With the Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune, Van Cleef & Arpels is taking the Jour Nuit series in a striking new direction: beyond 40mm, plus a combined moonphase and day/night display with on-demand moonphase indication.

Designed and assembled by Les Ateliers Horlogers Van Cleef & Arpels, the movement took four years of development to meld two complications that could operate in harmony: the Sun and Moon that appear and disappear beyond the horizon (represented by a guilloché mother-of-pearl cap painted in a gentle gradient) by way of a 24-hour rotating disc, a signature of the watches in the Jour Nuit series; and a moonphase indicated by a second rotating disc that completes one revolution in 24 hours, 16 minutes and 27 seconds to track the moon’s 29.5-day cycle. A mesmeric animation can be activated by the pusher at 8 o’clock, which spins the dial one full revolution over 10 seconds to reveal the current phase of the moon. Making this marvellous mechanism a challenge to realise is the need to reduce the weight of both rotating discs for the animation to work with minimal friction. The self-winding mechanical movement delegates the crown to control both setting the time and adjusting the moonphase indication.

Part of the Poetic Complications watch collection, the Jour Nuit series launched in 2008 and subsequently updated in 2024 currently comprises more ornate gem-set references measuring 33mm and 38mm, so the Midnight Jour Nuit Phase de Lune’s substantial 42mm diameter and more restrained aesthetic approach clearly telegraph the maison’s intentions for the series. Replacing a diamond-set case with T-bar lugs is a 42mm rhodium-plated white-gold Midnight case with curved lugs; instead of yellow sapphires and white diamonds, the Sun and Moon motifs are done in guilloché yellow gold and white mother-of-pearl, respectively; and a brighter blue Murano aventurine glass and mother-of-pearl cap make way for a moodier, more enigmatic set (the aventurine glass’s deeper colour and bronze-toned shimmer were developed with Van Cleef & Arpels’ Innovation Department to emulate the night sky in more dramatic detail.)

The celestial theme continues on the caseback, which features a white-gold engraving that mimics the surface of the moon and its plains, trenches and craters. Earth is depicted through enamel tracing beneath the sapphire crystal, surrounded by miniature-painted planets that orbit with the rotation of the oscillating weight.

This story was first seen as part of the WOW #86 Autumn 2026 issue.

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