Hands-On Review of the MU:N Orion Project Moonphase
Over the summer I was approached by Thibault Jungbluth, co-founder of the French brand MU:N watches, who wanted to know if Wrist Enthusiast wanted to review their latest release: the Orion Project. I was intrigued by the brand from the offset and the answer was obviously a resounding yes. MU:N was founded by cousins Thibault and Victor S. and launched their first piece in 2021: the Artemis Project. As you may have deduced from the name, their designs are all built around a single complication: the Moonphase. In fact, they are one of but a handful of microbrands who dare to interpret this complication that is imbued with horological tradition and extremely complicated to execute well. As a brand they are also incredibly focused on their consumer base, involving them in almost every step of the way: participation and transparency are an inextricable part of their design and production process.
The Orion Project is their second model family, and it improves massively on the Artemis collections. This is a refined and more intricate piece, that really reflects what the enthusiasts want (which it would be, because they vote for the final design). Whilst I only reviewed the second-generation prototype, I can tell this is going to be a roaring success. Let’s get stuck into the details.
The most striking detail of this watch is definitely the moonphase disc. It is perfectly legible in its position just nestled above the centre of the dial. The laser engraved super-luminova moon is so realistic that my jaw had to be picked up off the table when I first got my hands on the watch. The attention to detail is genuinely breathtaking, and upon closer inspection, the Orion constellation becomes apparent too. These minute details are an extremely impressive feat of design and manufacturing. Speaking to Victor, one of the co-founders, about the production process it became clear how challenging this one component was to get just right. The rest of the dial is a beautiful assembly of different textures, finishes, and depths which help to draw your gaze back towards the moon phase disc. The dial on the final version of the Orion Project will be ever so slightly different, but the aesthetics will be unchanged.
Perhaps the most overlooked feature on this piece, at least in my opinion, is just how wearable the case is. At 38mm this piece is just perfect for all wrist sizes. I’m a sucker for a mid-size case and I thought this one was perfectly executed: the slim bezel really makes the dial features stand out, drawing all the attention to them. My sole complaint would be about the thickness. At almost 13mm, the case was not slim enough to slide under my cuffs. However, this little niggle clearly bothered the design team just as much as me. The final version will be almost 2.5mm slimmer, which will completely change what was an almost perfect wearing experience. They will also be ditching the engraved metal caseback, which I thought was really fitting for a watch that pays homage to this modern era of space travel. Instead, it will be replaced with a sapphire display caseback, allowing to catch a glimpse of the calibre.
Pictured: The Artemis Project Caseback just gives you an idea of how well finished the movement on the Orion Project will be.
Speaking of the movement, MU:N are now using the Sellita SW-288-1m manual winding movement to help reduce the case size massively. The second-generation prototype was equipped with the automatic variant. The moonphase complication is rare for microbrands and this one was buttery smooth. This calibre is used by only one other brand on the market, making it hard to come by as a microbrand. The finishing on it will be exceptional. Whilst reviewing this piece, I was also lucky enough to have a look at the Artemis model and the finishing on its automatic Sellita calibre was just gorgeous, which is definitely a sign that this one will be even better.
Pictured: The Orion Project (L) and the Artemis Project (R).
The watch comes on a fabulous leather strap, that is colour matched to pair perfectly with the colourway you choose. Even in the summer heat it was extremely comfortable. MU:N also offer a 3-link metal bracelet option, that will really make this a very versatile piece.
The MU:N Orion project is such a unique and impressive piece. The attention to detail that has gone into every aspect of the watch as well as the omnipresent community engagement have come together to create a perfectly refined ensemble. From what I’ve heard, this is just the start of what will be an astronomical rise and what a fantastic start it is. I know that I’m already missing the incredible intricacy of this watch and I’m frankly jealous of the lucky individuals who will be able to wear it day to day.
So, how much will the MU:N Orion Project cost?
At the time of writing the MU:N Orion Project is set to cost somewhere around the $1,500-$1,600 mark and has be available to order as of the 30th of September.
If you want to learn more, you can visit MU:N’s website here
