Christiaan Van Der Klaauw Real Moon Joure 40Y Limited Edition (Specs & Price)

Christiaan Van Der Klaauw, THE watch brand that is specialized in astronomical complications, celebrate their 40th anniversary. What better way to celebrate this memorable moment with a timepiece that says it all: the Real Moon Joure 40Y. The most precise three-dimensional moon phase indication on a wrist watch comes with a stylish dark blue guilloche dial, with numbered plate and Christiaan van der Klaauw’s signature.

Christiaan van der Klaauw is probably the only watchmaker in the world, who exclusively focusses on astronomical complications and has been doing that for 40 years. This years it is 40 years ago that Christiaan Van Der Klaauw made his first astronomical clock. Although the daily management of the company is now in the hands of Daniel Reintjes, Christiaan van der Klaauw is still very much involved. This important moment marks a perfect time to look back at what Christiaan Van Der Klaauw, member of the prestigious AHCI, has done in the past 40 years.

Christiaan van der Klaauw (1944) was born in Leiden, the same city where Christiaan Huygens, inventor of the pendulum clock, went to university. During his study at the Instrument-making School in Leiden, Netherlands, the young Christiaan Van Der Klaauw did some work at the observatory in Leiden. This is actually the world’s oldest observatory connected to a university, and that’s where and when Christiaan fell in love with the stars and planets.

At school Christiaan learned so much more than “just” making mechanical movements. He was fascinated by celestial bodies and like a true instrument maker, he was determined that what his eyes could see, he should be able to make with his hands. Making the mathematically predictable movements of celestial bodies to scale, and visible, wasn’t new. Dutchman Eise Eisinga had already built a very accurate planetarium. After finishing a second education, for clockmaker, Van Der Klaauw moved from Leiden to Joure, where he went to work at a clockmaker’s atelier where they mainly worked on Frisian pendulum clocks.

Independent watchmaker

In 1974, Van Der Klaauw started his own atelier and presented his first clock with astronomical complications. That was the beginning of a career that led him to become one of the greatest clockmakers in the world. In 1989 he received the honorary membership of the Academy Horlogère des Createurs Independants (AHCI) and in 1992, at the Baselworld watch fair, he received the award for the most innovative watch design for his Pendulum Variable.

It wasn’t until 1994 before Christiaan Van Der Klaauw presented his first wrist watch, the Satellite du Monde – one that we of course covered for you here. The Satellite du Monde indicates the time, day, date, moon phase, day/night indication and the place on earth where it exactly 12 o’clock (noon). In 1999 he presented his masterpiece, the Planetarium, equipped with the smallest mechanical planetarium in the world.

New era

In 2009 Christiaan Van Der Klaauw was succeeded by designer Daniel Reintjes, who took over the helm of the company. Christiaan remained very much involved in creating new complications. Daniel was responsible for repositioning the brand, redesigning all wrist watches with a more recognizable identity and the brand added “astronomical watches” to the name. Now it is Christiaan Van Der Klaauw  Astronomical Watches – a name the fully covers what the brand does today. Earlier this year Van Cleef & Arpels launched the Midnight Planetarium Poetic Complication, which is Van CLeef & Arpels’ most complicated watch ever. It features a Planetarium module that is manufactured exclusively for Van Cleef & Arpels by Christiaan Van Der Klaauw.

CVDK Real Moon Joure 40Y

In our previous article about the Real Moon Joure, we explained everything about the wrist watch with the most precise three-dimensional moon phase indication. Please look here for that article. For this article we’ll suffice with a shorter description and the specifications of this blue dial, limited and numbered edition, with a very special rotor.

It features astronomical decorations, on a steel guilloche and black DLC coated rotor. All Christiaan Van Der Klaauw timepieces have a decorated rotor, however the large moon here, is unique for the Real Moon models.

The CVDK Real Moon Joure 40Y is limited to 40 numbered pieces. Recommended retail price is € 19,940 EURO / $ 25,840 USD / CHF 25,940

Here are some specifications of the Real moon Joure 40Y:

• Case: stainless steel, ø 40 mm, sapphire crystal on each side
• Movement: self-winding movement, double main spring barrel, 96 hours of power reserve, 35 jewels, CVDK Real Moon Joure module
• Indications: Hours, minutes, 3D maçon phase indication,
• Dial: ‘Blue Sunburst’ with ‘40 years anniversary’ plate, signed by Christiaan van der Klaauw, white Rhodium plated indices

Interesting facts: The moon rotates around the earth every 29,530588853 days. The hand-made three-dimensional miniture moon indicates the moon phase so accurately that it deviates only one day in 11.000 years. It is the most accurate three-dimensional moon phase in the world ever incorporated in a mechanical watch.

We’d like to congratulate Christiaan van der Klaauw for this immense achievement, and thank him for the horological and astronomical beauty he created. 

And this is the CVDK moon phase module that is placed atop the movement. Love the decorations, although these are usually only seen by the watchmaker.

More info: www.klaauw.com