Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Ochs und Junior Selene Nebra, With Patinated Bronze Dial
Oechslin’s lunar time machine rises again with a patinated bronze Nebra dial.
Finding simpler solutions to complex problems is the overriding philosophy at Ochs und Junior, the brand founded by Ludwig Oechslin in 2006. Developing complications with as few components as possible, combined with a radical minimalist design, are hallmark features of Ochs und Junior. The moon phase complication, which is accurate for 3,478 years, was introduced in 2011 and boasts a lunar module with just five additional components. In 2013, a customer in Lucerne asked for a customised version of the Selene moon phase with a special dial inspired by the ancient bronze Nebra sky disc discovered in Germany. Ten years later, Ochs und Junior revisits its attractive bronze dial Selene model in 39mm and 42mm diameters, just in time for the holiday season.
The novelty here is the attractive blue-green patinated bronze dial with gold markings evoking the famous Nebra sky disc dating to circa 1800-1600 BCE and attributed to the Early Bronze Age Unetice culture. Regarded as the oldest depiction of astronomical phenomena, the Nebra sky disc features gold representations of the Sun, Moon and stars set against a bronze background. Measuring 32cm across and weighing 2.2kg, the Nebra sky disc has been reinterpreted here in a grade 5 titanium case with 42mm and 39mm diameters and weighing just 70 and 62 grams, respectively (including the leather strap and buckle). Like all Ochs und Junior cases, they reveal the brand’s characteristic traces of machining and milling imperfections.
The impressive accuracy of the Selene Nebra relies on a five-part epicyclic gear module fitted on top of an ETA 2824-2 with a 38-hour power reserve. It will only require one adjustment after 3,478.27 years. The Selene Nebra is also equipped with Oeschlin’s Mese date display with 30 + 1 holes perforated on the perimeter of the dial and indicated by a hammered 24k gold dot. In addition to indicating the date, the dots are also used to indicate the minutes and seconds. Excluding the 31st hole, each of the 30 holes represents an even minute or second, and the area between each hole indicates an odd number.
However, the main attraction is the attractive patinated bronze dial with gold leaf hour makers and distressed 18k gold hour and minute hands. The lunar cycles are represented on the dial in the crescent-shaped cut-out area representing the Earth, aligned with the hammered 24k gold Sun at noon. The full Moon is represented by the larger hammered platinum circle on the rotating disc appearing opposite the Sun and Earth at 6 o’clock; the new Moon is when the dark circle is hidden between the Sun and Earth at noon.
The lunar disc is calibrated to a lunar cycle of 29.5306122449 days, which is very close to the real-time average lunar cycle of 29.530589 days and far more accurate than the 29.5-day average most watches rely on.
Availability & Price
The two models of the Ochs und Junior Selene Nebra come with handmade Ecopell Olifant leather straps with a titanium buckle. Available to order now until 6 January 2024, the watch retails for CHF 8,100 (incl. tax). Orders received before 20 November 2023 will be delivered before Christmas; later orders will be dispatched at the end of January/beginning of February 2024. To place an order, you can email [email protected] or directly at www.ochsundjunior.swiss.
