Knowing about the phases of the moon will help with hunting and you can impress all your friends too. Lunar phase pieces are hard to come by, unfortunately. That’s why we ran through 7 picks to help you find the best moonphase watch.
We ran through some of our most notable entries in the table below.
Our Pick
Citizen produces rugged watches, but not this classy – we’re fans. The sharp black strap on it is genuine leather. It feels comfortable on your wrist. We aren’t sure if it’s Italian or not.
Being a Citizen timepiece, it shouldn’t surprise you that you’re looking at an Eco-drive. If you don’t know what Eco-drives are, they’re the solar-powered pieces the brand is known for. They’re great as they utilize various light-sources. They even last a very long time.
It is big. But it won’t eat your wrist up. Its case comes in at 1.73 inches (44 mm).
You’ll see many subdials on it. They might intimidate you – they confused us. All three on the top are its calendars. They read the date, month, and day respectively. You’ll notice that there’s a sub-dial in the 6 o'clock position. You’re looking at its moon-phase dial. It’s clear and easily tells you what the moon is like – visibility is something other moonphase watches struggle with.
There are rhomboid markers. They aren’t luminous but its hands are. No, we don’t know the name of the pigment used.
You should be careful with the glass on its front. It is made from mineral – it can handle a beating, but it isn’t as secure as many of its counterparts.
Although its black-and-blue colourway is stunning, there’s a silver and black variant that’s reminiscent of the Rolex Daytona. As the device is affordable, it’s cool that it looks like a watch that costs over $10,000.
For a timepiece that looks so good, we didn’t expect it to handle so much water. It is resistant up to 330 feet (100 meters). Getting it wet won’t be fun, though – its strap is leather. The material soaks liquids up like its life depends on it.
What makes it special:
It is a solar-powered watch.
Graf Zeppelin is a leading German watch company. The timepiece has a 1.57 inch (40 mm) case, which is somewhat small. However, its dial is super wide – this lets you easily read the time. Attached to its face is a leather strap. It’s genuine and feels like a dream.
The Zeppelin has Arabic markers throughout its dial. They’re large and bolded well. Unfortunately, there’s no lume on them. There’s no pigment on its hands either.
The device rocks a crystal we haven’t seen often – it is hesalite. It is probably the clearest glass around. It doesn’t reflect any light either, so it’s great if you’re always out and about. That being said, it’s soft. It’s less resistant than mineral and acrylic. Thankfully, its window is curved. This makes it extra tough.
There are three sub-dials on it. The upper two are calendars, like the Eco-drive’s. They read the day and date respectively. The sub-dial on the bottom tells if you if it’s AM or PM. When it’s evening, it shows the moon with its phases.
As it’s from a leading German brand, it’s no surprise that you get a quality Swiss movement. It hosts the Ronda 706B - it works like butter. If you’re wondering whether it’s quartz or automatic, it’s the former.
It is water-resistant. It can handle a 100-foot (30 meter) dip underwater. This means that a couple of splashes are all it can withstand. As you know, getting leather wet is not fun.
What makes it special:
It is a German watch.
Our Premium Pick
The Frederique Constant is one of the best looking on our list. You’ll find it hard to argue with this – there’s an almost gradient-like black-to-blue effect on its dial. It’s reminiscent of a starry sky. Considering you’re picking a watch that tells you about the moon, this is very fitting.
The device has a black strap. It’s premium leather, so you’re going to be very comfortable. There’s stitching on its edges that are hand-done – it just oozes luxury.
Although Graf Zeppelin is a premium German brand, we’re one-upping them with Frederique Constant. They are a luxury Swiss name. Watches from the country are known to last long.
No surprise, it is the most expensive entry on our list. Hold your breath – it comes in at almost $3,000. It’s the epitome of luxury, so it’s worth it.
There are thin markers and hands. There’s no luminous pigment in them. We love that the timepiece has Roman numerals. They make it look regal.
The glass on its window is super strong – it is convex resistant sapphire. It’s the hardest glass you could get.
The Swiss moonphase watch isn’t big, but it’s not small. You’re getting a 1.65 inch (42 mm) case. Large watches can still be worn by smaller wrists, they’ll just look more awkward. Like the Graf Zeppelin, its dial is wide. You’ll be able to read it from miles away.
Although it rocks a Swiss automatic movement, we don’t know much about it. We do know that it comes with an exposed back, though.
Of course, there is a lunar phase sub-dial on it. It tells you what stage the moon is in, and it’s pretty easy to set up. But we have an issue – before you panic, it’s a very small one. The timepiece’s moon-phase dial is crookedly placed.
Something neat about the sub-dial is that it reads the date too – you were probably wondering what the numbers around its corners were.
What makes it special:
It costs as much as your rent.
Stuhrling devices are mesmerizing. Spoiler alert – the entry below the Celestia is also from the brand. It’s the best-looking on our list. The 897.02 is fabulous. We dig the way its markers are arranged – they’re almost zodiac-like.
Unfortunately, the 897.02 isn’t the easiest to read. You’ll have to squint at the ring hosting its numerals. Something that’s not hard to read is its moonphase dial. The phases of the moon are displayed clearly, and they pop-up smoothly. We found the device easy to set up like the entry above.
The material on its strap is leather. All the watches we’ve discussed so far rock the material. That being said, the one on the timepiece comes with a bit of elastane. This is why it fits all wrists comfortably. Just remember, don’t it wet.
Speaking of water, the moonphase watch can handle 165 feet (50 meters). The brand says that recreational swimming is possible.
A nice touch is the embossing on its leather. Stuhrling did this to make it look like Alligator skin. The material is associated with finer things.
Once again, you’re met with a 1.65 inch (42 mm) device. Its dial is pretty wide. There’s grooving on its case. We think it makes it look more interesting. Its crown, which is shaped like one, does the trick too.
The glass on its window is tough. It’s Krysterna which Sturhling says is stronger than sapphire. We don’t know how true this is, but it can certainly handle beatings.
You’re looking at a Japanese quartz watch. We know the specific movement inside. It is the JP24 movement. It’s quite accurate.
What makes it special:
It’s starry sky dial
The Best Looking
With one look at it, you’ll be mesmerized. It comes with a skeleton dial, so you can watch its gears move. The 889.01 will catch your attention from across the room. But it’s not the easiest to read – there are Arabic numerals on the side, but they took us a minute to even notice.
Not only do you get an exposed front, but its case back is clear too. It’s equally as stunning.
The device is huge. Its case stretches 1.811 inches (46 mm) across. As you know, if you have smaller wrists, you’ll still be able to wear it – you’ll just look awkward with it. Its large case hosts Krysterna crystal.
It is an automatic device. There are 22 jewels between its gears. No, they aren’t real. They are pieces of glass that make friction less of a problem. The more present, the smoother a watch will work. 22 is a pretty standard amount.
When you wear the 889.01, you’ll feel rich. Its strap is alligator skin.
If you look closely, you’ll notice a sub-dial in the 6 o'clock position. It reads the time in another time zone.
The lunar phase watch comes with a sub-dial that lets you track AM and PM – it tells you the moon’s current phase.
What we love about Stuhrling is that it produces high-quality timepieces. The brand is notorious for producing affordable watches that don’t break the bank, and the 889.01 is no different.
Something that you’ll appreciate is the watch coming in a multitude of designs. There’s even a rose-gold version that’ll make your mouth drop.
What makes it special:
Its alligator skin strap.
Hopefully, you’ve heard of Bauhaus watches before. I’m not talking about the brand, but the watch type. They are minimalistic watches that emerged in Germany. They were inspired by the school of architecture by the same name.
Luxury German watchmakers are commonly associated with the design. The WDMP rocks the aesthetic. This is why its face is wide, while its dial is bare-minimum. It is not only minimal, but they’re very geometric. As there’s so much space, the presence of a vivid moon-phase sub-dial is eye-catching.
The device will be hard to scratch. It’s made from surgical grade stainless steel. This is true for its band too. Its bracelet is meshed. It lets your arm breathe – many bands, whether they’re steel or not, collect sweat. As it’s made from such high-quality steel, it’s no surprise that it’s water-proof. Being waterproof does not only mean that water will be repelled but all kinds of muck too.
Since we know it’s excellently waterproof, you may be wondering how much of the liquid it can handle. The answer is not that good– only 100 feet (30 meters).
If you’re looking for an automatic watch, the Bauhaus piece is not for you. It comes with a Japanese quartz movement. Like most of our entries, we don’t know the name of the mechanism inside. That being said, we know that it’s reliable.
What about its window? Mineral unlike most of them. Something that it shares with its counterparts is a 1.65 inch (42 mm) case.
Although this doesn’t have anything to do with its performance, we love how the box it comes in looks. It’s reusable too.
What makes it special:
It is a very minimalistic watch.
The Gallant timepiece comes with a metallic blue dial. It rocks a sunburst effect. It’ll get shiny when it’s bright out. We’re topping our review off with it, and we’re doing so with another leather timepiece. Like its brothers, Gallant placed a comfortable strap. Like many of its brothers, it is also 1.65 inches (42 mm). Manufacturers know this is a perfect size – it isn’t too big or small.
Another thing it shares is being water-resistant but not handling much water. The 07512 is only resistant up to 100 feet (30 meters). Considering that it looks so good, wanting to swim with it won’t be the first thing that comes to mind. Being resistant up to 100 feet, it can only handle a couple of splashes. The brand says that it was designed to only deal with rain.
There is no lume on it. Its hands and markers are thin, so this shouldn’t shock you. The device has Roman numerals, but there is an outer ring with the minutes in an hour.
There are three sub-dials on it. The upper two sub-dials are exactly what you think they are. They are its calendars. They read the date and day respectively. The lower one of course tells you the phase of the moon.
You’re looking at a Japanese quartz device. We don’t know the name of its movement. We don’t know much about the brand either – Gallant is relatively unknown in the industry. Of course, popularity does not equal great watches, though.
We love how tiara-like Stuhrling’s crowns look. However, Gallant’s take the cake. The one on the 07512 looks like one.
What makes it special:
We love the way its crown looks.
Check out our other top watches
We think lunar phase watches are cool. Knowing the phase of the moon would help with fishing and deer hunting, but the timepieces are neat to own in general. They’re notoriously hard to find, but we think we did a good job finding adequate ones. If you want a moonphase watch under 500, our list has you covered. Most of our entries were super affordable.
No doubt about it, Citizen deserved our number 1 spot with the Eco-drive. It is good-looking, easy-to-read, and easy on your wallet. The fact that it’s solar-powered makes it a breeze to take care of too.
When you look at lunar timepieces, there are many from Europe. Brands that are known for quality create them.
