H. Moser & Cie Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel
The H. Moser & Cie Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel features the ultimate calendar function but unusually imparts information in a user-friendly, intelligible format. In this instance, the brand has housed this horological intelligence within a classically styled case and combined it with a prepossessing dial. Once again, it seems this independent brand can do no wrong.
Over the last 20 years, a number of luxury marques have arrived on the watch scene with great fanfare, only to disappear sometime later with a whimper. Quite simply, to compete in the watch market, especially in the high-end sector of the industry, requires courage and extraordinary business acumen.
Although the historic watch firm, H. Moser & Cie, disappeared from view during the 70s, amid the quartz crisis, it was revived in 2005 by Heinrich Moser’s great-grandson, Roger Nicholas Balsiger. He was joined by Dr Jurgen Lange and Thomas Straumann. During the reign of these three gentlemen, the brand’s collection included various models with names such as the Nomad Dual Time, the Monard Big Date and the Mayu Small Seconds. From a marketing perspective, the names could never be described as ‘sexy’.
Likewise, the styling of the watches during this period was a tad conservative. Personally, I liked the appearance of several models, but then I am in my fifties and drive a sober estate car. Nevertheless, the watches were beautifully made and keenly priced.
In 2012, the Meylan family acquired H. Moser & Cie and soon began making changes. The names of the models seemed more engaging and the brand began to play with new dial tones eg ‘Funky Blue’. Ultimately, the firm went on to release new styles of watches. Suddenly, the brand offered far more choice, while upholding its reputation for quality and value. Perhaps most pertinently, H. Moser & Cie began engaging with a younger audience. Marketing wisdom shows that once a client has enjoyed a luxury product or experience in their 20s or 30s, they are more likely to return to the brand later in life.
The Perpetual 1 (now called the ‘Endeavour Perpetual Calendar’) was unveiled in 2005. While the dials of some watches endowed with a perpetual calendar can appear confusing and cluttered, no such problems afflict this model. Indeed, one attribute of the H. Moser Endeavour Perpetual Calendar is that it says much with few well-chosen words. Beyond its hour and minute hands, date display and power-reserve indicator, the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar features a truncated hand, positioned at the epicentre of the dial. This hand points to one of the 12 indexes, indicating the prevailing month. For example, if this latter hand points to 2 o’clock, then the prevailing month is February. Lastly, the leap-year indicator is located to the rear of the watch, positioned atop the movement, conveying information without marring the dial’s pure looks.
An impressive part of H. Moser & Cie’s paradigm is its capacity to release new and interesting models. Over the years, it has released additional watches equipped with a perpetual calendar, presented in different forms, eg the Pioneer model. Now, the brand is back with another reference featuring a perpetual calendar, the H. Moser & Cie Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel.
Housed in a 42mm white gold case, the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel adopts the same aforementioned approach to indicating the months, leap year and the power stored within the twin barrels. Where this model differs markedly from other Moser timepieces is with the styling of the dial and case which grant a classical appearance.
The Poire-style hour and minute hands would not look out of place on an old pocket watch and wonderfully set the tone for this horological performance. The dial features grand feu enamelling, is presented in a becoming shade of midnight blue and assumes a darker appearance near the edge of the display. Elongated Roman numerals denote the hours and a chemin de fer encircles the dial. Every element augments the vintage persona of the model.
The H. Moser & Cie Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel is limited to 20 pieces, hence exclusivity is assured.
Since the Meylan family acquired H. Moser & Cie in 2012, the company has enlarged its product portfolio significantly. The price range is broad, providing greater appeal to a larger cross-section of the public. Moreover, the brand has not been afraid to embrace different watch styles from its classical Heritage models to its avant-garde Streamliner collection. Based on the evidence, the ascent of this independent watch brand shows no signs of diminishing. Indeed, its watchmaking credentials and commercial prowess would suggest this Swiss company has a very bright future.
The brand’s press release
Showcasing the skills of master craftsmen, H. Moser & Cie. has chosen the classic rounded accents of the Heritage case to pay tribute to its perpetual calendar. Its Grand Feu enamel dial in brand new shades reinterprets the aesthetic of the brand’s famous fumé dials, with their subtle colour gradations. This technical feat is further enhanced by the engraving and the enamel inserts adorning the sides of the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel, which forges a link between past and present, between traditional and contemporary. Reminiscent of the pocket watches converted to wristwatches in the early 1920s using fine attachments, this creation is largely inspired by vintage timepieces conceived by Heinrich Moser, founder of H. Moser & Cie. At the same time, it displays a resolutely contemporary character thanks to the use of striking midnight-blue fumé and a high-end manufacture movement.
In creating the Heritage line, H. Moser & Cie. took inspiration from the watches that evoke the brand’s history from 1828 to the present day, and specifically those dating from the early 20th century. The distinctive classicism of the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel is evident not only in its rounded case, but also in the notched crown and Grand Feu enamel dial, brought to life by the Roman numerals and the swallow-tail hands. Every aspect of this exceptional piece has been created to exude elegance and refinement, with details such as the fine lugs and a railroad minute track enhancing its traditional character. And, because tradition at H. Moser & Cie. never means dull or fusty, behind the classic façade of this watch lies an emphatically irreverent aesthetic, as revealed by the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel’s deep blue dial, which brings the entire design to life.
Visible behind the sapphire case-back, the HMC 800 movement is the driving force behind the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel. A masterpiece of simplicity and ingenuity, this hand-wound manufacture calibre, which uses the indices to indicate the months, can be adjusted forwards or backwards at any time of day. Thanks to the “Flash Calendar” system, the date changes instantaneously at midnight, taking into account months with 30 or 31 days and the leap years. Decorated with the famous Moser double stripes, the calibre HMC 800 features a double barrel for a guaranteed power reserve of 7 days.
The Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel is an Haute Horlogerie piece that draws from a broader palette. It is a traditional yet timeless model, which blurs boundaries and is impossible to sum up in a single word. It is available in a limited edition of 20 pieces.
H. Moser & Cie.’s own and unique take on Haute Horlogerie.
Further reading