What could be more logical? When you’re on Earth, you measure the passing of the months through the phases of the Moon in the sky. But when you’re on the Moon – an opportunity that very few men have had to date – you can admire the blue planet in the heart of the void of space. This is one of the final scenes in the excellent film Space Cowboys by Clint Eastwood, in which the camera lingers on one of the characters, Hawkins, forever looking down on the Earth from above, reflected in the gold visor of his spacesuit, while Frank Sinatra sings Fly me to the moon…

The new Bioceramic MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase (€330) is clearly dedicated to all those who dream of conquering space. While we wait to see a permanent base or even habitats on the Moon, we can already wear this astonishing Mission to Earthpase on our wrists, which achieves the feat of inventing a new watchmaking complication: the Earth phase. Indeed, this non-limited edition not only features a moon phase, but also – a first in watchmaking – an earth phase. In addition to a moon phase on the sub-dial at two o’clock, the dial at ten o’clock shows the movements of our planet as seen from the Moon. This patented earth phase is colored to pay tribute to the diversity and beauty of the blue planet. In addition to the contrast between oceans, forests and deserts, a few clouds can even be glimpsed. The oceans are sublimated by a transparent UV ink with a blue emission only visible under UV light.

To create this unique watch featuring an Earth phase, Swatch was inspired by the Earth as seen from the Moon and the exceptional images captured during the various Apollo missions. The lunar phase shows how the Moon looks from the Earth. The Earth phase shows how the Earth looks from the Moon. The duration of a lunar phase and a terrestrial phase are equivalent, at 29.5 days. When the Moon is full, it’s the new Earth. And when the Moon is new, the Earth is full. This is why the Earth phase rotates in the opposite direction to that of the Moon and the hands.