BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
H. Moser & Cie., how could we sum them up? I’d choose the word “barmy”. It means they’re mad, or crazy, if you will. Of course, they’ve settled down a lot from their days of making watches out of cheese, but they’ve not lost their touch or sense of humour. The newest releases we’re seeing are three colourful editions of the Pioneer.
The latest watches seem to follow on from Hublot’s summer theme, although I doubt the brands have communicated their plans in any way. It seems to me that the fact that H. Moser & Cie. and Hublot have both opted for watches featuring both orange and turquoise is purely coincidental. And yet, here are four new Pioneer watches with that same summery theme.
Pioneer Centre Seconds Spiced Aqua
The first watches, called the Pioneer Centre Seconds Spiced Aqua models, come with the references 3201-1202 and 3201-1205. These are the simplest pieces, with the former reference having a polished stainless steel case while the latter has a black DLC-treated steel case. Both watches measure 42.8mm x 12.0mm and are 120m water resistant making them practical as well as attractive. Their dials feature no markings at all which is something H. Moser & Cie. does a lot, but they feature a turquoise fumé dial with sunray finishing encompassed by an orange inner flange ring which glows in the dark. Inside these watches is the in-house-made self-winding HMC-201 calibre with a 3Hz beat rate and a 3-day power reserve. Both watches come with a coloured rubber strap, and a bracelet is also available. The price for these watches is $16,900.
Pioneer Tourbillon Spiced Aqua
Moving up the range brings us to the Pioneer Tourbillon Spiced Aqua which has the reference 3805-1200 and a stainless steel case measuring 40mm x 12mm. It’s also 120m water-resistant and is offered on a turquoise rubber strap with a steel bracelet option as well. The colours on this model are reversed from the previous, with the fumé dial featuring an orange colour surrounded by a turquoise luminescent flange ring. Unlike the previous watches, this one features minimal decoration in the form of a tourbillon at 6 O’clock, although that’s where it ends. The automatically wound HMC-805 calibre features a double hairspring in the tourbillon’s balance wheel, which H. Moser & Cie. says reduces beat rate error, improving accuracy. The power reserve is around 3 days. This watch costs $59,500.
Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua
Saving the best to last, we have the final model called the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Spiced Aqua reference 3811-1203. This watch is different in many ways, although the main one is that the dial has been miniaturised to allow for the skeletonised movement to be observed from the front. Additionally, this one features the H. Moser & Cie name faintly displayed on the dial, whereas the other watches don’t have it anywhere. On display inside this watch is the calibre HMC-811 which is selfwinding with a 74-hour power reserve. The tourbillon in this model differs from the last as it uses a cylindrical hairspring with two Breguet overcoils. This is quite like the previous watch where some horological nerdery has been used to make something obscure and different which is claimed to make a difference. However, the watch is not chronometer certified, so we either take H. Moser & Cie.’s word for it, or we don’t. Encasing said nerdery is a 42.8mm x 11.7mm stainless steel case with 120m of water resistance and a turquoise rubber strap is supplied with a bracelet option too. The price of one of these is $93,500.
So, which of these models is your favourite? Be sure to let us know, perhaps H. Moser & Cie. will take on your suggestions!
