H. Moser & Cie. is renowned for their exceptional timepieces that showcase both elegance and timeless designs. The brand has become iconic for creating vibrant dials with minimalistic features on the dial, letting the colour or design of the dial be the center-piece of the watch.
Now, H. Moser & Cie. is back with another masterpiece, this time in the form of an updated version of their perpetual calendar. Thanks to its minimalistic design, the H. Moser & Cie. perpetual calendar timepieces are seen as easily the most legible whilst also being easy to set in the watch market today. For this latest release, H. Moser & Cie. is going to unreached destinations by updating the perpetual calendar timepiece with a tantalum case, a material that is rare and prestigious, now being used for the first time in the brand’s history. It doesn’t stop there, however, as H. Moser & Cie. has also given the dial a visual enhancement thanks to the ancestral technique of enamelling.
Tantalum was first discovered back in 1802 by a Swede named Anders Gustav Ekeberg. Tantalum is a rare and highly dense material this is known for its exceptional durability and resistance to corrosion. Tantalum has a very dark grey colour appearance which is complemented by bluish reflections. Tantalum can be found commonly used in the production of electronic components and surgical implants, however, it can be a very difficult material to work with, as it has a melting point around 3000 oC. Advanced metallurgical expertise is required to work with Tantalum, with the end product being a highly stable metal the brings together both beauty and durability.
Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie. explains the reasoning behind using this metal on the new perpetual calendar as he states “when I was 18, my parents gave me my first Haute Horology watch, which was made from tantalum. Ever since then, I have dreamed of introducing this metal at H. Moser & Cie., in spite of the challenges it poses. It took more than two years of testing before we were able to polish the surfaces of our case, a feat that few have been able to match, with most preferring to sandblast or satin-finish tantalum“.
The 42mm tantalum case encompasses a stunning minimalistic dial. The perpetual calendar functions of the timepiece can be seen firstly from the centre where a small hand indicates the months, a date window at 3 o’clock, a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock and lastly the constant seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The brand logo on this dial and hour indices except 12 and 6 o’clock has been removed, so that only the absolute bare minimum is shown on the dial. This was done by H. Moser & Cie. so that the full beauty of the “Grand Feu” enamel dial can be shown.
H. Moser & Cie. statest that the “Grand Feu” enamel dial is created by “starting with a pattern engrained onto a gold base, as if hammered, four different colour pigments are washed, finely crushed, then applied to create an ombré effect. Careful work and limitless patience are required 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. A translucent “Grand Feu” enamel dial must be fired twelve times in total to create the signature H. Moser & Cie. fumé effect“.
Each dial that comes out of the manufacturing process is unique. The finish of the dial is certainly a thing of beauty, as the complex texture is combined with a vibrant Abyss blue hue. The gradient effect of the dial only adds to the depth of beauty of this watch. As the watch gets lighter in colour towards the centre, to it being white in the middle, it leads to the leaf-shaped hands that indicate the time.
The impressive display on the front is complemented equally impressively with the movement inside. H. Moser & Cie.’s hand-wound HMC 800 manufacture calibre is the engine behind this timepiece and it certainly is a feat of engineering. A manual wound movement is thought to be impressive if it has 3-days of power-reserve. With the HMC 800 calibre producing 7-days is a staggering feat. The movement features a double barrel as well, which allows it to have a more stable and consistent rate of timekeeping.
This simplistic yet exquisite timepiece is finished off with a hand stitched grey kudu leather strap with steel folding clasp that has the Moser logo engraved into it. The grey colour of the strap comes close to matching the tantalum tone of the case, and by almost blending together, allows the full beauty of the dial to take centre stage.
Reference: 1800-2000
Specification:
- Case: 38mm
- Case Material: Tantalum & Steel
- Dial: Abyss Blue fumé “Grand Feu” enamel
- Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Water resistance: 3 Bar (30m)
- Movement: HMC 800 Perpertual calendar
- Power reserve: 7-days
- Bracelet/Strap: Hand-stitched grey kudu leather with steel folding clasp, engraved with the Moser logo
