The waxing and waning Moon phase is the centerpiece of the modern perpetual calendar watch.  Who can deny its importance and the link to each month that passes.  Over the years these displays have manifested themselves in a variety of creative styles and shapes.  The execution of the moon phase displays have typically been the focus of innovation on many perpetual calendars.

Even in the most commonly executed variety, the “bossom” display - we still see a variety of renderings.  From a guilloche bossom dial, to an animated star field, to a smiling Moon face animated with a friendly human likeness.  Dual-hemisphere displays, arc bossoms, apeture displays, quadrant displays can be likened to “poetic license” taken by a manufacture to make expressive statements on one of the most visually-appealing complications .  Often, it is the style, placement, size, and execution of the Moon’s phase that entices the buyer to make a decision on a specific watch.  Over the last month, we explored how people feel about some of the common styles, shapes, and trends in Moon phase displays through a “reader poll”.

The moving Moon went up the sky, and nowhere did abide;  Softly she was going up, and a star or two beside -

Samuel Coleridge (1772-1834)

No one can deny that “bossoms are big” - the runaway winner of the Complicated Time March Reader’s Poll.  Many thanks to the hundreds of votes from all over the world.