By Dhananjay Pathak
H. Moser & Cie. is a brand that certainly knows how to blend beauty with brains. Their watches not only reflect the technical competences expected off of an Haute Horlogerie product but are also attractive to look at. Their latest watch is the Pioneer tourbillon, which has a flying tourbillon, which as per the brand has been designed to handle the rigors of day to day life with relative ease, making it a watch suitable for any occasion.
The Pioneer collection from H.Moser & Cie. comprises of watches that strike a fine balance between elegance and sportiness, and the Pioneer tourbillon certainly follows suit. The dial on the Pioneer tourbillon gets the signature fume treatment and has a blue fume dial which goes from a deep blue at the center to a deep black towards the outer periphery giving the watch a graceful aesthetic. The faceted applied hour markers add a lot of depth to the dial and complement the dial really well. Another interesting detail is the existence of a sloped chapter ring on the outermost section of the dial that houses small circular luminous plots behind every hour marker. This would not only help with low light visibility, but also lends the watch a sporty character. But, everything aside the major highlight of this watch is the flying tourbillon at 6. On a basic level, a tourbillon is a sensitive and complicated mechanism which is utilized to negate the effects of gravity by mounting the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage. And while conceptually the basics remain the same, the flying tourbillon on this new H. Moser & Cie. has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Firstly, the tourbillon on the self-winding HMC804 manufacture calibre which powers this watch comprises two matched hairsprings that helps reduce the effect of friction and eventually helps improve isochronism and accuracy. Secondly, the tourbillon’s unique design makes it an interchangeable module, assembled and regulated independently of the movement via a simple plug and play system making it more robust and quite easy to service. Further to this, the oscillating weight on the calibre HMC804 is made out of solid 18-carat gold and has been skeletonized to reveal the mechanism beneath. The sapphire crystal exhibition case-back gives a nice view of the movement which has been beautifully decorated.
The stainless steel case on this watch is 42.8mm wide and is water resistant to a healthy 120 meters indicating that this watch is capable of giving you company during those swimming sessions should you wish to do so. There is some nice detailing on the case which includes beveling on the lugs along with some interesting structured sections on the sides of the case giving the watch a distinctive visual appeal. There are sapphire crystals on both front and back and a signed threaded crown at 3 which has been engraved with the letter “M”.
With all the features and tech that we just talked about, H. Moser & Cie does seem to have succeeded at making a versatile everyday tourbillon watch in the form of the Pioneer tourbillon. The watch comes equipped with a black alligator leather strap and is limited to a production run of 50 pieces. This beauty would retail at a price of CHF 49,900. Visit H. Moser & Cie here.
