New Saxonia Moon Phase Stars in Global Photography Project

Saxonia Moon Phase in front of the Rakotz Bridge
in Saxony’s Rhododendron Park in Kromlau.

Unveiled at the SIHH in January, the Saxonia Moon Phase is now available at Cellini Jewelers. It pairs an accurate moon-phase display with the striking Lange outsize date. A photo shoot against a Saxon backdrop in the moonlight aptly ex-presses the perfect combination of precision and aesthetics. The portrayal kicks off an international online event.

Astronomy, photography, and space travel are the three key disciplines that have given us close-up encounters with the moon. But, despite the latest insights, it has lost none of its allegorical fascination. After all, the magical appeal that science took away from the moon was given back to it by art across the centuries – with numerous oeuvres in literature, music, painting and photography.

It this context, photography plays a double role: With faithful depictions or artistic interpretation, it can enlighten or enchant. In 1865, Lewis Morris Rutherfurd, the pioneer of astrophotography, created the first detailed image of the moon in his Manhattan observatory.

The Saxonia Moon Phase's rose gold case has a 40mm diameter.

Some 40 years later, legendary camera artist Edward Steichen created “The Pond – Moonlight,” a milestone in artistic lunar photography that was sold at auction in 2006 for $2.9 million dollars. The same title would also befit the photograph that shows the Saxonia Moon Phase in front of the Rakotz Bridge in Saxony’s Rhododendron Park in Kromlau. In the silvery light of the full moon, the bridge and its mirror image on the water’s surface blend to become a perfect circle. The picture constitutes the launch of a worldwide online project in which 12 horology bloggers and web journalists in 12 cities manifest their photographic involvement with the watch. The underlying theme is a bridge in the light of a full moon.

The first full-moon photo shoot in Saxony will be followed by further photo sessions in Copenhagen, London, Tokyo, Paris, Sydney, New York, Oslo, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Warsaw.

With the moon-phase display of the Saxonia Moon Phase, A. Lange & Söhne succeeded in fusing precision and aesthetics in an ingenious ensemble. Its seven-stage transmission is designed with such accuracy that the display only needs to be corrected by one day every 122.6 years. The deep blue hue of the solid-silver lunar disc is the result of a patented coating. Its 852 stars are cut out with a laser beam. The outsize-date display in the gold-framed twin aperture visually counterbalances the subsidiary seconds dial that also incorporates the moon-phase display.

A pusher adjusts the large date display.

Saxonia Moon Phase

Technical Specifications

Movement

• Lange manufacture automatic winding caliber L086.5
• Crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand
• Precision-adjusted in five positions
• Plates made of untreated German silver
• Balance cock engraved by hand
• 72 hour power reserve when fully wound

Functions

• Time indicated in hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds
• Outsize date with button corrector
• Moon-phase display with recessed corrector

Case

• 40mm diameter
• White gold (384.026)
• Rose gold (384.032)
• Solid silver dial