Blancpain Leman Calendar Moonphase 18ct Gold Watch
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Blancpain Leman Calendar Moonphase An 18ct gold automatic wristwatch, recent. Dial: matte white dial, applied gold baton and Arabic numerals, outer chapter ring to indicate date, subdial for seconds with moon phase at 6 o'clock, day and month apertures at 12 o'clock. Calibre: cal. 6763 automatic, 31 jewels. movement number: 823 1B 1725. Case: 18ct gold case with sapphire glass, screw-down back. Ref number: 2763 1418A 53B. Closure: brown leather strap, 18ct gold clasp signed Blancpain. Dimensions: 38 mm. Signed: case, dial and movement. Accessories: Blancpain guarantee and presentation box.
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- Moon Dial - If we imagine life in the 17th century, the only source of ascertaining the time of day or night would have been the local church or municipal clock striking every quarter hour, and able to be heard by all in the village. In England, when longcase clocks became popular and more affordable in the late 17th century, the function of timekeeping and source of time was moved to within the home.
An additional feature on some longcase clocks was to display the phases of the moon, that is the new moon, the full moon and the waning moon over the lunar 29 ½ day cycle. This information was important for farmers for working out cropping schedules; for travellers to know the amount of moonlight on a night they planned to travel; and for those who lived near the sea required knowledge of the tides.
Where included, the moon dial is usually in the form of a disc incorporated into the main dial plate, usually in the arched top section. The lunar cycle starts with the new moon displaying, which is a dark night sky and no man-in-the-moon face being displayed, and then progresses to the full moon face showing on the 15th day of the lunar cycle, and back to no face displaying as the moon wanes. Most lunar dials are partially concealed on each side of their opening in the main dial plate by semi-circular "humps" that allow the painted face to emerge slowly just as the real moon goes out of and back into the earth's shadow.
Nowadays, details of the lunar cycle is published in diaries, almanacs, and newspapers and although some modern longcase clocks are still manufactured with working moon dials, they are more for decoration than for use. - Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
- Chapter Ring - A separate metal plate on the face of a clock, on which the numerals for the hours and sometimes parts of the hours, are displayed, usually wheel shaped and sitting on top of the dial plate. The chapter ring is often a feature of the clock and can be silvered or enamelled to stand as a contrast to its background. The hours are usually shown in Roman numerals, although in the late 19th and earlt 20th century, Arabic numerals became fashionable.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
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