Tag: H. Moser & Cie.

The H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Mega Cool: A Personal Trip To The Dial Of The Green Lagoon

Posted on by Adam Keith

Watches might be fantastic, but it is those friendships and human stories around the ticking treasures we watch idiot savants pursue that are vastly better and ultimately, incalculably more valuable. With that preface aside, I got a recent call from a good friend (and fellow horological geek, naturally), who had just returned from a business trip. Not unexpectedly, during this trip he went searching for watch retailers—you know, just to look and see the sights!–and, found himself a victim of the siren song in one of a series of conveniently adjacent boutiques. Some things just don’t stay in Las Vegas, as it turned out, and he returned with a lovely H. Moser & Cie. wristwatch. Naturally I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see the piece live, so we sidled up to the bar to chat a few days ago. What emerged from the watch roll surprised and delighted me in equal measure.

H. Moser & Cie. is an innovative company, a company with a sense of humor, and a Swiss watch brand that is unafraid to go its own way. These are well established virtues, and all admirable in their own right, especially for an upstart, fairly young brand. But a watch still has to “hit” a certain way, aesthetically, technically or otherwise–and the Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool certainly does just that. Decidedly imposing at 42.8mm, but not quite over the borderline into unreasonable, the diameter makes sense in the way it gives full breath to the bewitching, polychromatic fume dial. And that is, of course, what really what makes this variant of the deceptively simple Pioneer collection, such a standout. While critics of “negative space” on dials are vocal about their dislikes, and I can respect differences of opinion, this one can be the eternal verdant void for all I care, as the end result is less a mere face for hands, than a scintillating miniature oceanic paradise. And like the ocean, the water’s colors and tonalities shift with every shift of the light source, light type, or arm movement. It’s both mesmerizing and relaxing to behold, and epitomizes why the H. Moser fume is such a superstar in terms of luxury watch dials. The hands upon it are really beautiful, too; I found myself particularly drawn to the creamy white seconds hand, which really stood out as it swept over the impossibly deep surface where greens and blues gave way to a near-black at the edges. Lume? Not terribly bright, as I did my best to discreetly cup the watch into the darkness of my palm in the establishment after a quick 500 lumen hit from my trusty Surefire EDCL1-T, but this is more a watch to be enjoyed in the bright splendor of a sunny day. I’ll confess I really didn’t care all that much that the glow emanating from the hands and hour pips wasn’t torch-like, and there are other famous timepieces that exist for that peculiar pleasure within the hobby.

The case of the H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer is as interesting in form as it is notable in finishing details. Finely machined striations fill in cavernous indentations in the lugs, seemingly to echo the similarly exacting serrations on the screwed-in winding crown, a feature aiding the watch in achieving its solid 120 meter water resistance. Buckles rendered with care and attention to both thematic and finishing nuances are always appreciated when it comes to top-tier luxury watches, and the Mega Cool delivers here nicely, showing off polished bevels, discreet brushing, and as you can see just above…the selfsame striation pattern that adorns the hollowed strap lugs. Speaking of straps, the blue green fabric unit supplied with the Mega Cool was one of the few aspects of the watch that missed the mark, at least a little, for my own tastes. This was not for any qualitative reason, as the strap is nicely constructed and stitched–it just struck me as being a bit too much, when paired with the glorious blue green dial. A little more contrast would be welcomed, and of course, this can be easily and simply rectified with a strap swap. My friend commented that while he was decidedly captivated with his new H. Moser Pioneer Mega Cool, he wasn’t sure when he’d find the occasion to wear it–largely because of its potent and perhaps even dominating color themes. When I mentioned that a strap swap might make it a little more versatile, he suddenly seemed to perk up. It’s what I’d do, at any rate. Something in light cream, or tan, would make this one of the most stunning all-occasion luxury summer sports watches for that you could possibly imagine. And to be fair, it’d get plenty of wrist time the other three seasons as well!

True to any really special mechanical watch, the view through the back is a confirmation that the sizable funds spent went to an object worthy of the outlay. H. Moser & Cie. is known for its innovative yet practical movements, and while the Pioneer Mega Cool doesn’t showcase any complications beyond central seconds, the HMC 200 caliber exudes an appealing combination of sturdiness, refinement, and engineering cleverness that seem decidedly German-Swiss, in the best traditions of Schaffhausen. Decoration, such as the broad stripes on the bridges, and bevels on the bridges, is clean and elegant, if largely machine applied, but somehow it all seems appropriate to the mission of the mechanism. The large, bi-directional winding rotor with it’s pawl-based transfer system conveys robustness and strength, yet has the refinement to remain an interesting visual inclusion. The balance bridge, with its slightly vaulted form, is the star of the show for me, both for its seductive shape, and relatively large balance wheel with the unique “Straumann” double hairspring. The balance assembly–including the innovative dual hairspring module–is designed to be easily removed for servicing/replacement in the manner of other watches of the brand, and highlights H. Moser’s commitment to horological performance as well as mere good looks. Overall, I’d describe the caliber as appropriate to a distinguished sports watch, yet with the refinement that goes far beyond an off the rack workhorse. Indeed, unlike even something highly respected like a Jaeger-LeCoultre base caliber, you’ll only find the HMC 200 in a watch with an H. Moser & Cie. signature. Exclusivity? Check!

Yet, admitted movement fetishist that I am, it was the dial side of this watch that most stole my heart, and really…I’m sure I’m not alone in that rapture. It was an enjoyable experience to put this one on, and see what all the excitement has been about. In a sea of beautiful luxury watches, this one actually puts the aquamarine glitter of a tropical paradise on your wrist, and has a visual presence scarcely matched by anything short of heavy hitting gem-set watches. Uncommon, sophisticated, and alluring, the Pioneer Mega Cool certainly lives up to its bold and confident name.

H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Tutorial: The World’s Coolest Instruction Manual, And One Hell Of A (Simple!) Complex Watch

Posted on by Adam Keith
(The limited edition Tutorial version of the Endeavour Perpetual calendar, next to the original model sans “instruction manual”)

Note the twins pictured here, which aren’t quite identical. Two 42mm white gold H. Moser & Cie. watches which are mechanically and dimensionally the same, but one with…well, just something a little different going on! That’s right, the one on the left is our watch under discussion, bringing the mystery of H. Moser’s delightfully simple perpetual calendar seen on the right, clearly to light, in an exercise that’s either ridiculously cheesy, or possessed of a considerable sense of humor, depending on your perspective. In the rather dark and dystopian days of the 2020s I tend to find it more of the latter, and beyond that, some possible proof that hardcore high horology need not take itself too seriously to be enjoyable. (Based on what we’ve seen from other H. Moser & Cie. watches, it’s apparent the company also feels similarly.) Could that make me a jaded guy who’s been around this odd hobby too long? Possibly. But, if you share my appreciation for finely crafted things that tick, perhaps you also may find some joy, however fleeting, in this strangely straightforward yet charmingly quirky H. Moser perpetual calendar timepiece. Among its many virtues, the Endeavour Perpetual Tutorial showcases the prodigious grey matter of independent watchmaking legend Andreas Strehler, who among more than a few notable feats, provided the technical solutions powering Harry Winston’s Opus 7, a beautiful watch offering a unique, and charmingly ephemeral, “butterfly” time display.

(The H. Moser Endeavour tells you the leap year cycle, but keeps this seldom used indicator on the reverse side of the watch)

Why would a manufacturer place literal spelled-out indications for the various functions all over the dial, especially on one as visually striking as this? Well, to the uninitiated, it would be tricky to perceive that the H. Moser Endeavour Perpetual in its stealth (i.e., standard) form would be anything but a simple time and date watch with an ravishing blue fumé dial and an extra hand for the power reserve indication. But there is more to this watch…much more, and to those unfamiliar with it, it might beg the question, once the truth of the watch’s complexity is known, “How does it work?? Where is the day, date month, to say nothing of leap year?” Philosophical answer: The Endeavour Perpetual minimizes things superfluous, smoothly integrates key functions where they create the least visual clutter, and joins it all together with a mechanism optimized for real world use, as well as a demonstration of traditional watchmaking flair.

(Despite the “instruction manual”, the Tutorial has all the charm and beauty of its regular sibling, right down to the mysterious fumé blue dial)

The Endeavour Perpetual is one of H. Moser’s mightiest timepieces–perhaps the most so–in the sense that it effortlessly blends the brand’s design ethos, sense of playfulness, and penchant for mechanical ingenuity, and does those things seamlessly while elevating one of the most impressive of traditional complications. Most perpetual calendar watches have dials with an imposing array of calendar information, to include the day of the week, the date, the month, and even the leap year indication, often in tandem with the moon phase. This smorgasbord of information, customarily given with pointer indications in elegant but minuscule subdials, gives such watches a classic, imposing stature, as their complexity is readily perceivable to even a fairly lay person. What these watches lose, however, is easy legibility and simplicity of operation. Some notable watches have emerged in years past by other innovative luxury brands such as Ulysse Nardin that offered ingenious backwards and forwards adjustable calendars, yet it remains pretty established that most perpetuals are a notable pain to set and reset if–God forbid–they should stop. Such watches are also notoriously easy to break if adjustments are made at the wrong time, or the various correctors are forced. Needless to say, if there were one mechanical watch that probably justifies the ownership of a fancy watch winder, it’s a traditional perpetual calendar (or two, or three) in one’s collection. Then again, if perpetual calendars like the H. Moser Endeavour were more the norm…well, that justification might just about evaporate entirely, save for perhaps the want of pretty pieces of furniture in which to store the collection!

Looking at an H. Moser Endeavour Perpetual on its face, it seems less to be a complex machine that keeps pace with the machinations of the date through the years, even to account for leap years, but to be a watch that just tells you the time and date, along with the power reserve indication for the lengthy 168 hours (7 days) the in-house manufactured HMC 800 caliber offers up. The Tutorial Limited Edition playfully lets us in on the secrets, and describes the subtle nuances of this very sophisticated and surprisingly practical high complication wristwatch, which can be crown-adjusted forwards and backwards with ease (and no mechanical danger) as well as effortlessly shifting the date ahead with “knowledge” of the length of months, even during a short February in leap year. Need to know if it’s currently a leap year? Once everything is properly set and running, just turn the watch over: the leap year indication has been shifted to the back, where it joins the assemblage of pretty mechanical components to look at, which include golden jewel chatons, separated bridges in classic pocket watch style, and a shapely balance bridge complete with a 14K gold balance assembly that Moser has optimized for easy replacement and adjustment when servicing is required. As mentioned, the date can be switched backwards as well as forwards, all with no damage to the mechanism. And of course, there’s the discreet monthly indicator in the central hand stack that moves but twelve times per year–neatly in accord with the twelve hour indicators doubling for months. The information is there, but the brilliant and forward thinking mechanism does this all without spoiling the harmony of an achingly elegant, visually simple design.

This is the sort of watch that would pique even the interest of a non-watch person, I’d like to think. They might gently accost you with the usual “why do you like these mechanical watches?”, or, “why spend so much money on a silly, outdated thing? Veblen is laughing at you from the Great Beyond.” But, then they get curious. Perhaps it’s at this point they ask “well, what is a perpetual calendar anyway?” After telling them how they work and what they do, they suddenly seem quite impressed and rather bemused that a little micro-machine whose origins go back well over two centuries, can disseminate all of that information. They may wonder out loud, as inquisitiveness gets the best of them, “Well, ok, how do you read one of these things? With this watch, there’s barely anything even there!” Then, rather than telling them, you put the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tutorial carefully in their hand, and watch their own cogs start to spin as the dial spells it out a little bit at a time. Talk about a high-grade horological gateway drug!

The H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp “Final Upgrade” Watch: An Artistic Mockery Of High Tech With Best-Level High Mech

Posted on by Adam Keith

Just as the quartz oscillator and the wave of precise, inexpensive watches powered by their movements tore the traditional Swiss watch industry asunder in the 1960s, the Apple Watch and other “smart watch” innovations have done so again in the quarter 21st century, rendering mechanical watches–even more than they already were–an expression of individuality, status, fashion, or (I’m guilty here)…quaint antediluvian longings. Ironically, many who’ve made a handsome living, or vast fortune, due to their mastery in technological professions seem to particularly enjoy the soft ticking of the mechanical (!) watches snuggled into their watch rolls or winders. Why the apparent incongruity? Perhaps in a world of such ephemeral, fleeting and ever fluid product and service relevancy, the assurance of mainspring, balance wheel, and gear train–all serviceable for decades and beyond–provide a connection to something they do not and cannot offer: permanence and perpetuity.

Stranger things have happened, I suppose! In any event, the watch under discussion today is comical, beautiful, and ironic with its purposeful mimicry of the exact world opposing it. H. Moser & Cie.’s Swiss Alp Watch with the fantastically humorous official moniker of “Final Upgrade” to denote it being the last Swiss Alp timepiece to be offered by Moser, is both a fine piece of inventive mechanical watchmaking, and a conversation piece par excellence, as were the last iterations. This Swiss Alp is the most subtle, and yet most trollish, and because of that, maybe the most interesting of the family…at least to me. The black dial goes beyond any degree of darkness you’re used to, being finished with the void-like Vantablack® material, known to the world for being capable of absorbing 99.965% of all ambient light, and it’s paired with a black-PVD coated case sharing the familiar rounded rectangle form and wire type lugs popularized by the Apple Watch. And, prominently featured on the dial, what appears to be the familiar “system loading” indication, but is actually just a visual effect produced by a light colored disc rotating beneath the sectioned dial above it, will surely keep almost any onlooker from thinking they are looking at just that. But they would be wrong about this watch being that mass produced electronic object, and only you, the owner, know it.

Should you wish to enlighten anyone who asks you how much you like your “Apple Watch”, though, the Moser Swiss Alp Final Upgrade stands ready to reveal its tacit joke though the glass back. “This is not an Apple Watch, you technology addicted busybody. This is a mechanical watch…and a very fine one at that. Ha!”, you can almost hear it whisper, as the viewer appears confused and shuffles away to get lost in their iPhone once more. That HMC324 caliber, by the way, is manufactured in-house by H. Moser and features a rare form shape to match the case design, another subtle show of its traditional watchmaking credentials. The impressive 4-day autonomy is shown via an unobtrusive yet visually interesting Moser power reserve indicator that snuggles in cozily next to the balance wheel and its full bridge. Speaking of the balance wheel, and a thing about it which makes this mechanical movement even more traditional than many, is that it doesn’t even have a typical high frequency beat rate! Quite the contrary, this balance moves at the delightfully unhurried (and beautiful to hear ticking) clip of 18,000 vph in the manner of many a fine antique pocket watch; it features the exclusive execution of the double Straumann hairspring with Breguet overcoils on each: without getting too bogged down by technicalities, the mounting of these springs is in opposing directions and their oscillation patterns cancel out their combined tendencies, much like the tourbillon regulator was intended to do when Breguet introduced it in his exceptional pocket watches at the turn of the 19th century century.

Only 50 of these will be made, and I think this watch would be a real showpiece in a diverse, high-end collection. Beautifully crafted from interesting materials, supremely exclusive, thought provoking, and funny, you can definitely say that the H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp Final Upgrade is certain to get one’s wheels turning on a lot of levels. Not many watches can claim that in quite the same way as this; more than just a timepiece, the Final Upgrade is a wearable commentary on the times in which we live, and the objects which define it, no matter whether we’re going along full speed ahead, or…secretly wishing for a little less engineered obsolescence.