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

The concept of moon phase displays 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 as moon phase displays 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.

Here’s a curated list of timepieces with the best moon phase displays.

• Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5MM Red Gold
• Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic Watch Day, Date, Moon Phase 42MM
• Bovet Dimier Récital 27
• Frederique Constant Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture
• Girard-Perragaux Cat’s Eye Celestial
• Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpetual Retrograde
• Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Diamond Automatic Moon Phase Watch
• Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase
• Zenith Elite Moonphase

Moon Phase Displays: Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5MM Red Gold

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.

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5MM Red Gold In A Nutshell

• Case: Platinum or rose gold, 41.5mm
• Functions and display: Crescent shaped moon display with Super-LumiNova-applied mother-of-pearl moon and handpainted constellations on aventurine sub-dial backdrop; Stellar Rays finish on dial; Hour and minute hands;
• Movement: Manual winding calibre A&S1512; 42-hour power reserve
• Strap: Prussian blue leather

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Shop The Collection

Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic Watch Day, Date, Moon Phase 42MM

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 displays 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.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Automatic Watch Day, Date, Moon Phase 42MM In A Nutshell

• Case: Stainless steel; 42mm
• Functions and display: moon phase sub-dial with two moons at six o’clock that doubles up as retrograde calendar; Hours, minutes, small second hands; day complications; grey dial
• Movement: Baumatic movement BM14 1975 AC2; 42-hour power reserve
• Strap: Black leather

Moon Phase Displays: Bovet Dimier Récital 27 

The Bovet Récital 27 has one busy dial. The 46.30mm ‘sloping desk’ case features triple time zone counters enclosing day/night indicators, engraved with the sun and the moon. In addition to the three time zones is a 3D, domed double moon phase sub-dial at six o’clock. Featuring a figure ‘8’ window sprinkled with stars, the lower section of the hemispheric precision moon phase is applied with Super-LumiNova and decorated with craters. This complication traces the lunar cycle for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The beauty of such moon phase displays is that it requires correction just once in every 122 years! The Récital 27 runs on the in-house produced 512-component calibre 13DM04-3FPL, and is operational via the cabochon crown.

Bovet Dimier Récital 27 In A Nutshell

• Case: Titanium or 18-karat red gold; 46.30mm; ‘sloping desk’ structure; cabochon crown
• Functions and display: 3D domed double hemispheric precision Super-LumiNova applied moon phase shaped as ‘8’ sub-dial at six o’clock; bicompax setup
• Movement: Automatic calibre 13DM04-3FPL; 42-hour power reserve
• Strap: Blue leather

In addition to the triple time zone of the Bovet Récital 27 is a 3D, domed double moon phase sub-dial at six o’clock

Featuring a figure ‘8’ window sprinkled with stars, the lower section of the hemispheric precision moon phase is applied with Super-LumiNova and decorated with craters

Bovet Récital 27 Shop The Collection

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, featuring blue, black, and silver dials, and in either titanium or rose gold variants. The 40mm watch runs on the brand’s 31st in-house movement, the calibre FC-735, which beats at a frequency of 28,800vph, and offers a sufficient power reserve of 50 hours. It integrates useful complications like an oversized big date, delicate moon phase, and practical power reserve indicator. Between two and three o’clock is the large, double-digit date window, and to balance the entire layout on the dial, a moon-phase indicator sits at six o’clock. On the silver timepiece, the starry night sky on the moon-phase indicator stands out in blue. The 18-karat rose gold version is paired with an anthracite-grey sun-brushed dial. Even the moon and stars shine through in rose gold on this timepiece. The fascinating texture on the meteorite dial is embellished by the starry night sky on the sub-dial housing the moon-phase indicator. All the three complications, as well as time-setting are controlled by a single, beautiful onion shaped crown at three o’clock.

Frederique Constant Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture In A Nutshell

• Case: Stainless steel or 18-karat rose gold; 40mm;  onion shaped crown at three o’clock; upto 50m water resistance
• Functions and display: Hours, minutes, chronograph, date, small seconds; Black blue or silver sun-brushed dials; crescent moon phase display at six o’clock
• Movement: Automatic calibre FC-735; 28,800vph; 50-hour power reserve
• Strap: Black or brown leather

Frederique Constant Manufacture Shop The Collection

Girard-Perregaux 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 guilloché, materials like aventurine and complications such as power reserve upto 46 hours, small seconds or moon phase display. On this featured watch, the moon phase display occupies the top half of the dial, enclosed within the pink gold case measuring 35.40 x 30.40mm. 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 sub-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.

Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye Celestial In A Nutshell

• Case: 18-karat pink gold, 35.40 x 30.40mm; bezel studded with 52 diamonds
• Functions and display: Hour and minute hands; diamond indices; guilloché dial; crescent moon phase with aventurine sub-dial for night sky and mother-of-pearl moon
• Movement: Automatic calibre ETA GP03300; 32 jewels; 28,800vph; power reserve upto 46 hours
• Strap: Midnight-blue alligator leather plus pink gold folding buckle embedded with 31 diamonds

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.

Moon Phase Displays: Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpetual Retrograde

The Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpétual Retrograde in 18-karat rose gold is lauded for the guilloché nest of a dial, an overarching retrograde date display going from eight o’clock to four o’clock, fluted bezel and cabochon 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.

Parmigiani Toric Quantième Perpetual Retrograde In A Nutshell

• Case: 18-karat pink gold, 42.5mm; fluted bezel; cabochon crown; open-worked caseback
• Functions and display: Hour and minute hands; guilloché dial; crescent moon phase with aventurine sub-dial for night sky and mother-of-pearl moon; Perpetual Calendar; Retrograde Date display
• Movement: Automatic calibre PF333; 32 jewels; 28,800vph; power reserve upto 50 hours
• Strap: Havana brown alligator leather strap with 18-karat rose gold pin buckle

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

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.

Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Diamond Automatic Moon Phase In A Nutshell

• Case: Polished steel in rose gold PVD; 34mm; bezel studded with 62 diamonds
• Functions and display: Contrasting blue hour and minute hands; Arabic numeral indices; mother-of-pearl dial; moon phase at six o’clock with aventurine sub-dial for night sky and mother-of-pearl moon, bottom half is patterned as music-inspired concentric waves
• Movement: Automatic calibre RW4280; 26 jewels; 28,800vph; power reserve upto 38 hours
• Strap: Blue calf leather in alligator grain embossing plus stainless steel folding clasp plated in rose gold PVD

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase

Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin started designing moon phase displays on their watches since the late 19th century. A moon phase 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. The 42mm rose gold case with polish and satin finishes, features matching Lance hands, fluted rose gold bezel and crown, and lugs. 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 when fully wound offers upto 60 hours of power reserve.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moon Phase In A Nutshell

• Case: 18-karat pink gold, 42mm; fluted rose gold bezel, crown and lugs; polish and satin finishes
• Functions and display: Moon phase with railway track pattern at six o’clock; Hour and minute Lance hands; small seconds sub-dial with rose gold hand; Roman numeral indices
• Movement: Automatic manufacture calibre UN-119; 32 jewels; 28,800vph; power reserve upto 60 hours
• Strap: Midnight-blue leather with rose gold pin buckle

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

Zenith Elite Moonphase

The Zenith Elite Classic watch features a moon phase counter at six o’clock, which depicts an evening blue sky, replete with yellow stars and a moon hiding behind fluffy clouds. Adding to the allure is a prominent sunray patterned dial, originating from the co-axial on the main dial, and peters down to the clouds in the moon phase sub-dial. Other alluring features of the watch is the polished bezel studded with 75 VS brilliant-cut diamonds, 0.60 carat each and the alligator leather straps lined in protective rubber fitted with a Tang pin buckle.

Zenith Elite Moon Phase In A Nutshell

• Case: 18-karat rose gold, 42mm; fluted rose gold bezel 75 VS brilliant-cut diamonds, 0.60 carat each 75 VS brilliant-cut diamonds, 0.60 carat each 75 VS brilliant-cut diamonds, 0.60 carat each; crown and lugs; polish and satin finishes
• Functions and display: Moon phase at six o’clock with moon hiding behind clouds; Rose gold hour and minute baton hands; sunray patterned dial; small seconds sub-dial with rose gold hand
• Movement: Automatic manufacture calibre UN-119; 32 jewels; 28,800vph; power reserve upto 60 hours
• Strap: Rugged denim blue leather with Tang pin buckle

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