Moon Phase Watch Collection: De Bethune, Patek, Lange

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Samwan celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival by showcasing his impressive collection of moon phase watches, highlighting the beauty and precision of this romantic complication. He presents pieces from De Bethune, Patek Philippe, and A. Lange & Söhne, offering a personal tour of his horological treasures and sharing insights into brand-specific moon phase interpretations.

Those who read some earlier posts in this forum will already know that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, tonight, the moon is at the brightest and fullest of the entire year. For lack of something better to do this morning, I decided to examine my watches with moon phases this morning:

First on stage is the De Bethune DB 25 jewelry, set among the Geneva sky

Followed by the DB 28. How I love the spherical moons of the brand....

Next, the Patek contingent:

The 5059P

The 5270R

The 5270G, a close sibling

The 5712G

The 5496P

Followed by the Lange & Sohne members:

The Datograph Perpetual

The Langematic Perpetual

And last but not least - the 1815 Perpetual Calendar Rattrapante Handwerkskunst

With the celebrated moon goddess "Luna" at the back

Happy to report they are mostly accurate. Interestingly, the Chinese also have a moon goddess called "Sheung Ngor", who purportedly lives on the moon with a rabbit

The Festival is also a time when watch brands gives out moon cakes to their customers. They take this opportunity to outsmart each other in creativity and design, a la Basel and S.I.H.H.

The Panerai moon cakes are packaged in the form of a lantern, which is lit up with a gentle push of a button on top

Lange & Sohne went a step further...

Nicely packaged moon cakes

After consumption, this is turned into a watch box with the addition of two cushions!

Unfortunately, the watches are not part of the package....

Still, very, very thoughtful indeed.

I would like to wish everyone a joyous and happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

Cheers

Sam

Key Points from the Discussion

A contributor expresses that seeing glimpses of the author's collection, particularly the moon phase watches, is always a highlight, appreciating the beauty and presentation of the complication.
Another member is highly impressed by the collection, specifically praising the De Bethune pieces and the Lange Handwerkskunst for their stunning aesthetics.
A fellow collector shares their own moon phase watch, a Patek Philippe, as their contribution to the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, demonstrating community engagement.
A question is raised about how the author manages to keep such a large collection of watches on time, given the number of pieces.
The author reveals that his showcased moon phase watches represent only about 10% of his total collection, and he winds the others only every few months, enjoying the luxury of retirement.

The Discussion

Lankysudanese

Sep 13, 2019

Thanks for the very informative and enjoyable post. How do you keep such a large collection on time? Do you wear a different watch every day, or do you wind them all at night?

mrds

Sep 13, 2019

...still grasping for air after seeing your moon collection! I absolutely love the De Bethunes, and this Lange Handwerkskunst is just stunning! Thanks for sharing these beauties with us my friend, and enjoy the moon tonight. Daniel

samwan

Sep 13, 2019

(unless I play golf). This is the rare luxury of being retired Fortunately this is about 10% of my collection. I wind the others once every few months...

samwan

Sep 13, 2019

I must confess I might have missed out one or two (e.g. FPJ Octa Lune but I don't wind it regularly). It appears to be a clear sky tonight so we will enjoy the full moon...

Watchonthewrist

Sep 13, 2019

Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

samwan

Sep 13, 2019

Apologies for the mug shorts done by a smartphone. Will take better ones next time...

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Moon Phase Watch Collection: De Bethune, Patek, Lange

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