While it is best known for the many variations on its classic Luminor and Radiomir collections, Panerai has dabbled, pretty impressively in some cases, with highly complicated, highly limited timepieces, as witness the brand’s Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater GMT from 2016, for example. However, the one complication that the Florentine brand had never produced, amazingly enough, is a moon-phase. That changes this year, with the introduction of the L’Astronomo, unveiled this week during SIHH 2018. And, in distinct Panerai fashion, a moon-phase isn’t all it offers. Not by a long shot.
The moon-phase indicator is placed on the back of the movement, Caliber P.2005.GLS.
To start with the newness, i.e., that moon-phase, it is truly different from any we’ve seen previously ? located on the back of the movement, incorporating a day-night indicator, and composed of two superimposed disks that rotate in concert with each other. The upper disk, which is read by a small external index fixed onto the movement ? displays the day’s 24 hours, showing the sun during daylight hours and a starry night sky for the nighttime. night. At the center of the star field is a round aperture through which the lower disk, with its photo-realistic moon, can be seen, changing its phase ever so slightly by about 6.1° per day, matching the exact duration of one lunar cycle, or an average of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds. In layman’s terms, all this adds ...