The Blast Moonstruck: It is not “by accident.”
The Blast Moonstruck aims to be a miniature extrapolation of the fearsome turret clocks built during the end of the Middle Ages by places of enormous importance and consequence, just as all timepieces combining extensive astronomical information. The town’s civic life depended heavily on these clocks, which were used to keep track of the passing of the hours. The Blast Moonstruck aims to be a more compact version of classic clocks in the present day. It is the modern equivalent of earlier astronomy devices, including an easily accessible and intelligible display. It can show the time in one of the 24 time zones that have been recognised since the Washington Convention of 1884 owing to its very precise mechanism. The primary time display may be moved forward or backward by one hour using pushers on the left side of the casing to change to a different time zone.
The Blast Moonstruck also boasts a precise moon-phase complication, which, when paired with the real-time sun tracking complication that gives it its brightness, gives the dial a sense of depth and relief. Both great leaders seeking the perfect watch and sailors, with whom the Manufacture has had an almost personal relationship since its founding in 1846, would benefit from this scientific portrayal of the significant oneiric potential. Thanks to the calm and understated alignment of the sun and moon on their respective ellipses, they will be able to determine the dates of the spring tides with ease. They will have peace of mind as a result, which will make it easier for them to focus on their daily duties.
This watch, which was created to continue the brilliant trilogy created by Ludwig Oechslin in 1985, abandons the Copernican view of our solar system in favour of a geocentric one that is simpler to read and comprehend for us, the people who live on Earth.
Together with internationally renowned watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, the designers decided to place the portion of the northern hemisphere visible from the North Pole at the centre of the instrument’s sapphire crystal in order to emphasise the feeling of being at the centre of the universe when one looks at the watch. Based on observations from the North Pole, the watch’s designers took care to position the watch’s core at the centre of the cosmos. The domed crystal is placed inside a protective sapphire crystal box and surrounded by an 18 ct rose gold ring inscribed with the 31 days of the month to enhance the 3D impression. The interior of the domed crystal is micro-engraved with land masses.
Invisible hands flow in the precision and cutting-edge design that the Blast collection is known for beneath this three-dimensional framework. Due to the considerable amount of fluorescent material towards the centre, its tapering shape facilitates spontaneous reading even in complete darkness. You won’t have to strain your eyes to read since these hands are made to be as comfy as they are fashionable. The 24-hour indications show the current local time, which is set to the owner’s home time zone. However, they may also be adjusted to any one of the 24 time zones that are represented by the names of the relevant cities on the dial’s permanent flange. By pressing the two rectangular pushers on the left side of the case, this mechanism may be used to advance or rewind the watch. For seasoned travellers, this world-time feature is always helpful and straightforward to use. It also has a sophisticated astronomical complexity.
The Moonstruck was not designed to be an overly complicated watch, but rather a clock with a sober and effective display, according to Ludwig Oechslin, who created some of the most intricate wristwatches in history.
This 45 mm diameter astronomical watch, with a black alligator, velvet, or rubber strap and black ceramic and titanium construction, is certain to live up to this ambitious project’s high standards.
A disc constructed of aventurine with a time shown against a night sky is part of the time display. Cities’ names are written on the fixed flange, while a relief image of the sun and the time (12 o’clock) are displayed on the revolving disc. There is a Dual-Time mechanism in the watch. To switch the primary display from full hours to full hours with the reference city, use the two pushers on the case’s left side. The original time and reference city are also options. This reliable watch features an aperture that displays the moon’s phases. On the time display for the reference time zone, a three-dimensional image of the sun at noon is displayed to accomplish this.
At the apogee of the ellipse, the Moonstruck team wished to depict the moon’s phases in a circle. It displays the actual location of the moon, which is situated on the same axis as Earth. An opening may be seen on the disc. It will force the moon phase to follow the sun once every day. It took 29 days, 12 hours, 41 minutes, and 9.3 seconds to complete the circle. The lunar month is displayed to be 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2. 9 seconds long.
In order to maintain the simulation’s accuracy, the aperture that displays the moon’s image progressively moves away from the sun at an angle that corresponds to 1/29.53 of a lunar month every 24 hours on its circular path of revolution. The image contained in this tiny moveable aperture also changes with time, becoming somewhat brighter or darker in accordance with the lunar calendar.
The sun is at the same position as the moon when it is visible in the sky, and the moon’s position is replicated in relief and bronzage for a whole 24-hour period. This rare and priceless mineral has a golden surface with black areas that are meant to mimic those that can be seen via a telescope on a star’s mantle that the planet orbits. The moon-phase display is stated as having “of accuracy” such that it will only cause a divergence of one day after 40 years of operation, and the marks of the moon’s age on the ellipsis are intended to illustrate the rotation of our natural satellite around the planet.
The Blast Moonstruck is appealing and unique, yet it still represents an idea of our solar system that exists somewhere in the vastness of space.
Although it appears complicated, it is simple to read and adjust to since the winding crown can be used to set all the information. The relevant information from the reference city to the local time and date must be placed correctly in order for the automated Manufacture calibre UN-106 to be able to handle everything on its own. It must be reinserted into the box supplied, which contains an automated winder that will minimise winding, to maintain the accuracy of its calendar information.
If it is demonstrated that the stars are random, the delicate mineral black dial design on the Blast Moonstruck is not “by accident.”
The origin story of aventurine glass is that in the thirteenth century, on the island of Murano in Venice, which was home to the renowned glass-makers, a worker “per aventure” created aventurine glass, or “avventurina” in Italian, meaning “by chance.”
This man-made mineral’s aventurine effect gives it the dazzling aspect that sailors frequently see on the ocean’s surface in the pitch-blackness of night.