MeisterSinger’s moon-phase display – poise with precisionAstronomical single-hand watch: The Lunascope
MeisterSinger crafts mechanical watches for people who aren’t interested in counting seconds, but see the bigger picture and simply want to stay on track. Although the movement of the long, single hour hand is hardly noticeable to the human eye, it is as relentless as the passing of time on ancient sundials.
Our division and representation of time has always followed the movement of the stars. Even back in the Middle Ages, tower clocks emulated astronomical models, preferring to recreate the mechanics of the heavens on Earth rather than wanting to show single minutes or even seconds.
With its single-hand watches, MeisterSinger follows the tradition of these early timepieces. Now, the renowned watch designer is presenting its first astronomical watch – the Lunascope.
The slender stainless steel case of the Pangaea family forms the ideal backdrop for an unusually large moon-phase display. The upper half of the dial features a dynamic cut in which the moon moves across a dark blue, starry background. The generous diameter of this timepiece allows a realistic depiction of even fine details of the moon’s surface – like looking up at the sky on a clear night.
Correction after 128 years
The natural impression of the Earth’s satellite corresponds to the astronomical precision with which the Lunascope represents the moon’s various phases. The moon takes 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.9 seconds to circumnavigate the Earth. Most watches round this figure down to 29.5 days via the movement, which means they deviate by eight hours per year and need to be corrected by one complete day every three years. However, the movement specially designed for the MeisterSinger Lunascope is far more exact. Its moon-phase indicator only needs a slight adjustment after 128 years – a short period in astronomical terms, but a very long time in the world of watchmaking. The workings of the Swiss automatic movement in the Lunascope equipped with the moon-phase module can be viewed through the screwed glass exhibition back of the 40-millimeter case.
The Lunascope is available in two versions – with a sunburst dial in the dark blue of the moon’s background or with a silvery opaline dial, on which the circular date window at 6 o’clock forms an optical contrast to the astronomical display. The blue model comes with a calfskin watchstrap in cognac, the silver-opaline version with a dark brown leather strap (crocodile grain) .
The Lunascope will be available from April.