Visiting the team at H. Moser & Cie. is always one of the highlights of SIHH. You never quite know what you’re going to get. Well, that’s not quite true. You know you’re going to be in for some surprises. And seeing Moser at SIHH 2019 did not disappoint. We knew about the Nature Watch, and that statement piece (literally, it was all about the statement of the watch industry’s environmental obligations) did not disappoint in real life (again, literally). Another high-level statement that impressed in real life was the exceptionally minimal Swiss Alp Concept Black — I just shudder to think about setting the time. Really, though, the watches that excited me were the more commercially oriented pieces, like the Pioneer with its ruggedised take on the tourbillon, and the (as always) exceptional dial on the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon, which certainly lives up to its name.
HANDS-ON: Moser’s calm and idyllic Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon
Move over Brooke Shields, the Blue Lagoon has a new star – Moser’s Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon. And, as with all of Moser’s concept line of watches, there’s almost nothing to get in the way of the typically excellent fumé dial. The Blue Lagoon takes its name from the dial colour which, like all of Moser’s watches, is rather difficult to fully capture on film. It’s iridescent, vivid and compelling. It’s also a very greenish blue, which sits in the middle of Moser’s mild-to-wild spectrum of dial colours. And that, at least to my mind, is just the right place to be. Now, this watch isn’t as wilfully obtuse as their masterful Swiss Alp Minute Repeater — here you get hands (three of them) — more than enough to let you tell the hours, minutes and seconds. This version is a white gold case (there’s also a red gold option if you’re so inclined) and clocks in at a respectable 40mm x 10.7mm, in the simple-yet-complex Endeavour case, with its fancy case profile and Moser’s typical grippy, ergonomic crown. Flip it over and you’re treated to an uninterrupted view of the HMC 200, Moser’s sturdy automatic that’s nicely finished,… Read More
HANDS-ON: Glimmering through the darkness – Moser’s Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept in red gold
There is absolutely zero doubt that Moser know their way around a fine dial. Their fumé is hypnotic perfection at its best. Last year the brand upped the ante with their conceptual perpetual with impossibly black Vantablack dial. Well, if this well of blackness (which is a wonder on the wrist) leaves you as cold as the black hole it evokes, there’s another, brighter option out there. The Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept in red gold, with a more familiar, blue fumé dial. This piece, limited to 50 pieces (and only one in Australia — Melbourne, to be exact), offers, in addition to Moser’s trademarked dial, their wearable combination of masculine, swoopingly architectural case with those delicately scalloped sides and shapely bezel. It’s bold, but not overpowering, thanks to its aggressively clean styling and reasonably sized 42mm wide by 12.9mm tall case. And, of course, let’s not forget about the moon itself in this equation. I love that we get a moon phase, accurate to over a millennia without the clutter of any other calendar information. It’s quite a statement, and one that comes across with great effect. H. Moser & Cie’s Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Australian pricing and availability H…. Read More
INTRODUCING: A tourbillon for your every day – the Moser Pioneer Tourbillon
Expertly finished cases, captivating fumé dials, and incredibly fine watchmaking … these are a few of our favourite Moser things. And, once again, all three are combined in the “very rare” brand’s latest Pioneer offering – the Moser Pioneer Tourbillon. More suitable for everyday wear, with a more robust steel case and a more casual design, the Pioneer collection is Moser’s answer to an entry-level luxury sports watch. Which, with the introduction of a flying tourbillon to the line-up, is an answer that was just made a little more complicated, but in the absolute best possible way. Still on offer is the same 42.8mm stainless-steel case with a water-resistance of 120 metres, as well as a midnight-blue fumé dial – a Moser specialty – with luminescent elements dotted around the dial and filling the semi-skeletonised hands, and an in-house movement with a 3-day power reserve. However, that movement is now the manufacturer calibre HMC 804. Featuring an 18-carat red gold rotor that quickly winds the barrel fully via a bi-directional pawl winding system, and a pair of in-house designed and produced flat hairsprings that work in opposition to one another to improve accuracy and isochronism by correcting the point of… Read More
HANDS-ON: The impossible blackness of Moser’s Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept
Few colours have the symbolic weight of black. It’s meaningful in pretty much every culture. It’s associated — naturally enough — with darkness, mourning and solemnity, and with endings and beginnings. It’s also a colour of power and authority. All these associations and emotions are tied up in Moser’s latest conceptual piece, the Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Vantablack. Before we get to the greater meaning of this watch, let’s talk about the purely physical: steel case, 42mm wide, in the characteristically scalloped Endeavour case. A broad exhibition caseback shows off the HMC 801, manually wound, equipped with Moser’s interchangeable escapement and good for seven days of wind as shown on the indicator on the caseback. The strap is black alligator. All this has been seen before. What hasn’t been seen is the dial. Black, and stunning in its absence. Four hands sit upon a void of nothing. Hours, minutes and seconds marking time against an index-less dial. The stubby fourth hand serves as a day/night indicator, which you might think is redundant on a single time zone watch. But this little hand serves a purpose — accurately setting the phase of the moon. A moon that shows its face at… Read More
EVENT: 3 ‘Very Rare’ moments, according to Moser’s Bertrand Meylan
In our office it’s easy to get a little jaded to the wrist-sized awesomeness that visits the office on the regs. But last week our sense of wonder was well and truly present as H. Moser’s Bertrand Meylan dropped in before the Melbourne leg of his Australian roadshow. We were blown away because he had with him what seemed to be the entire Moser collection. Venturers, Pioneers, Alps – you name it. He even had a few special pieces that we can’t tell you about … yet. And in between photo sessions (I’ve rarely seen our photographer Jason look happier) and table tennis battles, I found some time to chat to Bertrand about all things Moser. Now, I’ll admit, I was a little wary in preparing for this one. I’ve seen how his brother Edouard handles generic marketing ideas, so I suspected I’d get similar treatment if my line of questioning turned to the old favourites of production numbers, SIHH vs Baselworld, and anything involving DNA. So I thought I’d ask some lol-worthy-yet-ultimately-insightful questions about the brand’s Very Rare tagline. Things like “fine art is also very rare — what’s the art world equivalent of Moser?” (I reckon Rothko FWIW)…. Read More
VIDEO: Made to be seen – the Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds in Cosmic Green
Regular readers will be unsurprised to learn that we’re card-carrying fans of Moser’s Pioneer line here in the T+T office. Not only does it offer a dressed-down, somewhat less aristocratic option to the Moser family, but it also adds the joy of a steel case. Because while gold is very nice indeed, sometimes you’re happy to ditch the heft and shine in favour of something a little more hard wearing. Now, though, we’re in something of a quandary – blue or green? It was a simpler time when there was but one Pioneer Centre Seconds, with its luscious blue dial. But, with the addition of this Cosmic Green dial, we’re spoiled for choice. The green is somewhat more outré than the blue, and wouldn’t look out of place in the Emerald City. It’s certainly not a watch you’ll miss on the wrist – the large case size, incredible fumé finish and the vibrancy of the green ensure that. The original Pioneer is the slightly more conservative older brother to the funkier, fresher Cosmic Green. So really, at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and mood. In the time I’ve been writing this, I’ve been trying… Read More
VIDEO: H. Moser & Cie’s 2018 collection brings the heat and of course those smoky dials
Where there’s smoke there’s fire. There’s a lot of truth to that saying, especially if we’re talking about H. Moser & Cie’s famous smoky fumé dials — the latest batch of watches they’re attached to are straight up fire. Take, for example, the Venturer Small Seconds XL Purity. The dial-heavy 43mm watch definitely lives up to its XL name, but it’s with those sparse markings in case-matching red gold and the awesome rhodium dial. It’s one of the most beautiful objects we’ve seen in a while. Of course, Moser’s star power went stratospheric a few years ago when they wittily riffed on the Apple Watch with their app-less Alp Watch. It’s since become a staple, and this year sees them add some serious complication in the form of a minute repeater, and (yet another) incredible dial. Other standouts include the smart Endeavour Flying Hours, one of the indie hits of SIHH, as well as the new, cosmic green interpretation of their steel hero, the Pioneer. Moser’s 2018 collection is coming to town next week (Sydney and Melbourne — sorry, other towns), and I can’t wait to have another look at these (very) rare beauties.
