People learned to monitor the state of the lunar disk in the sky and display the current phase of the moon in various ways long before the invention of the clockwork in its modern form. Babylonian astronomers calculated the lunar month quite accurately, while in Egypt, the learned priests were guided in time by the sun. Mentions of clocks with display of the phases of the moon are found in the XNUMXth century, in the era of the development of navigation and the increased need to navigate in time and space with the help of luminaries.
In ancient times, the moon not only counted time intervals, but also planned agricultural work and religious holidays, arranged important events such as weddings, the outbreak of hostilities or the construction of dwellings. Somewhere to this day, the significance of the moon has been preserved for planting plants - in particular, this is what they are guided by in biodynamic agriculture and winemaking. In Muslim countries, the lunar remains the main calendar, according to which the most important dates, changes of years and seasons are marked.
For the Western world, the moon lost its significance as a reference point for time, but retained a romantic halo, and the complication lunar calendar in wristwatch gives them a special status and increases aesthetic value. If this function cannot be called the most significant for a modern person, then from an artistic point of view, such an element certainly remains one of the most beautiful.
First of all, it is worth deciding what exactly we see on the dial of our watches, equipped with a lunar calendar. Regardless of how it is displayed, it is most likely a graphical representation of the currently visible portion of the lunar disk. The lunar cycle begins with a new moon, when the part of the satellite illuminated by the Sun is "turned away" from the Earth and we do not see the Moon at all. Then it begins to "grow", the first phase lasts about 7,5 Earth days until the position when we see about half of the lunar disk illuminated, this is a quarter of a cycle.
The second quarter lasts until the full moon, then the moon begins to decrease at first in the same way, up to half, and then finally, until the next new moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the horns of the growing Moon are directed to the left, and the decreasing - to the right; in the equator, their position is close to vertical up and down, and in the Southern Hemisphere the sequence changes as follows: first “look” to the right, and then to the left.
Analog display of the lunar calendar in mechanical watch is most often created in one of several forms. This is either an arrow pointing to one of the phases drawn - there can be from four to sixteen with varying degrees of granularity - or, and this is one of the most common options, we see a window on the dial in which the disc of the Moon moves in a circle, respectively, showing in part or in whole. This window can occupy a small part of the dial or be its main part. As a rule, this complication is accompanied by a calendar of days of the week and months, sometimes there is an indication of the time of day, date and year.
In modern "mechanics" a special position of the crown is intended for setting the lunar calendar, or an independent button is allocated. To adjust the correct position of the lunar disk, strictly follow the instructions, paying attention to the recommended time of day - for example, such mechanisms cannot be adjusted at night, most often from 23:00 to 04:00 in the morning. To achieve the correct result and get closer to fine tuning, you can select the full moon period for tuning. Some manufacturers even indicate a schedule of full moons for several years right in the instructions for such models.
You can also track the current position of the moon using specialized services on the Web or simply by opening a fresh issue of a local newspaper. You do not need to adjust the calendar more often than once every few months or even years, it will depend on the specific brand and model of your watch.
Digital displaying the lunar calendar on quartz watchis usually clearly highlighted on the display. Most likely, you will purchase an already configured model, and if not, you should again open the instructions and follow the instructions. "Lunar time mode" allows you to set the exact position of the moon exactly in the place where you are. Depending on the device of your watch, this may only require fine-tuning the current time, date and sometimes the city of the location, or entering geographic coordinates. They can be found using any GPS device or major search engines.
In electronic watches, very often with a lunar calendar goes ebb and flow chart, this function is useful for fishermen and surfers. It can be configured initially, and to do it yourself, you will need to enter a number of data using the buttons. The most interesting and difficult thing is the so-called "lunitidal interval", it must be specified in some models.
The lunar interval is equal to the difference between the zenith (in time exactly the middle between the rising and setting of the moon) and the time of the next maximum tide. You can find it on specialized services by entering your location and finding the data of the point closest to you.
