After posting “The Basel Dialogues” segment with H. Moser & Cie CEO Edouard Meylan last week, I thought I’d follow up with a look at the brand’s latest collection that made it to my “Baselworld 2014 Top 20” list, the Venturer Small Seconds.
I’ve been keeping an eye on H. Moser & Cie ever since the brand first made its reappearance in 2005. With minimalistic Swiss-German styling and a very capable full-fledged manufacture behind it, there wasn’t much not to love about the brand. The genius behind the simplicity of pieces like the Perpatual 1, which went on to win the 2006 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève for “Favorite Watch with Complication”, was praised with much fervor by watch media and collectors alike.
And while I found the watches absolutely breathtaking, there was something about the brand that left me cold. To quote H. Moser’s current CEO Edouard Meylan during our interview in Baselworld (you can watch it here), “I herd a lot of people say very beautiful, elegant watches, but for my grandfather”. Well, I was one of those people.
Ever since being acquired by the Meylan-owned MELB Holding however, the brand has taken tremendous strides to try and rejuvenate the brand’s image. You’ll notice that their website tucks away the “History” section to a small slide-show at the bottom of the “Company” page. That’s it. Even their latest “Vary Rare” ad campaign is modern and bold. But is this really necessary? Aren’t the products good enough on their own without the marketing fluff?
Perhaps, but with watches and in fact any luxury item you’re not just buying a product. You’re buying a brand, a story, a message. And while H. Moser & Cie can certainly tell a tale with their brand’s history, they’ve decided to do things differently. In my opinion anyways, they’re doing it right, as I suddenly find myself more drawn to H. Moser & Cie and their watches than ever before.
I’m not going to talk about the brand’s history or the multitude of accomplishments attributed to the 19th century Heinrich Moser, but it is important to highlight the way the brand is reorganizing its watches into three collections, each based on a different period of the brand’s history. First there’s the Endeavour, which basically comprises every H. Moser watch up until this year, including the Mayu, Monard and Perpetual Calendar, supposedly inspired by the man’s earlier years in Schaffhausen. Then there’s a 2nd collection, the all-new Venturer, which reflects H. Moser’s years in St. Petersburg. A 3rd collection will be unveiled in 2016.
Now let’s look at the first model within the Venturer collection, the Venturer Small Seconds.
When a brand like H. Moser & Cie builds an easily identifiable style with a minimalist aesthetic, you can imagine the challenges that arise when creating a new watch that brings something fresh to the table without rocking the proverbial boat. It should come as no surprise that the Venturer shares many of the traits you’ll find in other H. Moser watches: a round case, a clean dial with polished baton indexes and hands, and of course a manufacture movement. But as in all watches and especially two and three hand watches, it’s the little details that count.
H. Moser & Cie were definitely going for a vintage-inspired look, though without referencing a particular epoch or historical timepiece. The Venturer’s case, which I believe is the slimmest one to date from H. Moser & Cie, measures 39.2mm wide and 12.5mm in height. That puts it right in between the 38.8mm Mayu and 40mm Monard. Unlike the latter two however, the Venturer’s bezel is much slimmer and far less pronounced, meaning it’s pretty much all dial when looking at the watch front-on. The multi-part case is constructed with Curved sides with a mix of polished and satin-brushed surfaces that further highlight the intricate lines of the Moser Venturer case.
If there’s one detail that gives the watch an entirely different look and feel from the other H. Moser pieces, it’s the domed sapphire crystal. Following the sloped angle of the slim bezel and the convex dial, the curved sapphire crystal immediately adds a retro or vintage look to the watch; especially since the crystal isn’t treated with any anti-reflective coating.
To me, the dial on the Venturer Small Seconds is hands-down the best looking dial of all H. Moser & Cie watches to date. It’s got the all-baton hour markers from the Monard and the small seconds sub-dial of the Mayu. But where it really takes the cake is in its convex form. Hard to tell from my subpar photos (especially since the crystral has no anti-reflective coating), the dial slopes down where the applied markers are, creating a subtle three-dimensional visual effect.
Even harder to notice is the slight curvature of the minutes hand, following the contours of the convex dial and domed crystal.
The Venturer Small Seconds comes in 3 different dials: silver, grey and the brand’s signature “fumé” rose gold dial, though you can expect more case and dial variations in the coming months and years. And while all 3 of the current versions are attractive in their own way, it’s unsurprisingly the fumé dial that does it for me. The way it darkens toward the edge in the same degree as the dial’s slope creates an incredible sense of depth and volume.
H. Moser & Cie came up with an entirely new movement for the Venturer Small Seconds they’ve dubbed the “HMC 327”. A manual-winding movement with 3-days power reserve display on the top plate, the architecture of the movement is nothing short of breathtaking. Beyond its traditional looks and finish, the HMC 327 is a significant movement for H. Moser as it’s the first time the brand ventures (no pun intended) into high-tech materials, with an escape wheel and pallet fork done in silicon, a material known for its antimagnetic low-friction properties, meaning such components require no lubrication.
Unlike other H.Moser & Cie movements where the escapement is modular and interchangeable , the HMC 327 features an integrated escapement, with a trademark Straumann Hairspring® in the balance with a hand-applied Breguet overcoil for better isochronism. The movement is superbly finished, with an uncommon “double” stripes pattern with chamfered and polished edges. The brand name and Moser coat-of-arms are engraved in gold.
On the wrist is where the magic happens. Who would’ve thought that such an unassuming watch could have so much presence? The dimensions are just right for a watch of this style. 39.2mm might sound small for those of us used to the bigguer pieces out there, but given the slim bezel and proportionately large dial, I’d say it wears more like a 41mm watch. The curved lugs hug the wrist comfortably, with a slim profile making it feel right at home under a cuff. It’s got all the makings of a modern “dress watch”, with an added flair that would make you want to wear it for any and every occasion.
The Venturer Small Seconds in red gold comes with a price tag of US$19,500, and we can look forward to more dials and white metal versions soon.
More information on www.h-moser.com
