For millennia, the moon has fascinated humanity. Sometimes the main source of light in the night, it is mostly associated with female deities across the world. Selene in ancient Greece, Chang’e in China, Gleti in the Kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Benin), Coyolxauhqui among the Aztecs, or Mayari in the Philippines — goddesses who represent the moon appear in many cultures, illustrating the importance of the celestial body in human life. Indeed, the moon serves as a guide through the night, inspires poets, and influences earthly flows such as the tides. It is also associated with creative energy, motherhood, and intuition.
Round and luminous, standing out against the darkness of the night, the moon, often accompanied by stars, is frequently depicted in the arts — including watchmaking.
Although the first clocks displaying moon phases date back to the 16th century, the first wristwatch available to the public was the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 97975, released in 1925. Since then, other major watchmaking houses have placed the moon at the heart of their creations, and Montblanc has stood out in particular for its production of moon-phase watches.
In 2007, Montblanc launched its first three watch models featuring a moonphase complication, the iconic “Star” collection. Since then, the collections have expanded, and some pieces have become true icons, such as the Bohème Day & Night 34 mm.
The Star Legacy Moonphase Collection
The moon-phase complication is considered a technical feat in the world of watchmaking. Indeed, producing a mechanism precise enough to track the moon’s 29.5-day cycle is an ambitious task, even for the most skilled watchmakers.
Yet Montblanc offers three beautiful models, whose glacier-patterned dials come in three colors: Bordeaux, dark blue, and taupe grey. Arabic numerals and three rose-gold hands add elegance and a touch of vintage charm, while the straps — in alligator-embossed calf leather or steel — underline the timepiece’s classic style.
But the true star of the watch is, of course, the lunar calendar, placed at six o’clock, revealing the beauty of the moon in whatever phase it is in real time.
The Bohème Day & Night Collection
Adorned with a sunray dial in sky-inspired colors (blue or white) and eight diamond indexes, the Bohème Day & Night 30 mm comes in two variations. One features a crescent moon cut into the center of the dial, revealing the progression of the sun and moon, with classic rhodium-plated hands, while the other features a completely different center — almost an entire sky on the dial — with special hands shaped like the sun and a star.
Painted like a theatre set, the Bohème Day & Night offers a poetic tribute to the beauty of the sky and the moon. This timepiece is available with various straps, allowing the wearer to create a piece that perfectly matches their taste.
The Latest Addition: The Bohème Perpetual Calendar
The moon dresses like a starlet to make an appearance on the new Bohème Perpetual Calendar, which will soon be available on Montblanc’s official website. For this model, the only “half measure” is the half moon that appears in waxing or waning phase above the Montblanc logo. Rose gold, diamonds, a center adorned with a “starry fillet” — an embossing technique featuring a surface covered in microdiamonds — three interchangeable calf leather straps… nothing is too lavish for this watch, as brilliant as the moon itself. As a perpetual calendar, it displays the day, date, month, leap year, and, of course, the moon phase. The moon may not be the most sparkling element of this piece, but it remains the one that inevitably draws the eye.
