For centuries humanity has marveled at the moon. This astronomical body that orbits earth has, due to its natural prominence in the earthly sky and its regular cycle of phases, influenced human societies and cultures throughout the ages. Maybe it isn’t that crazy that complication moon is one of the most often used complications.<\/p>\n
The moon\u2019s regular phases make it a convenient timepiece. The periods of its waxing and waning have formed the basis of many of the oldest calendars. Understanding the Moon\u2019s cycles was thus one of the earliest developments of astronomy. Around 500 B.C. Babylonian astronomers already had recorded its 18-year \u2018Saros cycle\u2019 of lunar eclipses. While Indian astronomers had measured and described its monthly elongation.<\/p>\n
In later years understanding the cycles of the moon has been of great importance for humanities oversea explorations. As the moon can be used for both navigation at sea as well as the determining of the tides at specific locations, this unique astronomical body has been central for oversea explorers, merchants and so on.<\/p>\n
As the moon has played such a central role in our development. As a species it is no wonder that its 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds cycle has been one of the earliest known complications in watch making. By now it is often described as the least practical and most romantic of complications.<\/p>\n
While most moon phase complications are designed as a \u2018bosom\u2019 moon phase, so named for the shape of its aperture (and used in our Ladies collection). Wybe van der Gang wanted something else for his chronograph. His idea of a moon phase was a disc that shows the exact shape and size whether its waxing or waning.<\/p>\n