From Rolex To Omega, The Moon Continues To Fascinate Watchmakers

Oh, the Moon! That celestial body that never ceases to amaze. It never stops short of reaching our wrists either. Look back and you will find that watchmakers have been perpetually obsessed with the moon as an inspiration, be it the likes of Breguet in 1812 or Patek Philippe in 1925. By the 1940s and 50s, the Moon had become a recognisable design language in watches, thanks to Rolex.

Today, the Moon continues to inspire some incredible timepieces, including these four new launches.

Rolex took everyone by surprise a few weeks back with the Perpetual Padellone. The instantaneous annual calendar on the Perpetual Padellone merges precision and poetry in beautiful ways. A moonphase disc links the rhythm of the Moon to that of the Earth, while at midnight, the day, date and month change simultaneously in a fraction of a second, ensuring perfect alignment of the calendar markers. The watch is designed in 18 carat Everose gold with a grained-finish, intense white dial and a Settimo bracelet. There are two other versions: one crafted in 950 platinum with a grained-finish, ice blue dial and matt black alligator leather strap; and the other in 18 carat Everose gold with a grained-finish, intense white dial and brown alligator leather strap.

Imagine a night-time scene, under the stars, on your wrist. Housed inside a 41.5 mm platinum case, the Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum “Horse of the Dunes” presents a horse sculpted in white gold. It comes to life under an astronomical moon-phase display. There are some other remarkable details in this timepiece. The dunes, hand-painted and enriched with luminescent material, create an arid, shifting relief, as though sculpted by the wind. The sky is formed by a disc of black aventurine glass, its metallic flecks evoking a myriad of stars. The moon-phase complication, meanwhile, takes the form of two mother-of-pearl discs following each other, iridescent in daylight and luminescent in the dark thanks to the addition of Super-LumiNova. This one is limited to just eight pieces.

The latest evolution of the Omega Speedmaster comes in seven striking references. The collection brings the Speedmaster’s enduring design codes closer to the aesthetic of the legendary Moonwatch, with refined details including rounded subdials, cleaner dials, thicker bezels featuring the signature Dot-Over-Ninety, and Moonwatch-style five-link bracelets. Our pick is still the black dial, steel on steel, which is most closely aligned with the signature look of the Moonwatch, which became the first watch worn on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. It features a black aluminium bezel, a black varnished dial with matt finish, and hands and indexes that are filled with white Super-LumiNova. A classic.

The dial on the De Bethune Db25 Digitale is a meticulous study in evoking the delicate imagery of a nocturnal scene beneath the stars. The layered, refined finishes recall the reflections of a tranquil river in the moonlight. A remarkable 82 elements combine to create this contemplative tableau, right from the starlit sky to the guillochage. The multifaceted display — digital for the jumping hours, analogue for the minutes, spherical for the moon phase — frees the watch from hands and hour markers. A gorgeous timepiece with the moon front and centre.