Just a few hours before Christmas and with a lot of wishful thinking on my part (hint, hint Mrs Horophile) here’s a look at the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Black Edition, a modern take on one of the brand’s most iconic creations.

Winner of the 2006 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in the ‘Complex Watch’ category, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar remains the brand’s most emblematic watch to date. Deceptively simple yet exceedingly complex, the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar embodies the brand’s ethos of “less is more”, certainly a road less traveled in the world of complicated haute horlogerie.

Under the management of family-owned MELB Holdings and with Edouard Meylan at the helm (you can see our video interview during Baselworld 2014 here), H. Moser & Cie. have taken considerable strides to try and bring the minimalistic brand to a broader and younger segment of watch-lovers. And as far as the watches go, the Endeavour Perpetual Black Edition presented this year just might be the boldest and most striking piece to come out of the Neuhausen based brand yet.

What H. Moser & Cie. have done here is take their signature and fairly classical Perpetual Calendar and give it a 21st century makeover, without losing any of its elegance and panache.

Measuring a modest 40.8 mm in diameter, the case is done in black DLC-coated titanium, which is definitely a departure for H. Moser & Cie. who have stuck with more traditional precious metals such as gold and palladium up until now. Mind you, this isn’t just another black watch. Depending on the lighting and especially in contrast with the dial, the case isn’t entirely black, but rather brilliant gunmetal color that’s far more metallic than you’d find in the average black ceramic or PVD-coated cases. I was also surprised to find the case heftier than I would’ve expected from titanium. Definitely a plus in my book.

It’s also worth noting that this isn’t your standard round case. The bezel follows the curved contours of the case and is significantly more pronounced between the lugs, and the sides have a raised central element with grooves accentuating them, which I imagine is no easy feat when it comes case milling. Even the case back and its sapphire crystal are curved, making for a very comfortable fit on the wrist.

A nice touch that adds to the different shades and textures of black is the alligator leather strap, which has a carbon coating giving it a matte surface and exceedingly soft touch.

The dial is matte black with a lightly grained texture, set off with contrasting polished rose gold hands and markers and white paint for the printed text and markers. It’s neither stark not overcharged, yet somehow the golden elements make all the difference and give the dial a sort of charming warmth.

Even after 8 years since its introduction, the H.Moser & Cie. Perpetual Calendar system is one of cleverest you’ll see. The date is displayed in a large date display at 3 o’clock, and is actually composed of two superimposed disks, though the instantaneous “flash calendar” display means the date (and month) change precisely at midnight and you’ll probably never actually notice when the wheels switch. Even better, the calendar can be adjusted forwards and backwards at any time of the day without the risk of damaging the movement.

A small arrow-shaped central hand indicates the month, where each of the 12 hours represents the 12 months of the year. This is one of the cleverest ways I’ve seen of keeping a dial clean and uncluttered, and still full of information when you need it.

The dial also has a power reserve indication at 9 o’clock, which in almost all other H. Moser & Cie movements is displayed as a hand or wheel on the movement side of the watch.

The small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock is slightly recessed and set with a rose gold-tone circumference, adding chromatic harmony to the other gilded accents on the dial. The seconds hand “hacks” for more accurate time setting.

When H. Moser & Cie. set out to make a black watch, they really went all out. Turn the watch over and you’re treated to a seductively dark micro-mechanical wonder.

With the bridges treated in a black coating, the other elements such as the screwed solid gold chatons and rubies truly come to life. You’ll find the usual fine finishing including the “Moser” double stripes and angles with beveled and polished edges.

When fully wound, the movement’s two barrels provide a minimum running time of 7 days, but don’t be surprised if the watch runs for even longer.

Even the bridge and balance wheel of the interchangeable Moser escapement with a Straumann Hairspring® with a Breguet overcoil (H. Moser & Cie. are one of a handful of watch manufacturers able to make their own hairsprings) are done in black. The escapement’s pallet fork and escapement wheel made from solid gold, recalling the dial’s elements.

The perpetual calendar’s leap year cycle indicator is displayed directly on one of the wheels, a novel way of keeping a rarely referenced indication away from the dial.

Overall, like all other H. Moser & Cie, I feel the aesthetic is more minimalistic and understated rather than purely classical. As far as execution goes, this has to be one of the most successful and versatile black watches on the market; neither too modern and edgy nor entirely restrained.

The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Black Edition comes with a price tag of CHF 47’000 (Swiss Francs).

More information on www.h-moser.com