A serious question about moonphase complications

[Backward point]

Why?

What use are they? I'm fully aware of the relationship between tidal activity and the phases of Earth's very own moon, but if you want to know what the tide is planning to do, then a local tide table will serve you far better. Which raises the question "what's the point?"

During the cheap quartz explosion of the 1980's many watches sported a moonphase to further clutter their already over-complicated dials. More was most definitely more, and many manufacturers seemed to subscribe to the notion that the best way to attract the discerning punter was to throw as much at the watch as possible. Subsequently, the moonphase has stuck around as a means to add some perceived "sophistication" to a timepiece.

Who actually uses the moonphase complication on their watch? And what for? And how accurate is it? On a quartz, the watch ticks away and, as long as the battery has charge, the moonphase will continue to operate. A perpetual calendar kept on a winder to overcome the need to spend as much time resetting the thing as wearing it would, in theory, keep the moonphase in phase, as it were.

But what of the owners of manual wind or automatic watches with a moonphase, which are left to wind down? Resetting the time is one thing, but do the owners consult their astronomical charts in order to set the moonphase correctly? If not, then surely it just becomes a useless ornament.

I don't own a watch with a moonphase complication, and probably never will. It's one of several aspects of watch design which leave me completely cold, and would be a deal-breaker. I've never seen the point. To me, it's a useless waste of space, cluttering up a dial for no good reason.

So to my original question. Why?


Regards

Ian

[markrlondon]

But what of the owners of manual wind or automatic watches with a moonphase, which are left to wind down? Resetting the time is one thing, but do the owners consult their astronomical charts in order to set the moonphase correctly? If not, then surely it just becomes a useless ornament.

I've got an automatic watch with moon phase that I wear in circulation with many other watches so it's always wound down when I come to wear it. I must admit that I don't usually bother to set the moon phase; I find it just too much hassle. To be fair, though, there's no need to to consult an astronomical chart! There are no end of websites which provide the necessary information to set the moon phase complication. I just can't be bothered.

Even if I did set the moon phase I wouldn't have any need of it. But, then again, I also carry a mobile phone so I don't really have any need of a wrist watch at all.

And so is it a useless waste of space? Well, as above, you might as well say that owning wrist watch or, worse, a collection of watches is a useless waste of space. It is a useless waste of space! Who really needs a collection of wrist watches? And yet many of us do have such a collection. Not every watch or every complication on every watch needs to be massively useful to bring pleasure. In my case I wanted a triple date moon phase (date pointer, month, day, moon phase) and when one came up on SC I snapped it up. The watch (even with its usually unset moon phase) has brought me great pleasure.

[ralphy]

I see little practical use for them and, judging by the number of moonphase watches I see that are incorrectly set, it would seem few owners do too.

But then, ‘practical' isn’t a major criteria for watch-owners. ;-)

R

[wadebridge59]

They look nice. No use.

I have a Maurice Blum (Sea-gull OEM), cost me $125. Pain to set right except when full moon, which helps a lot.

[tim2012]

Nice to look at but a pain in reality, especially if you don't wind it up all the time. Setting it correctly is time consuming, or that may be the purpose!

[o u t a t i m e]

A friend of mine is a werewolf and he swears by them.

[BrianT]

Some of them are just "pretty", enough reason for me.

In fact how many of us use the rotating bezel or the tachy things etc. Hands up all those who remove the Deep Sea Dweller when getting into the shower. What's the point of a Perpetual Calender, doesn't it stop even when it's being serviced. But boy, don't we luv em.

[petethegeek]

I have a small home made digital clock hung on the well in my garden, powered from a small battery backed solar panel on the roof of said well. The display shows local solar time along with the times for sun rise/set, moon rise/set and the precise moon phase.

Why? Simply because it can. It also helps serve me as a reminder of when the primary/sole source of timing knowledge came from the celestial sphere. On reflection however, I don't feel the need to haul all this information around on my wrist.

(Has last night's performance by our boys in white put you in bad humour Ian?)

[Thewatchbloke]

Like a lot of additional complications they started out to showcase the watch designing, building and production skills of high end Swiss manufacturers. Squeezing a 29.5 day cycle onto a mechanical watch was a big deal back then.

[learningtofly]

I have two moonphases, and absolutely love them for what they are - a beautiful compication. They have no practical/functional value whatsoever, but then most people don't even use their chronographs

[DB9yeti]

Almost purely aesthetics and all the better for IMHO. I love them and miss my Reverso Sun/Moon.

From a practical point of view it serves little purpose unless you see a gibbous moon and don't know if it's waxing or waning, or want to know if it's new, full or dark tonight. I enjoy them and always set them, 2mins with any iPhone.

Its a 59 day wheel hence the moon appears twice on the wheel. Easier than rotating something for 29.5 days.

Really and truly, although the day and date are often useful dies anyone need the month or year on their watch? Of course not, but it's awesome when they're there.

[patnmand]

A friend of mine is a werewolf and he swears by them.

Brilliant!

[Backward point]

(Has last night's performance by our boys in white put you in bad humour Ian?)

Not really. The signs were there after Day 2, I fear. Just a question of how long we can hold out, and if the rain which has been forecast might save us. Not looking good, though.

Actually, I've got several other things that I could have a moan about - coin edge bezels, onion crowns, diamond crowns and so on.

I love complicated watches. I regret trading my Breitling Navitimer, although I've long forgotten how to use a slide rule. I rarely use the chronograph function which adorns several of my watches. But I've never felt the need to know which phase the moon is in, or whether it happens to be waxing or waning.

As Tony has shown us, there are watches with moonphase complications which are absolutely beautiful to behold. I'm not denigrating anybody else's taste or choice of watch. But for me, the moonphase is the most gimmicky and pointless of all complications. A waste of the watch's power reserve, and in many cases adds unnecessary clutter to a dial.

Just imagine that you're at a social gathering of some sort, and a random stranger makes a complimentary comment about your watch. He (or even she) then notices the moonphase display on the dial, and asks what it is for. Is there any way to answer while retaining any dignity or credibility? Really?

(The last paragraph was tongue in cheek, obviously. The chances of any TZ member being invited to any social gathering makes the question superfluous )

[learningtofly]

Not really. The signs were there after Day 2, I fear. Just a question of how long we can hold out, and if the rain which has been forecast might save us. Not looking good, though.

Actually, I've got several other things that I could have a moan about - coin edge bezels, onion crowns, diamond crowns and so on.

I love complicated watches. I regret trading my Breitling Navitimer, although I've long forgotten how to use a slide rule. I rarely use the chronograph function which adorns several of my watches. But I've never felt the need to know which phase the moon is in, or whether it happens to be waxing or waning.

As Tony has shown us, there are watches with moonphase complications which are absolutely beautiful to behold. I'm not denigrating anybody else's taste or choice of watch. But for me, the moonphase is the most gimmicky and pointless of all complications. A waste of the watch's power reserve, and in many cases adds unnecessary clutter to a dial.

Just imagine that you're at a social gathering of some sort, and a random stranger makes a complimentary comment about your watch. He (or even she) then notices the moonphase display on the dial, and asks what it is for. Is there any way to answer while retaining any dignity or credibility? Really?

(The last paragraph was tongue in cheek, obviously. The chances of any TZ member being invited to any social gathering makes the question superfluous )

I think the answer would be "It's there because it's a wonderful complication and it looks beautiful". It's a better answer than you'd get for useless complications that don't (look beautful)

[DB9yeti]

But I've never felt the need to know which phase the moon is in, or whether it happens to be waxing or waning.

Ah right. I have, I actually like to know and seem to spend a lot of time looking at the sky.

[petethegeek]

I have this picture in my head where you are at a smart evening function, stood in front of a long legged blonde who is gazing rapturously at your wrist, whilst you are saying:

"It's there because it's a wonderful complication and it looks beautiful - just like you."

[walkerwek1958]

Mainly a pointless complication; in the distant past when I did a lot of running I would run on unlit roads after dark if the sky was clear and the moon was good...other than that I can think of no point in my life where the phase of the moon was of any relevance.

Only use I can think of is for those who live with a woman who suffers PMT; knowing at which stage of the monthly cycle you're at may be useful!

Paul

[Huertecilla]

They look nice. No use.

I like to horseride cross country in the dead of the night.
It us usefull info to know at what time what moon will be where so just a simple moon fase is as useless as for tide info as Ian observes.

Moonphase info needs to tell you what moon will be where at what time or serves no purpose but for complication for complications sake in which case it needs not be set right.

[learningtofly]

I like to horseride cross country in the dead of the night.
It us usefull info to know at what time what moon will be where so just a simple moon fase is as useless as for tide info as Ian observes.

Moonphase info needs to tell you what moon will be where at what time or serves no purpose but for complication for complications sake in which case it needs not be set right.

Ah, but don't forget that always well-developed WIS-OCD that plays a part in such decision-making

[Gyp]

I have this picture in my head where you are at a smart evening function, stood in front of a long legged blonde who is gazing rapturously at your wrist, whilst you are saying:

Yeah, best leave out the "utterly pointless" bit

[Huertecilla]

Only use I can think of is for those who live with a woman who suffers PMT; knowing at which stage of the monthly cycle you're at may be useful!

Even when not for PMS it still is usefull info so you can plan with whome to sleep.
It would need to be a programmable function for that though as not all those ´moons´have the same cycle length. That is what would make such a function so usefull:
A great excuse too to buy two (or more) different ones and set each watch for a specific ´moon´.
Once you have that arranged then you will find that the end of the moon calender is an entirely unpredictable phase.
But... you will at least have two (or more) cool watches!

[Huertecilla]

I have this picture in my head where you are at a smart evening function, stood in front of a long legged blonde who is gazing rapturously at your wrist, whilst you are saying:

Interesting. I would have written ´an attractive woman looking at it through her intriguing eyes´ :-)

[Mitch]

There is less utility in a mechanical moon phase complication than one on a digital.

I have moon phase complications that means you can just scroll forwards as far as you like to check the position. This is often combined with sunrise and sunset times. Also you can input and retain coordinates for various other places.

Useful? Well if you were a fisherman this would be useful as fish respond to the phase of the moon. Hunters, ramblers, soldiers, etc would find this useful. I do fish occasionally on holiday and I can quickly check the position well in advance.

Oh and burglars might find it useful!




Mitch

[adzman808]

Seems to me that there's a gap in the market for a PMT phase complication, although obviously having to explain to her what the red disc symbol that's displaying on your watch is might be tricky ;D

[markrlondon]

Seems to me that there's a gap in the market for a PMT phase complication, although obviously having to explain to her what the red disc symbol that's displaying on your watch is might be tricky ;D

ROFL!

[wadebridge59]

I like to horseride cross country in the dead of the night.
.

I never considered that.

Not much call for horse-riding in Birkenhead when I was growing up. Except for the highwaymen on the common.

[mr noble]

They're handy for astronomers, it's good to know how bright the moon is going to be for a nights observing.

[Huertecilla]

Seems to me that there's a gap in the market for a PMT phase complication, although obviously having to explain to her what the red disc symbol that's displaying on your watch is might be tricky ;D

Why? Just say so!

There is nothing secret about is and it is very realistic too.

[glazba]

I'm glad they still make them.

I think it's part of the history which watchmaking has grown around with and now, while anachronistic, is a rare link we have to ye days of old when horology and astronomy were closely tied together and an astrological clock was a serious achievement. It's largely irrelevant to the buying public as these days we work indoors, our clocks are more accurate than the solar system itself and we set our watches according to our mobile phones or TV schedule. But a moonphase reminds that it hasn't always been that way and that timekeeping took a long and tortured path to get to the stage where we can take it for granted.

Having said all that, I still want Mazda to bring out another Rotary, so what do I know! :D

[geoffcotton]

I'm with you here all the away brother, if I need to look at where the moon is, I sometimes look up to the sky.

Why?

What use are they? I'm fully aware of the relationship between tidal activity and the phases of Earth's very own moon, but if you want to know what the tide is planning to do, then a local tide table will serve you far better. Which raises the question "what's the point?"

During the cheap quartz explosion of the 1980's many watches sported a moonphase to further clutter their already over-complicated dials. More was most definitely more, and many manufacturers seemed to subscribe to the notion that the best way to attract the discerning punter was to throw as much at the watch as possible. Subsequently, the moonphase has stuck around as a means to add some perceived "sophistication" to a timepiece.

Who actually uses the moonphase complication on their watch? And what for? And how accurate is it? On a quartz, the watch ticks away and, as long as the battery has charge, the moonphase will continue to operate. A perpetual calendar kept on a winder to overcome the need to spend as much time resetting the thing as wearing it would, in theory, keep the moonphase in phase, as it were.

But what of the owners of manual wind or automatic watches with a moonphase, which are left to wind down? Resetting the time is one thing, but do the owners consult their astronomical charts in order to set the moonphase correctly? If not, then surely it just becomes a useless ornament.

I don't own a watch with a moonphase complication, and probably never will. It's one of several aspects of watch design which leave me completely cold, and would be a deal-breaker. I've never seen the point. To me, it's a useless waste of space, cluttering up a dial for no good reason.

So to my original question. Why?


Regards

Ian

[thegreatdogwood]

Aesthetics, end of

Why buy a beautiful expensive automatic watch when a cheap plastic quartz may tell the time better
Why have a watch that tells you the month (or even the year), you can remember that much can't you

The list goes on, its just something that makes a watch stand out and some will buy for that and others won't

[GuyP]

Aesthetics, end of

Why buy a beautiful expensive automatic watch when a cheap plastic quartz may tell the time better
Why have a watch that tells you the month (or even the year), you can remember that much can't you

The list goes on, its just something that makes a watch stand out and some will buy for that and others won't

Agreed - i'm sure they used to serve a purpose but now It's mainly to show the complexity of the movement.

[Huertecilla]

Agreed - i'm sure they used to serve a purpose but now It's mainly to show the complexity of the movement.

It is no that everybody uses, even éver, the chrono function of their chronograph or gets a WR100 diver wet.
Most watches are simply also accessories, jewelry.

[markrlondon]

It is no that everybody uses, even éver, the chrono function of their chronograph or gets a WR100 diver wet.
Most watches are simply also accessories, jewelry.

Indeed. As per my comment above, I wanted a moon phase watch; I didn't need one at all. I just like it.

[P9CLY]

Why have a watch when your phone will give you the time.

Why have a car when their are loads of other modes of getting about.

Why why why do we do a lot of things when we don't need to!.

Well Its because we are Human and we do the silliest of things,then ask the question.....Why!.

[markrlondon]

Well Its because we are Human and we do the silliest of things,then ask the question.....Why!.

<grin>

We're good at rationalisation, if nothing else. ;-)

[DB9yeti]

I'm with you here all the away brother, if I need to look at where the moon is, I sometimes look up to the sky.

How do that work out for you when it's cloudy? Or the moon is below the horizon?

Can't see the moon, is that because it hasn't risen yet, or because it's completely hidden by the earth? Do you care, probably not, its a bit of fun and looks pretty (to me).

My Blancpain tells me that in 2 night time there will be no moon :)

I like that.

[NenoS]

Why?

..................

So to my original question. Why?


Regards

Ian

IMHO just because some people like it.
BTW, most of the time, hour and minute hands are all I realy need.
Despite of that I wear chronos, divers, aviators, dress watches, skeleton, GMTs, ...
Why?
I like them all.

[Huertecilla]

Indeed. As per my comment above, I wanted a moon phase watch; I didn't need one at all. I just like it.

Good for you; nothing more needed!

[GlennO]

If you really want to get your soul in sync with the rhythms of the solar system, this one does it all:

[Mrdemon]

Why have a watch when your phone will give you the time.

Why have a car when their are loads of other modes of getting about.

Why why why do we do a lot of things when we don't need to!.

Well Its because we are Human and we do the silliest of things,then ask the question.....Why!.

These are quite easy whys to answer.

Why have a car, ok I am a field eng so have to have a car, it has to be nice because I spend my working day in it.

Why have a watch, easy, phones in pocket, not easy to get out of pocket when in car and then it's gone into stand by and needs waking up. Much easier to look at wrist :-) and safer :-)

And last why do we do things we don't need to ? I actually don't lol I don't even do things that NEED doing much to my other halfs annoyance !
Every thing I do has a need to do it.