2023-08-29 22:05:40
New products from H. Moser & Cie. take us on a mysterious journey
Let’s get rid of the obvious. These are not the first watches from H. Moser & Cie. in red gold and Vantablack. The first time we saw this space-age material on a red gold case was in 2019, when the brand launched its Venturer Concept Vantablack watch. Later that same year, the contribution of H. Moser & Cie. à Only Watch used the same materials, this time in an Endeavor model with the ultra-precise complication of the perpetual moon phase display. If you don’t want the entire watch case to be red gold, the limited edition Moser created with The Armory also has a Vantablack dial, surrounded by a reddish halo thanks to its red gold.
Then there’s last year’s Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack in red gold, which I quickly dubbed “Black Hole Sun”: a name any self-respecting Gen Xer will recognize as the biggest hit in the outrageously under -esteemed grunge band Soundgarden. This is my way of saying that despite the path taken by H. Moser & Cie. during the last decade, this brand is not yet as well known as it should be. This is the deepest explanation why I chose this nickname, because the obvious explanation is that the three words in the name are directly related to the material of the dial, the tourbillon at 6 o’clock and the material of the case.
Clearly, the employees of the product development team at H. Moser & Cie. know a good thing when they see one, because this year they have developed two new Endeavor models in red gold with Vantablack dials. One of them has a whirlpool, which preserves that aura of whirling, that unfathomable power that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I see NASA images of black holes. The other model, while slightly less intimidating in its mechanics and design aspects, is a step ahead in terms of innovation.
Endeavour Centre Seconds Vantablack® & Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack® © H. Moser & Cie.
“What innovation? you ask yourself. I’ll tell you, my dear curious WorldTempus family. The Endeavor Center Seconds Vantablack model has hour markers.
This may seem quite disappointing to you, because what the hell is innovative regarding putting hour markers on a dial? Quite simply because of the material of the dial. The Vantablack, despite its impressive harsh-sounding name, is something of a delicate flower. Since it’s made of tiny carbon nanotubes that help it absorb 99.965% of any incident light, it’s very fragile. A fly landing awkwardly on a Vantablack surface might break the nanotubes and ruin the effect. The slightest tap of a finger on a Vantablack dial would render it aesthetically unusable. People around me often make fun of the fact that I don’t like being touched: they would have a field day with jokes at the expense of the Vantablack.
Endeavour Centre Seconds Vantablack® © H. Moser & Cie.
Here’s the question we have to ask ourselves now: how do we install hourly indexes on a surface that can’t be touched without actually being destroyed? We can spend exactly two seconds wondering this, but then the best way to get an answer would be to ask the folks at H. Moser & Cie.
Members of the WorldTempus family, stay tuned because that’s exactly what I’m going to do right now.
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#H.Moser #Cie #deeper
