The 13 Best Moonphase Watches

"It wasn't until the late medieval period, however, that something resembling a modern clock with astronomical complications was developed. One such complication that shows the phase of the moon as seen from Earth is particularly beloved - not necessarily for its utility, but for the whimsical manner in which the lunar surface is depicted, the romantic nature of the complication itself and the micro-mechanical precision required to render it with accuracy."

"One of the earliest uses of the moonphase complication in wristwatches is credited to none other than Patek Philippe, whose perpetual calendar with calibre 97975 was cased exactly one century ago in 1925. (Interestingly, its movement was developed in the 19th century for a ladies' pendant watch, showing that Patek long had the technology to develop a miniature perpetual calendar.)"

Human societies long devised methods to track celestial movements, but a modern clock with astronomical complications emerged in the late medieval period. The moonphase complication displays lunar phases as seen from Earth and is prized for its whimsical depiction, romantic appeal, and the micro-mechanical precision required. Patek Philippe produced one of the earliest wristwatch moonphases, casing a perpetual calendar with calibre 97975 in 1925, with its movement originally developed in the 19th century for a ladies' pendant watch. The moonphase spread to triple-calendar models and later to perpetual calendars from other brands. The affordable MoonSwatch brought moonphase indications to mass-market watches.

Read at InsideHook