Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton: H. Moser & Cie. cultivates the art of contrast. For this piece, the company consciously selected the Pioneer case. With its contemporary and adventurous look and feel inspired by the industrial world, it showcases the HMC 811 three-dimensional Manufacture calibre, designed to be a true work of art. This large, fully skeletonised movement with a 34 mm diameter enhances the “balletic dance” of the one-minute flying tourbillon, equipped with a cylindrical hairspring at 6 o’clock. Invented in the 18th century, the cylindrical hairspring rises perpendicularly around the upper stem of the balance spindle. A frequent feature on marine chronometers at the time, it offers the advantage of developing concentrically. Thanks to the cylindrical hairspring, fitted with two Breguet curves attached at two points, friction on the pivots is reduced and the isochronal properties improved, even more when the hairspring is combined with a tourbillon as is the case here. Today, the cylindrical hairspring is particularly difficult to produce because it requires very specific know-how and tools. The teams at Precision Engineering AG, H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company, had to remaster this expertise, as each cylindrical hairspring is shaped by hand, taking ten times longer to produce than a traditional hairspring.
At 12 o’clock, a small, domed sub-dial reflects the curve of the sapphire crystal and features the company’s signature colour, Funky Blue fumĂ©. The white H. Moser & Cie. logo has a certain subtlety about it, while the indices are much bolder: created using Globolight®, a ceramic-based material containing Super-LumiNova®, these add to the three-dimensional nature of the piece, as do the inserts which top the hour and minute hands, also in Globolight®.
A skeleton model of the new HMC 811 calibre is used here, on both the front and the reverse side, where a large, gold and fully open rotor oscillates. The beauty of this movement is further enhanced by the lightness of the flying tourbillon, which twirls gracefully under the sapphire crystal. The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton represents an important step for H. Moser & Cie., as it enters the skeleton watch segment and defines its own principles for this type of watchmaking.
The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton model features a black alligator leather strap, but can also be worn with a steel, rubber, textile or kudu leather strap, providing a variety of options. Even with its powerful yet elegant aesthetic, this dramatic piece is highly wearable thanks to its 15.3 mm thickness. Water-resistant to 12 ATM, it can be worn just as easily with a shirt as it can for sports or setting out on an adventure.
Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Lime Green:
The essential foundation of watchmaking, the 3-hand watch requires expertise at the very highest level, as it is the details that really elevate the piece. To be truly exceptional, the aesthetic must reach perfection, achieving a perfect balance: immaculate proportions, harmonious forms, high-end finishes. This is what H. Moser & Cie. is proposing with the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Lime Green model, although the dial, with its brand-new colour and technology, lend a new dynamic to the serene elegance. What H. Moser & Cie. achieves here has become its signature: revisiting a traditional art form and modernising it, to bring it into line with contemporary tastes and ensure it is not lost. Starting with a pattern engrained onto a gold base, as if hammered, three different colour pigments are washed, finely crushed, then applied to create an ombrĂ© effect. It took approximately one hour of careful work for the master enameller to painstakingly apply the pigments, adding them one by one so that the colours oxidise and meld together when heated in the furnace, without any pixellation. In total, a translucent “Grand Feu” enamel dial must be fired 12 times to create the signature H. Moser & Cie. fumĂ© effect. Each dial is unique. The finish is remarkable; resolutely contemporary, with a particularly striking texture and an intense hue, christened Lime Green, that the Schaffhausen-based manufacture lets speak for itself, with no logo or indices.
At the heart of the 40 mm steel case beats the HMC 200 automatic calibre. This movement, entirely designed, developed and produced in-house, is equipped with a regulating organ manufactured by H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG, and comprises a double hairspring, instantly identifiable thanks to the purple seconds hand and to the blue balance bridge. Decorated with the famous Moser double stripes, the calibre HMC 200 features a large, engraved oscillating weight and guarantees a power reserve of at least 3 days.
A grey kudu leather strap lends the final touch of elegance to this bold cocktail: fresh, offbeat, with a truly modern sensibility.
