Retrograde takes moon phase displays to the next level by indicating the north and south hemispheres with ‘N’ headlined with an upward arrow and ‘S’ with down facing arrow

Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Diamond Automatic Moon Phase Watch

Don McLean’s ‘Starry Starry Night’ comes to mind seeing the Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Diamond Automatic Moon phase watch. Entirely from polished steel in rose gold PVD, the 34mm case brims of feminine energy with an eye-catching bezel studded in 62 diamonds, like diamond ring fit for a queen. Along with other dial elements like Arabic numerals, brand logo, and a date aperture at three o’clock, the focus of this dial is the moon phase sub-dial positioned at six o’clock. The circular counter features a crescent-shape patch of night sky replete with stars and a moon, while the bottom half is patterned as music-inspired concentric waves, matching the title ‘Maestro’. A tag ‘automatic’ is placed in the cloud, harking to the watch’s in-house calibre RW4280 that beats at 28,800vph and promises 38 hours power reserve. This movement is meticulously built, features Geneva stripes on the rotor and bridges, a smooth rhodium-finish on the rest of the body, and the entire construction is held together by 26 jewels. The watch comes attached to a blue calf leather strap in alligator grain embossing, secured by a stainless steel folding clasp plated in rose gold PVD, made operational by a double push-security system.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase

Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin started designing moon phase watches since the late 19th century. A moonphase display on an oceangoing/nautical watch is more than symbolic, as witnessed in the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase watch presented in 2021 as limited editions. Due to massive public demand, the brand reintroduced the watch as a non-limited edition in 2022. The 42mm rose gold case with polish and satin finishes, features matching Lance hands, fluted rose gold bezel and crown, and lugs. Complementing this glint is the varnished white dial with navy blue timekeeping elements such as the hour markers in Roman numerals, brand logo, and the vertically stacked counters. While the counter at 12 o’clock is the power reserve indicator, it is the moon phase display at six o’clock that captivates. Outlined by a slim railway track pattern, the counter fulfils a dual purpose as it also showcases the small seconds. The top half features a crescent-shaped aperture revealing a realistic depiction of the moon with grey-ish craters, surrounded by dark blue starry night sky, and partially submerged in fluffy white clouds. A tiny rose gold hand points to the seconds represented by three Roman numerals—20, 40, and 60. The imprint ‘Chronometre’ at the bottom, indicates the watch movement is COSC certified; the movement is the in-house automatic manufacture calibre UN-119, which features a silicon balance-spring and DiamonSil treatment on the escapement wheel and anchor, and when fully wound offers upto 60 hours of power reserve.

The Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase features a crescent-shaped aperture revealing a realistic depiction of the moon with grey-ish craters, partially submerged in fluffy white clouds with the imprint ‘Chronometre’, indicating the watch movement is COSC certified