HANDS-ON: The blacked out H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED
Ricardo SimeIt’s a Tuesday night in New York City and I’m a few blocks away from Times Square. To anyone on the street, I’m just heading down a set of stairs to the subway. Instead, I’m knocking on an inconspicuous door at the bottom of the first flight of steps. It’s to a small bar called La Noxe that’s known for their delicious cocktails. But tonight, they’re playing host to a surprising collaboration. A meeting between streetwear and haute horology. Say hello to the new H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED.
Founded in 2002, UNDEFEATED has been focused on curating apparel and sneakers. This has led them to becoming influencers in their own right, able to create limited edition collaborations that have been highly sought after. So when one of their owners, and an avid H.Moser & Cie collector, Eric Cheng, hit up Edouard Meylan for a collaboration, the response was simple. “Say less”.
Here is the result.
The case
The Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED is built on the aforementioned Streamliner. It’s H. Moser & Cie’s version of a chronograph in a 42.3mm cushion case. Mostly brushed with some polished trim, this version gets a dark grey DLC treatment. Everything else though remains the same, meaning the height is still 14.2mm with a water resistance of 120 metres.
Going back to that DLC coating, here it makes a world of a difference as to the appearance of the watch. What was already a very streamlined cased now has a sleeker and stealthier look. This also means on wrist, the watch seems smaller than its stainless-steel counterpart.
The dial
Aiding in that svelte perception is definitely the dial. It’s full of texture and is patterned after a Black Tiger Camo motif UNDEFEATED is known for using. This is created by engraving the camo print in the dial and then applying multiple applications of lacquer. Finally the dial is finished to give it that H.Moser & Cie Fume look.
One of the most interesting parts of the dial, and what still gives it high legibility, are the applied markers. They are DLC coated as well yet they are highly polished. So when light hits the dial, they come alive. Especially the UNDEFEATED logo found at 12. Even though you can find the brand name on the rehaut at 5 minutes, it’s this 12 o’clock logo that’s the star of the show.
The movement
Powering this black beauty is the movement we’ve seen on other Streamliners; the HMC 902. Developed with the Agenhor, the movement has a unique take on the chronograph complication. Instead of having the minute counter displayed on a subdial, minutes are counted using another hand placed at the center of the dial. Upon activation of the pusher at two, the top hand moves around the dial as the running chronograph seconds. Once it comes back around to 12, the hand below it ticks over to represent one minute passing. It’s a great way to keep the dial decluttered, allowing your to enjoy more of its design.
In terms of specifications, the movement beats at 21,000 bph. It’s automatic with bidirectional winding. Which may not seem apparent when peering through the sapphire crystal caseback. Well that’s because the rotor is on the dial side of the movement.
Yet another design feature focused on displaying as much interesting real estate as possible.
The bracelet
Keeping the Streamliner fastened to your wrist is a bracelet that honestly feels out of this world. Multiple facets and curves. Brushed and polished surfaces that catch the light just right. A firmly secure, thinly profiled, butterfly deployant clasp locks it all in place.
Once on your wrist, the transition from case to integrated bracelet is seamless. The movement of the links also seem to make the watch come alive. It’s as if the watch is some strange being straight out of the Transformers movie franchise.
The verdict
The H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED is one of those once in a lifetime collaborations that no one saw coming. Yet now that it’s happened, I wonder why it hadn’t happened already. The polarizing, forward-thinking design of the Streamliner works perfectly with the edgy coolness of UNDEFEATED apparel. The 76 individuals lucky enough to get their hands on this release really have something special.
H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED pricing and availability:
The H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED will go live on June 22nd. It will be available on H.Moser & Cie’s website and on UNDEFEATED.com. The watch will be part of a bundle that includes an H. Moser & Cie. wall clock, as well as a jacket from UNDEFEATED (both pictured above). Price: $55,000 USD