Mr Jones Watches Sun And Moon ? poor man?s jour et nuit (AWW 43)

Mr Jones Watches Sun And Moon - poor man's jour et nuit (AWW 43)

Specifications

Name: Mr Jones Watches Sun and Moon
Movement: Ronda 515.24H, one jewel, battery type 371 (SR920SW)
Time display: 24 hours "day and night" and minutes
Date: no date
Case: brushed stainless steel with snap back
Size: diameter 39 mm with crown, 46 mm lug to lug
Height: 11 mm
Face: white dial; upper half is the crescent shaped sky representing 12 hours with the time running from left to right; the minutes are represented in the centre
Text on dial: MJW
Text on back: [MJW logo] Sun and moon www.MrJonesWatches.com designed in London, built in China
Water-resistance: 5 ATM water resistant
Crowns: at 3 to set time
Crystal: flat mineral crystal
Lug: 18 mm
Bracelet: black leather strap with ecru stitching and signed buckle

Foreword

Jour et nuit (day and night) watches are usually pretty expensive. On the high end they call it "jour et nuit", which no doubt is more classy. You can see some nice pictures at https://www.watchuseek.com/f381/jour-et-nuit-day-night-complications-739413.html.

Mr Jones Watches (MJW) is a designer watch brand from London. New models are coming one by one of them. They focus on the design of watch faces and how they tell the time. The movements and cases are standard. These watches are exactly what is pressed on their case backs - "designed in London, built in China".

In MJW collection several 24h watches are present. I know 4 different models - Sun and Moon, Satellite, Observatory, Time Traveller. Here we have Sun and Moon. A true poor man's day and night watch with a list price GBP 160.

My motto is "the hunt is half the fun" and I bought it from auction site, pre-owned. Unfortunately the watch came without box and papers. Papers are not needed, but the box is actually very nice - a real artwork by illustrator Fanny Shorter displaying lifecycle of the mayfly (which takes 24 hours).

Comments
As I said, the cases and movements of MJW are standard. That means they use some similar case types (stainless steel, 5 ATM waterproof, snap case back) for all the models and all 24h models (I suppose) have quartz Ronda 515.24H inside.

The main thing here is always the face. Some Mr Jones watch models are really obscure, the main objective is to look cool and practical use is for sure in the background.

Sun and Moon looks cool too. But I have to say right now, to my big surprise, that reading the time was very easy! I was wearing it several days and there was not a moment when I wasn't sure what time it is.

I have two watches for comparison here. One is 24h from Mr Jones - Satellite - whose readability is very questionable, if possible at all, and I know how difficult it can be with MJW. The other one I have is expensive Maurice Lacroix Jour et Nuit. I'm sorry, but Sun and Moon tells time much better than this exceptionally good looking masterpiece.

"Sun and moon" or "day and night" dial is actually a perfect combination of two main 24h dial versions - top 12 and top 24. Some prefer noon on the top, some like midnight there. Day and night dial has best of both worlds. For some reason the upper half of dial is always easier to read. With "sun and moon" only the upper half of the dial is in use and AM we have 12 on top, PM 24 on top. As it should be.

To distinguish AM and PM the diametric hour hand has usually two different ends, marked mostly with sun and moon. MJW hour hand is a rotating circle with sun and moon pictures opposite to each other. At 6 AM the sun rises at the left, reaches maximum at midday and descends to the right until 6 PM. The sun sets at 6 PM and in the same time moon rises on the left. And so on until 6 AM the moon is telling you time.

6:17


15:35


21:22


Sun and Moon by MJW comes in three editions. The first one was a limited (to 100) edition and is completely sold out (see Mr Jones Watches - Sun and Moon ). My watch is from the second series, which is still available. And there is also a third, so called London edition, which "features an etched stainless steel disc with the sun and moon printed on it in gold and silver; cut, printed, assembled and regulated in London" (see Mr Jones Watches - Sun and Moon London Edition).

The main difference between first (limited) and second edition of this watch are the pictures on the hours disc. The first edition has nice etchings of animals, bird and trees. The second edition is more simplified. Some horses and trees are still present, but they are moved more to the background. In foreground are clearly only two main objects - sun and moon.

I don't have the first edition here, but according to live demos and pictures I'm sure that simpler second edition watch is much easier to read. More practicality at the expense of art.

BTW. In most places, including MJW site, you can see pictures of the first edition watches. Pictures of the current second series watches are rare.
The minutes hand is normal short centrally placed hand. The minute markers are after every 5 minutes. Not very exact, but good enough for a casual idler.

Note. London edition has markers on every minute and even second's hand. Maybe this is the best choice for you!

First edition



2[SUP]nd[/SUP] edition



London edition



Afterword

This watch looks different - that is very important. I like different looking watches. In many cases looking different means "no practical value". This watch works! That was a nice surprise.

Perhaps the best 24h watch from Mr Jones Watches. Maybe someday I will test some more 24 h watch from MJW.