Since When Have The First Moon Phase Watches Been Around?
The first wall clocks indicated the moon’s position in the early 16th century. With the quartz crisis in the 1970s, the mechanical clock lost its importance and this astronomical complication. It was not until 1983 that Blanc pain brought the moon phase display back to the world of mechanical watches with the caliber 6395.
The watch like Rolex cellini moonphase was such a success that many other manufacturers added the moon phase display to their ranges. Today there are moon phase displays in eyes in almost every price category, but with different levels of precision. A comparatively simple mechanism enables the representation. This display can also be added to basic calibers.
How Does A Moon Phase Watch Work?
From an astronomical point of view, the moon phase lasts precisely 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.9 seconds. The classic moon phase construction is rounded down to 29.5 days. However, half a day is challenging to translate into a mechanical gear train. Therefore, a gear train with 59 teeth is used two times 29.5 days with the simple moon phase display. There are two opposing moons on the lunar disk; only one can be seen on the dial. The gear train automatically moves the disc one tooth a day to correctly display the moon phase. The switching usually takes place at midnight. This moon phase display goes wrong around 8 hours a year or a whole day in three years. Then you have to correct them.
What Is An Accurate Moon Phase Display?
Of course, it can also be more precise: It gets exciting when watchmakers and engineers develop exact moon phases. With more complicated mechanisms, the moon phase display only needs to be corrected one day after more than one hundred or several hundred years. Here one speaks of a precise moon phase display.
The positions of the moon and the origin of the moon phases are thus exactly traceable. In the center of the display is the earth, which rotates once a day counterclockwise around its axis. The balance acts like the sun, so it is the day on this side. The moon phase display will not have to be corrected by one day for 1,058 years.
