Moonphase Monday - On Tuesday!

Apologies that we are a day late, here we go!

With Watches and Wonders upon us, the truly watch obsessed among us are about to be drinking out of a firehose as the brands push out everything that they've been working on. So I thought it might be nice to take a moment, and savor something really cool that (as far as I know) you will not be seeing in the Zoom sessions starting tomorrow.

This is the moon phase watch from ochs und junior.

It is offered in two sizes - 42 mm and 39 mm.  This one is 39 mm and in all honesty it is "Henki sized". Or as that other great commentator on the watch business, Goldilocks once observed, it is "just right".

Courtesy of ochs und junior

When we think about complications such as moon phases, we tend to think of things being, well, complicated.  Whereas some more august brands will boast about just how complicated their complications are, Ludwig Oechslin and his small team opt to go the other direction.

Life is complicated enough ; )

Until next time, don't let the moon phase you!

Moonphase Monday - A Speedmaster Steel with Yellow Gold

From Omega -

Courtesy of Omega

Truth be told, this may be a unicorn.

It is listed on the Omega site as currently unavailable, i.e. contact a boutique to join the waiting list. And for all I know, it's discontinued or an as yet-to-be delivered model. Long story short, I am not on the Omega PR Christmas card list ; )

But I am discovering as I get older and keep writing this "bloggy-wog" that I am a bit contrarian. So it seems fitting that this (let's be honest) anomaly caught my eye. I have no doubt that it is not everybody's baby, but I kinda' dig it.

Here are the pertinents, straight from Biel/Bienne -

WATCH CASE & DIAL

Case: Steel - yellow gold Case Diameter: 44.25 mm Dial Colour: Grey

WATER RESISTANCE

10 bar (100 metres / 330 feet)

MOVEMENT

Calibre: Omega 9904

Self-winding chronograph with column wheel and Co- Axial escapement. Certified Master Chronometer, approved by METAS, resistant to magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss. Silicon balance-spring, 2 barrels mounted in series. Central hour, minute and chronograph seconds hands, small seconds hand, date indication by hand, 12- hour and 60-minute recorders and moonphase indication. Rhodium plated finish with Geneva waves in arabesque.

Power reserve: 60 hours

CRYSTAL

Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides

Moonphase Monday - The Lunascape in Sunburst Blue

With MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Here are the pertinents -

Case

Stainless steel case with 6-screwed exhibition back
Diameter 40 mm
Height 12.0 mm

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Movement

ETA 2836-2 with MeisterSinger moon phase module
Automatic
25 jewels
28800 Semioscillations per h – 4 Hz
Power reserve 38 h

Glass

Domed sapphire glass

Moonphase Mon... Make that Tuesday

Okay, I can't really blame it on COVID, but clearly my head was elsewhere when the day flipped from Sunday to Monday. So a day late but hopefully not a dollar short, it's Moonphase Monday with the
Horaire Chronographe from Nivrel -

Courtesy of Nivrel

Bucking the norms, this watch is (overall) slightly smaller than you might expect, measuring 38.7 mm in diameter, but you have to accommodate the 7751, hence a height of 13 mm.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Hours, minutes, month, date, day, chronograph, 24 hour scale and moon phase.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement:

• Automatic movement calibre ETA Valjoux 7751
• Functions: Indication of hours, minutes, small second, week day, date, chronograph, month, 24-hours, and moon phase.

Case:

• Material: Stainless steel 316L, corpus matt, polished bezel, inner-rotating bezel, screwed crown
• Diameter: 38,7 mm
• Height: 13 mm
• Glass: Sapphire crystal
• Case back: Screwed case back with mineral crystal
• Water resistant: 5 bar

Dial:

• Art: Black galvanized dial
• Numerals: White print, indexes with Superluminova
• Hands: Steel hands covered with Superluminova

Strap:

• Material: Leather
• Color: Black
• Width: 20 mm
• Buckle: Signed clasp

Moonphase Monday - The Fiftysix Complete Calendar 18K 5N Pink Gold

From Vacheron Constantin -

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

Okay, it bears mentioning that I realize that for many readers - this writer included, the idea of owning a watch from Vacheron is akin to drinking water from the moon. But I also believe that she watches (not brands, but individual watches) are not unlike a singular work of art that you wear on your wrist. This is not "payola fluff". If I am completely honest, Vacheron makes some watches that frankly offend my sense of aesthetics. Eric Ripert is a wonderful chef and I truly enjoyed his memoir - 32 Yolks.  But the American from the Historiques collection for all its pedigree simply is not my jam, no matter how fondly he recounts acquiring it.  And then again, it also illustrates that we all have to dance to our own drumbeat ; )

But back to the Fiftysix Complete Calendar -

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

It is a beautifully executed design, and despite it costing more than my car, if money were no object I would be heading to the closest Vacheron boutique to pick one out.

Here are the pertinents -

CASE

• Material

  18K 5N pink gold

• Size (mm)

  40 mm

• Thickness (mm)

  11.60

• Caseback

  Transparent caseback, sapphire glass

• Water-resistance (bar)   

  3

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

MOVEMENT

• Reference

  2460 QCL/1

• Energy

  Self-winding

• Size (mm)

  29 (11 ¼''')

• Thickness (mm)

  5.4

• Number of parts

  308

• Number of jewels

  27

• Power reserve (hours)

  40

• Frequency

  28800 v.p.h. (4 Hz)

• Indications

  Hours, Minutes, Second in center, day of the week in apperture, stop seconds device, month in aperture, hand-type date, precision moon phase

• Certification

  Hallmark of Geneva

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Moonphase Monday - the ochs und junior moon phase

In oj blue -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

A moon phase with incredibly accuracy, the ochs und junior moon phase eschews the two extremes of this complication: either incredibly complex, or mindlessly dumb with a snap on module.  This one utilizes something completely different -  original thinking.

An ETA 2824-2 undergoes a colossal overhaul... just kidding ; ). A grand total of 5 additional parts make up the complication which operate in harmony with the ETA 2824-2 -

Courtesy of Ochs Und Junior

Per ochs und junior, the secret sauce contains a -

5-part epicyclic gear system designed by Ludwig Oechslin. The calculation is precise for 3,478.27 years before it is off by one day. 

Suffice it to say, keep it wound and you should be good to go.

The case can be had in either titanium or silver, and in (I believe) 3 sizes - 36, 39 and 42 mm in diameter.

Here are the pertinents on the moon phase oj blue, straight from the source -

42mm case | Grade 5 titanium | “oj blue” dial, date disk, and moon disk | White Super-LumiNova markers and sun at 12 o’clock | White Super-LumiNova hour and minute hands | Second hand in dial color for instant visibility of the time | White Super-LumiNova full moon | Dark side of the moon in gray | Orange Super-LumiNova date dot | Choice of strap

Moonphase Monday - The Slimline Moonphase Manufacture

From Frederique Constant -

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

The case measures 42 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel. The movement is Frederique Constant's FC-705, which is automatic and boasts 42 hours of power reserve.

But as the title suggests, Mondays are for moonphase features and the Slimline Moonphase has one that I particularly appreciate. Big and easy to read at 6 o'clock, with a date indicator incorporated.

Here are the penitents -

MOVEMENT: 

FC-705 AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT. 26 JEWELS, 28'800 ALT/H AND 42 POWER RESERVE, WITH HOURS, MINUTES, MOONPHASE, DATE BY HAND.

CASE: 

STAINLESS STEEL CASE, DIAMETER OF 42MM WITH CONVEX SAPPHIRE AND 2-O-RINGS CROWN, HEIGHT 11.3MM. WATER-RESISTANT TO 3 ATM.

DIAL: 

SILVER, CURVED, APPLIED SILVERED INDEXES.

STRAP: 

ALLIGATOR STRAP.

Until next time - don't let the moon phase you!

Moonphase Monday - The Royale Saphir

From Pequignet -

Courtesy of Pequignet

This one is very limited (10 pieces only) and  definitely belongs in the "Go Big, or Go Home" category.  Pequignet makes a lot of beautiful, classic watches with more traditional moon phase functions. But this one embraces a more modern design aesthetic without losing its "Pequignet sais quoi". The case is of Rose Gold 5N, and the movement is Pequignet's Calibre Royal EPM01 which boasts a very impressive 88 hours of power reserve. Hours, minutes, seconds (via sub-dial at 4 o'clock), day, date and a seductively designed moon phase indicator at 6 o'clock.

This fascinating time machine can be purchased from the team at Grenon's in Rhode Island who (and yes, I am biased) are the perfect representatives for Pequignet here in the US. For those of you outside of the lower 48, you can contact your local/regional retail partner or contact Pequignet directly.