Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New 40mm H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue
A smaller case size, a partially openworked movement and a Grand Feu enamel show how traditional complications and decorative techniques can look refreshingly contemporary.
As a brand that enjoys turning preconceived ideas related to watchmaking on its head, the concept surrounding concept watches at H. Moser & Cie. has nothing to do with our usual interpretation of concept watches. Concept watches at Moser are stripped down to their bare essentials with no superfluous distractions on the dial; the focus is either on the beauty of the fumé dial or the complications, like this moon phase model with a Vantablack light-sucking dial. Traditional complications, like the minute repeater and tourbillon, are restaged in minimalist settings that are immediately recognisable as Moser creations, even without give-away branding. Moser’s splendid Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon reappears on a new Grand Feu enamel stage with a smaller 40mm diameter and a choice of red gold or titanium cases.
Minute Repeater tourbillon
Launched in 2019, the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon is a study in radical minimalism and was initially presented in a white gold case with a black dial, followed by a titanium case with an Electric Blue dial in 2021. With no logos, no indices, and inscriptions of any form, there is no mistaking the protagonists who command centre stage. Exposed on the dial, you can watch the hammers strike the gongs of the minute repeater as the one-minute flying tourbillon performs its elegant rotations. The entire chiming mechanism for the hours, quarter-hours and minutes is placed on the dial between 9 and 11 o’clock, a complex arrangement that required the input of Timeless SA, a specialist in minute repeaters. To ensure the finesse of the watch, the chimes are placed on one level and are curved so as not to interfere with the flying tourbillon. The deep well carved into the dial, which receives light from the front and back, adds depth to the composition, while the bridge over the tourbillon is openworked to enhance viewing pleasure. Up till here, there are no differences between these new models and the former ones.
Smaller case size
What is new is the 3mm reduction in case size from 43mm to 40mm. Available in 18k red gold or titanium, the case features the signature hollowed-out area on the caseband and the short arching lugs of the Endeavour family. And, as you would expect from Moser, the beautifully polished surfaces, including the interior of the recessed areas, contrast with the vertically brushed casebands. Although the case height has also been slightly reduced from 14mm to 13.5mm, the case middle has been widened to accommodate the movement and allow enough space to create a soundbox to amplify the chimes. To activate the minute repeater, the slider on the left side of the case is mounted on a Teflon runner to glide smoothly. If you’d like to hear the chimes, press the play button below.
Grand Feu enamel
One of the most recognised features of Moser watches is the use of gorgeous fumé dials combined with a contemporary colour palette. The Aqua Blue dial of this model is not a ‘regular’ fumé but a luxurious Grand Feu enamel dial with a fumé or gradient effect. Very similar, in fact, to another Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept watch we covered earlier this year with a Lime Green dial. To achieve the richly textured dial, a pattern is engrained on a gold base. After this, the enameller finely crushes and applies four different colour pigments. These are applied one by one so that the colours can oxidise and fuse together in the kiln – a process that is repeated at least twelve times to create the signature Moser fumé effect with a lighter tone in the centre that intensifies as it reaches the periphery.
Another difference with the previous Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon is that the area hosting the gongs on the dial does not have an Aqua Blue background and features a grey matte plate. The elevated central Grand Feu enamel disc has two cut-out areas to host the hammers at 11 and the flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Refined leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, in colours matching the case metal, are the only other element on the dial.
Manual-winding calibre
Powered by a similar manual-winding calibre as the former editions (HMC 203) and developed with Timeless Manufacture, the main difference is that this ‘new’ movement – HMC 904 – is partially openworked. As you can appreciate, the largest bridge has been cut back to reveal more of the moving parts and allows more light to enter the movement. Beating at a frequency of 21,600vph, the movement delivers an ample power reserve of 90 hours. And, like all Moser’s movements, the finishings are Haute Horlogerie with double Moser stripes on the plate and bridges and hand-finished and decorated components.
Availability and Price
The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue is limited to 20 pieces in red gold and 20 pieces in titanium. Both watches are fitted with brown hand-stitched alligator leather straps and a red gold or titanium pin buckle. The price for both versions is CHF 330,000 (incl. tax).
For more information, please visit www.h-moser.com.
