Round-UpHere Comes The Sun: Presenting Timepieces With Stunning Day-And-Night Displays

In simple terms, day-night indicators on a watch dial are usually sub-dials with a rotating disc that correspond with the movement of the sun or the moon, loosely suggesting whether it is AM or PM in one’s local time. Considering the advances in watchmaking, a simple day-night indicator may not be as fascinating a complication as a world-timer, which usually displays a dual-hued 24-hour scale, or moon-phase indicator that displays the 29.5-day moon cycle. Indeed, among watch enthusiasts, one argument is that a day-and-night indicator alone on a watch serves little purpose unless one lives in a cave. The counter argument is that every wristwatch needn’t necessarily be a tool watch. Still, having a day-night indicator on a wristwatch is sometimes useful when one is travelling far from home. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that this simple 24-hour disc with either a sun and moon or AM and PM etched onto it makes for some of the most elegant displays on a timepiece. Here are the best day-night indicator watches available today.

Bovet Dimier Récital 27

Displaying myriad beautiful complications on its dial, including a day-night indicator, moon-phase display and three time zones, the Bovet Dimier Récital 27 timepiece is captivating, to say the least. A 46.3mm, the sloping ‘writing desk’ case houses the manual-winding in-house calibre 13DM04-3FPL, which is partially visible on the dial side. On this active dial, besides central timekeeping, there are two other time zones displayed on sub-dials at nine and three o’clock. Two corresponding discs with city names associated with the 24 time zones sit above the sub-dials, whose centres showcase a day-night indicator against a dark blue background. A sun, moon and stars are engraved onto this rotating disc, and is a rather useful complication on this Bovet Dimier Recital 27 timepiece that tracks three different time zones. On a third sub-dial at six o’clock, a dual moon-phase indicator displays a luminous moon against a background of stars through an 8-shaped window.

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Carl F. Bucherer Manero Central Counter

The Carl F. Bucherer Manero Central Counter timepieces feature the day and night indication on a sub-dial at nine o’clock, also marked with the 24-hour scale. This day and night indicator’s main purpose seems quite obvious—to balance the small seconds sub-dial at three o’clock. The watch itself is a fascinating take on a chronograph. The 42.5mm steel timepiece features a black DLC coated bezel marked with a tachymeter scale in white. With a height of 14.43mm, the watch seems large, but fits comfortably on the wrist. Dials in an earthy salmon, brown, green or blue hues feature a circular brushed finish, with the two counters at three and nine in a contrasting black that matches the central minute/seconds track along the periphery of the watch. Rectangular indexes and wedge hands are filled with Super-LumiNova, and a date window at six offsets the brand logo at 12 o’clock. Two central chronograph hands—white for seconds and black for minutes—tick away simultaneously when started. Powered by the automatic CFB 1967 calibre, the watch offers a power reserve of up to 44 hours. Sporty and comfortable, yet smart, the day and night indicator fits rather well on this daily-wear Manero Central Counter chronograph watch.

The main purpose of the day-night indicator on the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Central Counter seems quite obvious—to balance the small seconds sub-dial at three o’clock

₹8,42,000

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The day and night indicator fits rather well on this sporty and comfortable, yet smart, daily-wear Manero Central Counter chronograph watch

₹8,42,000

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The Chronoswiss Day-Night Flying Regulator 

On the Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Night and Day timepiece, the day-night indicator displayed via a semi-circular window at nine o’clock is more of a cosmetic addition to the dial to balance the triple date window at three o’clock. However, decorated with Super-LumiNova-filled stars and a moon on half the disc and the sun against a sky-blue background on the other half, it does enhance the overall aesthetic of the timepiece. On the non-coaxial matt-finished watch-face, a leaf-shaped minutes hand takes centrestage, while hours are displayed in a sub-dial at 12, offset by a partially-skeletonised seconds sub-dial at six. The multi-level construction of various elements on the face of the watch give it a distinct dimensionality. This well-balanced layout is housed in a 41mm steel case with a knurled bezel and oversized onion crown. Inside the Chronoswiss Flying Regulator Night and Day timepiece is the automatic manufacture calibre C.296, whose finishes are visible through the open caseback.

Czapek Place Vendôme Titanium ‘Ombres’

Subtle with all its myriad displays, barring essential timekeeping of hours and minutes, the Czapek Place Vendôme Titanium ‘Ombres’ timepiece actually packs in quite a bit of information for a watch that is so well balanced. The 43mm case is crafted from titanium, a futuristic metal for a watch that evokes the 1800s. Polished finishes on the case are offset by a matt-finished recess along the case middle. The ‘Ombres’ or shadowed dial features monochromatic tones of black, grey and silver that complement the dull sheen of the titanium case. At 12 o’clock on the dial is the main timekeeping sub-dial with hour markers against a grand feu enamel chapter ring in black that frames a grained grey centre. Arrow shaped hours and minutes hands tell the time, and at six on this sub-dial is a discreetly recessed power reserve indicator. Two sub-dials placed harmoniously on the lower half of the dial are perfectly balanced. On the left is the one-minute tourbillon with a single blued screw indicating the seconds, while on the right is the second time zone in a 12-hour format. At six o’clock on the dial is the small but beautiful day and night indicator in relief, with a bright sun for AM and a moon and two stars indicating PM. On this timepiece, the day and night indicator serves an actual purpose—complementing the 12-hour second time zone.

At six o’clock on the dial of the Czapek Place Vendôme Titanium ‘Ombres’ timepiece is the small but beautiful day and night indicator in relief, with a bright sun for AM and a moon and two stars indicating PM. On this timepiece, the day and night indicator serves an actual purpose—complementing the 12-hour second time zone

Girard-Perregaux’s Day-Night Cat’s Eye

The distinctive, easily identifiable oval shape of the Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye timepieces, usually decorated with a diamond-paved bezel, offer a beautiful canvas for a day and night indicator on the dial. The pink gold case, measuring just over 30mm, features a bezel lined with diamonds, while the high-jewellery version in white gold has a bezel and lugs decorated with 52 diamonds that reflect light from all angles. Aventurine glass dials form the backdrop for the day-night indicator on a sub-dial at six o’clock. Here, a semi-circular window displays an etching of the sun, moon and stars on a rose gold disc. Incidentally, this sub-dial also houses the small seconds. On the Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye Day and Night High Jewellery timepiece, 149 diamonds decorate the aventurine glass dial and small seconds sub-sub dial, with a silvered moon and sun disc that immediately catches the eye. These Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye Day and Night watches are powered by the brand’s automatic GP03300-0090 calibre, offering a power reserve of at least 46 hours when fully wound.

An aventurine glass dial forms the backdrop for the day and night indicator on a sub-dial of the Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye Day and Night timepiece

₹41,40,000

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On the Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye Day And Night High Jewellery timepiece, diamonds decorate the aventurine glass dial and small seconds sub-dial, with a silvered moon and sun

₹48,09,100

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Jaeger-LeCoultre And The Day-Night Rendez-Vous 

Introduced in 2012 as a collection of mechanical watches designed specifically for women, down to the calibres within, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous collection features some stunning day-night displays for daily wear, as well as for a formal do. The brand’s Classic Night & Day collection features cases sized at 29mm and 34mm in steel or rose gold, with or without diamonds on the bezel. Dials on these timepieces feature a radiating guilloche pattern or are made from mother-of-pearl. In larger 36mm case sizes in rose gold or white gold, the brand’s Dazzling Night and Day timepieces stand out for the double row of diamonds on the bezel and lugs, even as smaller diamonds decorate the dial. At six o’clock, the day-night indicator is displayed in an elliptical window. Blued or rose gold moon, stars and sun match the hands on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Classic Night and Day, while the Dazzling timepieces feature numerals, hands and celestial bodies that match the material of the cases.

Jeager-LeCoultre's Classic Night & Day collection features cases sized at 29mm and 34mm in steel or rose gold, with or without diamonds on the bezel

₹15,40,000

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Dials on the Classic Night & Day timepieces feature a radiating guilloche pattern as seen here, or are made from mother-of-pearl

₹14,60,000

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In larger 36mm case sizes, in rose gold or white gold, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Dazzling Night and Day timepieces stand out for the double row of diamonds on the bezel and lugs

₹53,50,000

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At six o’clock on the dial, the day-and-night indicator is displayed in an elliptical window

₹47,60,000

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Panerai Submersible S Brabus eTitanio

On a dive watch such as the Panerai Submersible S Brabus eTitanio, a day or night indicator makes absolute sense. That is not to say the wearer will spend all day or night under water, but to have AM or PM indicated at just a glance in the dark ocean would be a definite plus. Sized at 47mm, the cushion shaped case of the Panerai Submersible S Brabus eTitanio is made from recycled titanium powder and is crafted using a 3D laser printing process called Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) technology. Along with the brand’s Carbotech bezel, this e-titanium watch, while sizeable, doesn’t feel too heavy on the wrist. Sapphire crystal glass protects the dial and open caseback and the watch offers a water resistance of 300 metres. On the partially skeletonised dial, at nine o’clock is the small seconds sub-dial with an AM/PM indicator marked in red and white with a lume-filled hand. All indexes, hands and the arrow indicator for the day and night indication are luminescent. The Panerai Submersible S Brabus eTitanio is powered by the brand’s P.4001/S automatic calibre, with a 72-hour power reserve, which is indicated on the caseback right next to the tungsten rotor.

Sized at 47mm, the cushion shaped case of the Panerai Submersible S Brabus eTitanio is made from recycled titanium powder and is crafted using a 3D laser printing process

₹44,71,400

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On the partially skeletonised dial, at nine o’clock is the small seconds sub-dial with a lume-filled hand, and an AM/PM display indicated via a small red lume-filled arrow

₹44,71,400

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Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemispheres Retrograde, With Day-Night

A dual-time watch, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemispheres Retrograde won the GPHG in the Travel Time category for its two time zone modules on the PF317 calibre. Both these time zones can be adjusted via two crowns, regardless of whether the second zone has a 30-minute or 60-minute difference from the GMT meridian. While central timekeeping hands and a small seconds sub-dial at six display the local time, a sub dial at 12 displays a second time. Two AM-PM indicators on the dial—at 1.15 and within the sub-dial at six—correspond with these two time zones, marked in deep blue and white for night and day. Besides this fascinating-looking complication displayed neatly on the blue guilloche dial, the watch also offers a retrograde date display in an arc from two to 10 o’clock on the dial. An off-centred sapphire crystal window on the caseback of the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemispheres Retrograde steel timepiece offers a view of the automatic movement.

A dual-time watch, the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hemispheres Retrograde displays two AM-PM indicators on the dial, corresponding with the different time zones

The watch also offers a retrograde date display in an arc from two to 10 o’clock on the dial

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Ressence Type 3 Eucalyptus

Like all their displays, even the day and night indicator on the Ressence Type 3 Eucalyptus timepiece is inspired, yet subtle. The non-coaxial time displays are augmented by the use of oil between the eucalyptus-hued dial and curved sapphire crystal to enhance the refraction of numerals onto the glass. The 44mm titanium case features a rotating caseback that functions as the crown to wind the movement, and houses the ROCS 3.5 automatic calibre. Rotating discs courtesy of the brand’s Ressence Orbital Convex System, or ROCS, display the date on the periphery, and minutes in a concentric circle within. The hour disc is the largest sub-dial, while the smallest is the running seconds. Two other sub-dials display the oil temperature, with desaturated blue and red markers, and the day and date, with seven indexes, two of which are marked in a muted red hue. This is where the genius of the day and night indicator lies. The hand on this sub-dial moves clockwise, as it would over any other sub dial, so morning would be indicated in the first half of the index, while in the evening the hand moves closer to the next subsequent index. What’s interesting here is that the two red markers indicate the weekend, setting a sort of reference point to the rest of the week. The Ressence Type 3 Eucalyptus is creativity in motion as the watch-face changes with every passing minute, and yet, legibility remains uncompromised.

Non-coaxial time displays on the Ressence Type 3 Eucalyptus watch are augmented by the use of oil between dial and crystal to enhance the refraction of numerals onto the glass

₹42,90,000

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The day-night display, where two red markers indicate the weekend, shows that it is Thursday evening

₹42,90,000

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The 44mm titanium case features a rotating caseback that functions as the crown to wind the movement, and houses the ROCS 3.5 automatic calibre

₹42,90,000

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The Ressence Type 3 Eucalyptus timepiece is creativity in motion as the watch-face changes with every passing minute, and yet, legibility remains uncompromised

₹42,90,000

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All of these timepieces prove that while the day-and night-display might not serve much purpose in everyday life, the complication on a dial makes for a beautiful representation as celestial bodies themselves are fascinating enough to decorate a watch dial with.

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