We?re huge fans around here of ochs und junior, an independent brand known for radically simple executions of complications that are traditionally anything but. Their latest is a release of one of their most whimsical and complex pieces, the Day/Night, which was first seen in 2018 but now enters the ?ochs line,? meaning it gets a standardized, serialized production, without the vast array of customization options offered on most watches in the brand?s catalog. That said, considering the astronomical nature of the complication, some custom work is required, so the Day/Night really splits the difference. Even more than ochs und junior?s fairly radical calendar watches, the Day/Night really shows off the ingenuity at work behind Ludwig Oechslin?s watchmaking. 
Looking at the dial, it?s hard to grasp at first exactly what you’re seeing. The time, of course, but the rest of the indicators are so far removed from what we?re used to seeing on a watch, the Day/Night really does require something of a primer to fully grasp. Here?s what you can see at a glance on the dial: the length of day and nighttime for a given location, sunset, sunrise, solar noon, moon phase, sun and moon position in the sky, the date, and of course the current time. Much of this information is dependent on the wearer?s current location, so in the ordering process, ochs und junior make a note of where the watch will live, and create a custom part to ?synch? the watch to that location. The brand can ...