The new Sun and Moon watch from Mr. Jones shows the time based on the position of the Sun or Moon in the sky on the watch face.
The crescent shaped sky on the dial represents 12 hours with the time running from left to right. At 6am the sun 'rises' on the left of the dial. The sun slowly climbs in the sky until it reaches the apex of the crescent midday. The sun gradually descends until it reaches the right hand marker at 6pm.
After 6pm the Sun ‘sets’ and disappears from view, meanwhile the Moon ‘rises’ on the left. The position of the Moon in the sky therefore shows the hours from 6pm until 6am.
Along with the image of the Sun and Moon, the hour disk features a revolving image with scenes of the natural world that gradually passes as the day progresses. The minutes are displayed in the centre dial and these run in the conventional way, so each marker on this dial corresponds to five minutes.
Sun and Moon is a revival of an very old watch design: "Sun and Moon" watches were first produced in Britain in the late 1600s during a period of experimentation with ways to represent the time. We really like this visualisation of the time - it's both logical and elegant.
Sun and Moon is produced in an edition of 100 pieces, each watch numbered on the case back and comes with a signed certificate from the designer.
The watch comes packed in an MJW box which features a newly commissioned artwork by illustrator Fanny Shorter. Inspired by the 24 hour display, Fanny's artwork shows the life cycle of the mayfly which takes just 24 hours:
Specifications:
Case: brushed stainless steel
Strap: black leather with ecru stitching
Mechanism: Ronda 515-24H single jewel quartz mechanism
Width (3 o'clock to 9 o'clock): 37mm
Height (from lug to lug): 46mm
Waterproof: 5ATM
Guarantee: 12 months
Smallest strap diameter:150mm
Largest strap diameter: 205mm
Sun and Moon
£145 (approx $190/€164) Buy it here.
