Extreme Minimalism… The New H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon

H. Moser & Cie. has developed its own interpretation of terms bandied around in the watch industry. Concept watches, in the terminology of most brands, are usually spectacular one-off vehicles to flaunt a new development, test the waters, and then decide if a tuned-down version makes it into serial production. At Moser, concept watches can be complicated, but they are defined by maximum minimalism: no logos, no indices, no inscriptions, just the essentials. The latest Moser watch to get a Concept makeover is the Streamliner Perpetual Calendar with a delectable smoked salmon dial, a special edition with a one-year expiry date.

The Streamliner, released in 2020, is Moser’s original interpretation of the luxury sports watch with a cushion-shaped case and integrated bracelet. With its sleek, aerodynamic lines, the aptly named Streamliner ranges from three-hand and small seconds models to flyback chronographs, tourbillons and perpetual calendars. Even before its acquisition by the MELB Group (Meylan family) in 2012, H. Moser & Cie. had, since 2005, a perpetual calendar in its portfolio. With its radically simplified display designed by Andreas Strehler, the award-winning QP was revitalised under Edouard Meylan’s direction in 2015 and did a lot to get the brand noticed.

In keeping with its concept surname, the new Streamliner Perpetual Calendar takes the already minimalist Streamliner QP to higher degrees of minimalism by removing the red and white outer tracks, the indices, the power reserve gauge and the logo. This deliberate removal of distractions lets the stunning smoked salmon dial work its magic. Fans will recognise the dial, which appeared on board the Streamliner Centre Seconds model last year.

Moser is synonymous with fumé or gradient dials and is one of the brands behind the revival of this technique. Once again, Moser plays with words, and the colour of the dial is described as smoked salmon (saumon fumé in French). Lighter in the centre and darker towards the periphery, the dial also features a vertical brushed finish (griffé = scratched). The fumé griffé combo, only found on special editions, constantly changes the mood of the dial, producing different tonalities, ranging from chocolate to gold.

The calendar functions are ingeniously and surreptitiously displayed – save the presence of the big date at 4 o’clock. Aligned with the crown, the big date window has two superimposed discs and a Flash Calendar instantaneous date-change mechanism. This means that the date changes in a flash at midnight and can be adjusted backwards or forwards at any other time of the day.

The months are indicated with a small red and white hand positioned on the same axis as the hour, minute and central seconds hands. The fourth hand on the dial at 10 o’clock corresponds to the power reserve indicator. Since the gauge corresponding to the hand has been removed, estimating how much juice is left in the powerful 168-hour tank will be a little trickier. Avoiding calendar displays that are not vital to daily pursuits, the leap year cycle is on the movement. Although there are no indices to mark the hours or tracks to capture the minutes and seconds, the hour and minute hands are highlighted with luminous Globolight inserts.

Sharing similar specifications with the earlier Streamliner Perpetual Calendar, the 42.3mm case has a thickness of 11mm (without crystal) and the dial is topped by a subtly domed glassbox sapphire crystal. The smooth curved surfaces of the 120m water-resistant case extend to the integrated bracelet with supple, articulated wave-shaped links, both decorated with sunray-brushed and polished surfaces.

A derivation of the original HMC 341 calibre powering the 2015 Endeavour QP, the HMC 812 incorporates a direct-drive central seconds hand. Beating at 18,000vph with an in-house hairspring, the double barrel provides a beefy 7-day power reserve. The dark grey PVD-coated bridges with double horizontal stripes and the microblasted mainplate give the movement its contemporary look.

Availability & Price

The Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Concept Smoked Salmon is a special edition and will only be available for 12 months and retails for CHF 49,900 (incl. tax). To take some sting out of the equation, it’s worth remembering that Moser’s 2015 Endeavour Perpetual Calendar retailed for CHF 47,000. For more information, please consult h-moser.com.