The Making of the Moon

From Lunar Terrain to Watch Display

Creating the Moon started with an idea that sounded deceptively simple: take the Moon and turn it into a display worthy of an iconic watch.

Making that idea work in the real world proved rather more complicated.

The finished display brings together detailed digital modelling, CAD engineering, high-resolution resin 3D printing and traditional hands-on finishing. Each stage has been developed with one objective in mind: the finished piece should feel like a display designed around the watch, rather than simply a watch stand shaped like the Moon.

Starting With the Moon

The surface is one of the most important parts of the entire display.

Rather than creating an arbitrary cratered sphere, the model uses real lunar terrain data as its foundation. That gives the surface the geographical character, craters and features of the Moon itself.

But accurate lunar terrain isn't automatically suitable for manufacturing.

The digital model has to be adapted so that those features remain visible at the scale of the finished display while still producing a surface that can be reliably printed and finished.

The result is a balance between lunar accuracy and the requirements of a physical object.

Engineering the Display

Inside all that lunar terrain is a surprisingly complicated piece of engineering.

The watch needs to sit securely and naturally within the Moon without the mechanism distracting from the surface around it.

A dedicated insert was therefore designed around the watch cushion, with careful consideration given to its dimensions, depth, position and accessibility. Finger recesses make removing the cushion straightforward, while the internal structure supports the assembly from behind.

The display itself sits at a carefully chosen angle, presenting the watch towards the viewer while still allowing the Moon to remain the dominant form.

Much of this engineering is completely hidden in the finished product.

That's exactly how we wanted it.

Printing the Moon

Each Moon begins life as a digital model before being produced using high-resolution resin 3D printing.

Resin printing was chosen because of its ability to reproduce the fine surface detail that gives the lunar terrain its character. Crater edges, ridges, depressions and subtle changes across the surface can all be captured in the physical print.

Printing an object of this size and complexity also presents its own challenges.

Orientation, supports, drainage, exposure and material behaviour all affect the finished result. Numerous prototypes and test prints were produced during development, with each one teaching us something that could be incorporated into the next.

What comes off the printer is only the beginning.

Finished by Hand

Once printed, every Moon requires hands-on finishing.

Supports are removed, surfaces inspected and any areas requiring attention carefully worked before the individual components are prepared for assembly.

The aim isn't to make the lunar surface perfectly smooth. Quite the opposite.

The tiny irregularities, sharp crater edges and rough terrain are what give the Moon its character. Finishing therefore becomes a process of removing evidence of manufacture without removing the detail we're trying to preserve.

It's a slightly unusual situation where making something look beautifully imperfect takes a surprising amount of care.

From Prototype to Production

The Moon you see today wasn't the first version.

Far from it.

Early models explored different approaches to the lunar surface, construction, watch holder and assembly. Some ideas worked. Others didn't. Prints failed, components changed and seemingly tiny measurements occasionally resulted in surprisingly large problems.

Those prototypes were never wasted.

Each helped answer another question and gradually transformed the original idea into something that could be produced repeatedly without losing what made the concept interesting in the first place.

The development process has been part digital engineering, part manufacturing and occasionally part problem solving with a piece of sandpaper in hand.

Made in Small Batches

Our display isn't about mass production.

Our Moon displays are produced in small batches, allowing each one to be inspected and finished individually before it leaves us.

3D printing gives us an extraordinary modern manufacturing process, but there is still a very human element involved in turning the print into the finished display.

And we rather like it that way.

A Little Piece of the Moon

The finished Lunar Moon is the result of digital lunar data, CAD engineering, modern resin printing and traditional hand finishing.

But ultimately, all of that technology and development exists for one very simple reason.

To give an extraordinary watch somewhere extraordinary to rest when it's not on your wrist.

After all, what better place to display the watch worn on the Moon than on the Moon itself?