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The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces

27 Sep 2025

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Moon’s phases are the earliest methods of measuring passing time and the seasons. Watchmakers today pay homage to the history of watchmaking when they feature it in mechanical movements, even though most of us do not live life by the lunar cycle anymore. For Patek Philippe, the moon phase complication holds extra significance: It appeared on the Manufacture’s (and the world’s) first perpetual calendar wristwatch, the Ref. 97975. This feat was repeated again on a retrograde perpetual calendar Ref. 96 in 1937, and on the first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatch, the Ref. 1526, in 1941. These two models set a definitive style for a number of details, from the style of the retrograde date display and associated twin calendar apertures to the proportions of its watch cases.

Today, the moon phase complication is represented across all of Patek Philippe’s perpetual calendars. This is not simply an homage to its heritage, although the brand does regard it as a signature of the house. Within Patek Philippe, the moon phase is not merely a poetic ode to horological history, but a functional complication for its owners.

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Calibers 26-330 S QR (Perpetual calendar with retrograde display) and 29-535 PS Q (Chronograph with instantaneous 30-minute counter and perpetual calendar), share a similar design for the moon phase display. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

Moon phase complications come in a few levels of precision, because of the difference between its presentation and the actual lunar cycle. The astronomical moon phase, which has a three-gear system one of which has 135 teeth, is accurate to one day in 122 years and 45 days. This is a standard across Patek Philippe’s current collection.

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Ref. 6159G-001 Retrograde Perpetual Calendar is powered by the Caliber 26-330 S QR, and presents the same moon phase design in a very modern design language. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

Consistency is a value that the watchmaker lives by. The designs of its moon phase complications also feature some steadfast details. The display disc is decorated with a gold double moon display and features two larger gold stars and four smaller ones, in a layout that resembles the Pleaides star cluster in the constellation Taurus. The surfaces of the moons and stars typically have a beadblasted finish. But that does not imply they look the same: Here, Patek Philippe’s visual design reveals its strength. The Ref. 6159G-001 Retrograde Perpetual Calendar clearly references the Ref. 96, but explores modern design details from precisely faceted hour markers to a laser-cut inlay for the retrograde date, set on a metallised sapphire crystal dial with a smoky black-gradient rim.

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Ref. 4948R-001 Annual Calendar with Moon Phases and Jewellery. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

The same moon phase display, in rose gold set on a silver opaline disc, takes on a serene and gentle identity when set on an iridescent white Balinese pearl dial with rose gold Arabic numerals, in a rose gold case that’s set with brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel, crown, and lugs. On the Ref. 4948R-001 Annual Calendar with Moon Phases and Jewellery, the moon phase display blends into the dial, which has a cloud-like effect thanks to an incredibly polished finish. It’s as if the moon is out in daytime.

Going Through a Different Phase

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Ref. 6104R-001 Grand Complications Celestial with Jewellery in a rose gold case set with baguette diamonds on the bezel, has a celestial dial with an active sky chart and solar time display. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

When Patek Philippe departs from the traditional moon-phase, the results are highly sophisticated. The Ref. 6104R-001 Celestial with Diamonds, for example, features a large white moon printed on a sapphire crystal disc, set against an astronomically accurate rotating Sky Chart. The dial depicts the northern hemisphere sky as seen from Geneva’s latitude, with an ellipse on the sapphire crystal indicating the visible portion of the heavens. Beyond the lunar orbit and phase, the watch also tracks the apparent motion of the stars, mean solar time, and the meridian passage of Sirius and the Moon. (when they reach the highest point in the sky).

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Ref. 5304/301R-001 Grand Complications Minute Repeater with Retrograde Perpetual Calendar and High Jewellery. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

Transparency gets pushed further with a full sapphire crystal dial on the Ref. 5304/301R-001, which features a minute repeater with a perpetual calendar in a modern expression of skeletonisation in design. The white gold feuille hands are blackened and skeletonised, and the exposed moon phase display is minimalist in style, being obscured by the two grey discs to reveal its waxing and waning. Beyond the dial, a modernist take on traditional hand-engraving offers a foliage motif that’s set on a caseband with exposed sides and lugs. The use of white and rose gold, the Patek Philippe equivalent of a two-tone watch, complements the polished rhodium-plated movement components on the main plate, which is further decorated with hand-applied perlage.

The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

The Patek Philippe Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon with Rare Handcrafts applies Grand Feu champlevé and cloisonné enamel to its moon phase display, housed on an intricately engraved rose gold case and hands. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

The different expressions of Patek Philippe’s moon phase complication ultimately come together in über-complication timepieces such as the Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon, which received its new look two years ago. The stunning polished rose gold case is finely engraved with a gold dial that’s decorated with Grand Feu champlevé and cloisonné enamel in brown and white, using a floral motif on the dial to match the case. Notably, and highly rare, is the attention given to the disc of the moon phase, which is also enamelled in the same style, resulting in a realistic moon waxing and waning on the dial. Gold detailing for the hour markers, retrograde date display, and other elements emphasise the grandeur, Romantic style of this edition.

  • The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

    The hand-engraved detail on the caseband, back, and bezel sets polished floral elements on a grained texture finishing, similar to the use of both in different versions of the moon phase design. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

  • The Many Faces of Patek Philippe’s Moon Phase Timepieces - Cortina Watch Malaysia

    The case back reveals another surprise - a second moon phase indication similar to Ref. 6104R-001 Celestial. (Credit: Patek Philippe)

There are two other elements that are similar to the moon phase displays shown so far. The hand-engraved case features a beadblasted finishing on the surface of the caseband, bezel, and back, similar to the standard moon phase. Polished floral motifs are set over it, making their work much more challenging to ensure they are finished to the Patek Philippe Seal standard. The back of the case reveals a celestial moon phase display, with a sky chart of the northern hemisphere that shows its actual placement, obit and current phase, similar to the Ref. 6104R-001. It adds another layer of complexity to the Sky Moon Tourbillon’s allure.

The moon phase complication appears in nearly one in three Patek Philippe models today. It’s no surprise – not only does it accurately track the lunar cycle, it also delivers the complication in boldly different styles.

To discover more about this astronomical complication, visit one of our boutiques today to try them on.

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