With Jay Chou's help, TUDOR unveils its first ever watch with a moon phase complication
Just ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is at its brightest, TUDOR is dropping something celestial.
The Moon occupies a special place in Eastern lore: in the Chinese tradition of the Mid-Autumn Festival, it symbolizes togetherness and the unity of family. It was the most fitting occasion to harness the creative energy from TUDOR’s own family, particularly the multi-talented Jay Chou, to create the first ever moon phase watch in the collection. This is Jay's second collaboration with TUDOR, the first being the Chrono Pink.
The subtle sophistication of the 1926 line was the perfect place to start. This line is named after the year when "The Tudor" was first registered as a brand on behalf of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf. It captures and stays true to TUDOR’s philosophy, representing both beauty and value. Working with TUDOR’s designers, Jay added his magic to the watch, and the result is as magnificent as a resplendent full moon lighting up the night sky. Framed by a perfectly polished bevel, the moon phase indicator appears at 6 o’clock on three brand new dials in 39mm stainless steel cases for the 1926: Blue, Black and Jay’s own, champagne-colour. The moon phase indicator for each dial is distinct, and Jay’s vision for the champagne-colour dial model has come to life in a truly fantastical way, with the phantom moonlight gold disc representing the moon hidden behind an inky black cutout that slowly disappears as the moon waxes and wanes.
In Roman mythology, Luna the goddess personifies the divine beauty and magical mystery of the moon. Most years have 12 full moons that appear once during a lunar cycle lasting roughly 29.5 days, but our calendar doesn’t necessarily sync up perfectly, so some years might see 13 full moons. This is what makes the moon phase complication so mesmerizing – the watch measures our 24-hour days right down to the very second. Meanwhile, it also measures a completely different cycle – the lunar cycle. Not only can you tell the time, but you can also tell when it’s time to… watch out for werewolves.
