Antique Swiss Moon Phase Pocket Watch, 1886

• Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
• Moon Dial - If we imagine life in the 17th century, the only source of ascertaining the time of day or night would have been the local church or municipal clock striking every quarter hour, and able to be heard by all in the village. In England, when longcase clocks became popular and more affordable in the late 17th century, the function of timekeeping and source of time was moved to within the home.
  
  An additional feature on some longcase clocks was to display the phases of the moon, that is the new moon, the full moon and the waning moon over the lunar 29 ½ day cycle. This information was important for farmers for working out cropping schedules; for travellers to know the amount of moonlight on a night they planned to travel; and for those who lived near the sea required knowledge of the tides.
  
  Where included, the moon dial is usually in the form of a disc incorporated into the main dial plate, usually in the arched top section. The lunar cycle starts with the new moon displaying, which is a dark night sky and no man-in-the-moon face being displayed, and then progresses to the full moon face showing on the 15th day of the lunar cycle, and back to no face displaying as the moon wanes. Most lunar dials are partially concealed on each side of their opening in the main dial plate by semi-circular "humps" that allow the painted face to emerge slowly just as the real moon goes out of and back into the earth's shadow.
  
  Nowadays, details of the lunar cycle is published in diaries, almanacs, and newspapers and although some modern longcase clocks are still manufactured with working moon dials, they are more for decoration than for use.
• Keyless Watch - A keyless watch is a type of pocket watch or wristwatch that does not require a separate winding key to wind or set the time. Instead, a keyless watch is wound and set by a small knob or button located on the side of the watch, called a crown.
  
  Keyless watches were first introduced in the late 19th century and quickly became popular due to their convenience and ease of use. Prior to the development of keyless watches, pocket watches were typically wound and set using a small key that was inserted into a hole in the watch case. The key would be turned to wind the watch's mainspring, and then turned again to set the time.
  
  With the introduction of the keyless watch, watchmakers were able to simplify the winding and setting process by eliminating the need for a separate key. Instead, the crown on the side of the watch could be pulled out to set the time, and then pushed back in to wind the watch's mainspring.
  
  The keyless watch design has since become the standard for most modern watches, both pocket and wristwatches. In addition to being more convenient to use, keyless watches are also typically more reliable and accurate than earlier models that used winding keys.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• pocket watches, case type - nickel, white metal, gun metal, chrome and steel 77
• pocket watches, country - Swiss made 416