Four Novelties From Watches & Wonders We Are Over The Moon About

A moon phase display is among the oldest complications in watches. Despite the fact that their practical use is limited, do they remain very popular. With good reason, as a moon phase is adding some old school appeal to a watch as well as a touch of romance. At the first edition of Watches & Wonders Geneva, this complication was therefor also generously present, and we are especially over the moon of the following four watches.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton
It is hard to make a watch like the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin even better looking, yet Vacheron Constantin has found a way to do just that. They skeletonized the dial, showing the complexity of the top of the movement, where all the perpetual calendar functions are located. It results in a very dynamic looking watch. Vacheron Constantin opted surprisingly not to craft this watch from a white metal, but choose pink gold instead. An excellent choice as far as we are concerned as it gives the watch a luxurious appeal. It will be delivered on a matching pink gold bracelet, yet also comes with an additional blue rubber strap, as well as an alligator strap. You can change to them swiftly, thanks to the quick-change system.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar
With the Master Control Chronograph Calendar does Jaeger-LeCoultre combine two very popular complications; a full calendar with a chronograph. What is perhaps most astonishing about this watch is that this is the very first time that Jaeger-LeCoultre unites these two complications in a single watch. Given the very rich history of a brand often referred to as the ‘watchmakers watchmaker,’ is this quite something. The Master Control Chronograph Calendar is powered by automatic caliber JLC 759 and is very classic in its appearance, with windows for the day and month and a traditional moon phase display. The case measures 40mm, and all the functions are very well laid out on the dial, which benefits from a relatively thin bezel. Next to the stainless steel version pictures above, did Jaeger-LeCoultre also introduce it into a rose gold version.

Hermès Arceau L’Heure De La Lune
Last year Hermès launched the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune, which was one of the highlights of the SIHH. Now the brand is offering the model with five new dials. Don’t expect Hermès to go for just a different color, as all five dials are crafted from unique materials. Two will enter the regular collection, one with a dial made from Blue Pearl, and the other one with Lapis Lazuli, which in combination with its rose gold case looks stunning. The three others are limited editions, each with a dial made from meteorite. Hermès is making 36 pieces each of the Black Sahara and Lunar meteorite, and only two of the stunning Martian meteorite dial (pictured above), which is also the only one that features a platinum case instead of a white gold one as the other models have.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Day-Date Moon-Phase
Baume & Mercier impresses during Watches & Wonders with strong additions to their Clifton collection. Our favorite is the Day-Date Moon-Phase with its stunning gradient dial in grey. Especially the way that they made the moon phase indicator is superb and adds a lot of character to the watch. With a diameter of 42mm is it a substantial watch as well, with quite some wrist presence. This makes the Clifton Day-Date Moon-Phase also a very contemporary creation, and not your typical retro design.
The icing on the cake is that the watch offers a power reserve of five days.