By TERENCE TOH. On July 20, 1969, United States astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to step on the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin both had Omega Speedmasters strapped on, making it the first watch worn on the moon. A Moon phase watch is, in essence, a miniature recreation of the different phases of the Moon displayed in an aperture on the dial.
The phases of the moon are determined by the amount of direct sunlight that shines on the moon’s surface at any given point in time. The moon is always illuminated by sunlight, to some degree. The moon orbits the Earth every 29.5 days. As it orbits the Earth, it appears to be getting bigger (waxing) or smaller (waning). There are five phases of the moon: new, crescent, quarter, gibbous and full.
There are 8 main phases of the moon: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent. These phases repeat themselves about once every 29.5 days. Interesting Moon Phases watch Facts:
The Moon appears to change shape because we see different amounts of the lit part as the Moon orbits Earth. When the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, the lit side is hidden from us. As it moves around Earth, more and more of the lit side comes into view.
Seasons of the Moon is a series of paranormal novels for young adult audiences by SM Reine. The series focuses on Rylie Gresham‘s transition into a werewolf, her relationship with Seth, and her maturation into Alpha.
In reality, the 8 phases are the ‘bright’ portions of the moon as they are seen from the planet’s surface as the moon rotates around the planet. The 8 phases of the moon are caused by: 1) the planet/moon distance. 2) the number of days it takes the moon to rotate the planet. 3) the planet’s radius. 4) the moon’s radius.
In every way timekeeping was born out of man’s fascination with the Sun and its daily rhythms. The world’s earliest horologists used sundials to inform are now familiar gears and hands. And of all the things they tracked the lunar cycle was one of the most important. Today the moon in its many ways may not seem as crucial as it once did, but for those who are interested there’s the moon phase complication. This is a complication in a watch that reflects the current phase of the Moon as you would see it in the sky, and in this video, we’re going to show you how to set a moon phase. But first let’s define the moon phase complication.
By simple definition a moon phase watch is one that relays the 29.5-day lunar cycle by showing the current moon phase in an aperture on the dial. And it’s also worth noting the moon phase complication is also one of the oldest complications. Now there are eight distinct phases of the Moon, but since the likelihood of remembering terms like waning gibbous is small, we’re going to focus on the four main phases of the Moon. They are New Moon, first quarter full moon and last quarter. The cycle of going from new moon, or no moon in the sky, to full moon is called waxing and full moon back to new moon is called waning. The bulk of moon phase watches present the moon’s current phase by using the aperture to hide the remaining part of the Moon, and of course the design of how it is hidden or shown varies from timepiece to timepiece. As it stands there are two types of moon phase complications in watches. The most common is known as the bosom moon phase watch, which takes a graphical approach by physically showing the moon and its various phases inside of a crescent-shaped aperture. The other type is known as a radial moon phase watch, and it uses an indicator hand to track the lunar cycle. We’re going to focus on the bosom moon phase and when it comes to moon phase watches sometimes it’s easier to picture than to describe. So some of our favorite models:
So how does this beautiful complication work, and how can I set it in my own watch. Before we start setting the moon phase it does help to understand the lunar cycle in a little more depth. As we mentioned earlier the lunar cycle is 29.53 days, so most moon phase watches have a 59-tooth gear. 29.5 times two, and that allows the two identical moons to rotate through the aperture with more accuracy.
Now that we have that out of the way we need to determine what the current phase of the Moon is, and this is done by simply checking the internet. Once we have determined the current moon phase and we know whether it’s waxing, which again refers to the cycling of no moon to full moon, or waning, which is full moon to no moon, we can then begin to set the moon phase on the dial.
Next Set the Moon phase watch
Next set the watch to 6:30, and this is a precaution to make sure that we do not damage any of the mechanisms in the complication. Now we will begin to press the corrector on the case side to advance the moon phase, and as you can see the moon advances a little every time. We recommend counting how many days it’s been since the last new moon or full moon since its easiest to recognize those phases on the aperture. So, let’s say it’s been eight days since the last full moon. Advance the moon phase until it’s a full moon and then press the corrector seven more times to account for seven days.
Then go ahead and set the date on the watch one day behind, as well. Set the time, making sure to cycle through one whole day to get to the correct day. Notice on the watch how the date changes right at midnight, but the moon phase doesn’t advance till just after 1 a.m. Now the date is correct, the am/pm is correct, and so is the moon phase.
All that’s left to do is enjoy this whimsical complication. The best replica moon phase watch brings to life the natural world through stunning watch innovation and it’s a favorite around here. Let us know your favorite and as always thanks for
watching.