moonphase watches

Beware of watches that look like moonphase at first glance but are actually glorified AM/PM, day/night, or (as labeled on that Orient above) sun & moon. Fine if that's what you want, but they won't tell the phase of the moon. Amazon has several mislabeled items like this. 

Thanks! I had a feeling the Orient one wasn't a true moonphase watch.  I know they have one but its a bit strange paying over 1k for an orient haha

A proper moonphase watch runs a 28* day cycle. Supposedly there are cheesier variants that just use a 31 day calendar function, which means monthly adjustment. Again, fine if you know that's what you are getting and don't mind.

* I am corrected below on my 28 day notion.

Yes, the Orient Sun and Moon complications are simply modified 24hr dials. However, if you are referring to this watch,

This is an Orient Star, which is Orient's mid-tier in house brand, and they are generally much better movements and finishing than watches in the Orient or Orient Tri-Star lines. I have not looked at this watch in depth, but I am not sure whether it is overpriced at $990-$1000 or not.

I love moonphase watches also, but I'm afraid it will be a pain to set it, since I wear one watch max 2 days in a row. Glashütte Original panomatic lunar is top of my list.

The Orien sun and moon isn't a moonphase as people have mentioned, but it gives same look for a fraction of the price and I love the looks. I've handled this one and it was great for the price. Would buy one, but too big for my taste.

These Glycine combat moonphases are cool and not that expensive.

Microbrand Echo/Neutra have a field watch with a Moonphase complication. 

At €790 list price (you can buy it cheaper I have from an online AD in Sweden), it’s the cheapest moonphase I’ve found. It’s coming to me this week so we’ll see if it matches what Echo/Neutra are saying about it. 
 

Sugess also have a moonphase complication and use a seagull movement, but that might be another glorified day night indicator. 

I was at a loss to get an affordable and reliable moonphase watch....finally I had to be content with this....

Galaxy smartwatch with a moonphase watch face....reliable and affordable.....😀

This isn't TOO expensive..

This is about half of the one you got there ☺️ Certina seems like such a good value 

https://www.ashford.com/glycine-gl0386.html

$350 Swiss Made piece with a Moonphase complication.  Best bang for buck option on the market, IMHO.

The Christopher Ward C1 Gran Malverin is discontinued but can be found pretty regular used for around $500

Hi there. Moonphase...hmm

I saw a cool Tissot recently with a moonphase,it was a quartz but if it doesn't bodder you,(It probably shouldn't ) i recomend you to take a look.

I don't own a moon-phase so take my suggestions with a grain of salt, but I'd imagine you'd want to think about servicing costs since it is a complication, and how much of a pain it is to set the moon-phase if you don't wear it everyday. From my research, it seems that these two vary from watch to watch.

I'm new here, but thought I could chime in.  The lunar phase is ~29.5 days, so I would look for a watch with that length moon phase if you're planning on keeping it wound.  

My first mechanical watch was the Sugess Moonphase which I personally love.  It has an aventurine dial, big date complication, and of course the moonphase, all for under $200.  The only downsides are the straps it come with are the typical plasticy-leather feel, and it is a little on the large side (not a problem for me with 7.75" wrists)  

No, it's not a real moon phase, and yes, it wears like a hockey puck, but it's a fun watch for the price. And somehow it manages not to look absurdly big despite its size. I've worn worse.

As indicated above, there are so many choices that are available for true moonphase watches.

A number of microbrands have done some really creative work in this space, and of course, there are a number of Aliexpress watches in this space as well.

Here is the maximum spread in value from my own collection...

A gorgeous moonphase watch from Behrens which was launched as a Kickstarter and came in at $675...and yes the moon is lumed...

An amazing perpetual calendar with moonphase from L.U.Chopard which was quite a bit more...

There are a number of Day/Night indicator watches that have the look of a moonphase like the Orient you pictured. I found this one that I thought was very attractive for $270

PS They claim this Christopher Ward is accurate for 128 years. 

https://www.christopherward.com/int/dress-watches/C1-Moonglow/C01-40AMP1-S00K1-CK.html

If you want just the look of Moonphase and have a wrist to pull off, that Orient sun&moon is 100% way to go.

It is more affordable with a function that allows you to track day&night time. It will require some unique usage for the true moonphase - how would you retain them to sync with the true moon in the sky?

Plus, this complication would require another level of maintenance cost 🤷🤷

Only pain for that Orient watch is it is quite large so it is a no no for small wrist

Every time i go to a big box store I'm always tempted to get one of these

https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.WS-1300H-1AV/

But I always stop short of getting it because I have too many casios already! But maybe if I got a good tip at work I might consider it.

I was also going to recommend the Glycine moon phase. I have one that I purchased from Ashford for less than $350 and it works well.

Thanks for posting this. I was wondering something similar. 👏👏👏

Im glad! great minds think alike

Thanks for showing watches you own, its gives me a good insight since you actually handled these and it shows they are actually worth checking out.  Of the 3, do you have a favorite and why?  And how do you like that Orient?

Of course, the L.U.Chopard is my favorite watch in my collection and it is an amazing watch that I was able to obtain pre-owned for an incredible price when watches were less popular than in the past couple of years. It lives on the watchwinder because it's a perpetual calendar and God help me if it ever runs out of power and I have to reset it.

The Orient honestly doesn't get much wrist time, but looks fantastic. The strap is actually comfortable and well made compared to many Orients I own. You could definitely wear it as a business office watch. It's not a moonphase, but the Day/Night indicator is very attractive. The Orient is also large at 42.5mm so you need the wrist for it - it's also a little thick at 14mm. It is a great value - I paid $275 for mine and it is definitely worth the money spent.

The Behrens is just a really cool watch with that massive Moon that circles around and the dial is aventurine so it looks like the night sky especially with the rose-gold plating on the stainless steel case. It's rather large at 42mm. You can only really wear this watch in limited ways as it really does put itself forward.

Overall, if you don't need the moonphase complication and are happy with the Day/Night then the Orient is worth considering if you can wear a 42.5mm large watch.

Ive been eyeing this company for a while, kinda cool what theyre doing.  Thanks for the suggestion!

I have their Daytona and 1963 as well.  I like them a lot!

I'm interested in buying this, but I heard it had issue in older stocks/batches of this model where the two moons didn't fully disappear when making the transition. Could you kindly post a pic of it in a new moon phase (only stars) ?