The H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Bronze “Since 1828” (Live Pics & Price)

The history of independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. dates back to 1828 when founder Heinrich Moser opened a watchmaking facility. With almost 200 years of watchmaking heritage, Moser’s Heritage collection of 2018 was inspired by pocket watches converted to wristwatches in the 1920s. What started with a special edition for Bucherer was followed by the Heritage Tourbillon Funky Blue, the Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue and most recently, the Heritage Dual Time “Burgundy”. The newest addition is the H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Bronze “Since 1828”, with a bronze case and a new anthracite fumé dial.

The Heritage collection is aimed at enthusiasts and collectors with a love for vintage style watchmaking. But, Moser being Moser, it does so with a little twist here and there. As mentioned, this new H. Moser & Cie. Heritage Bronze “Since 1828” captures the spirit of converted pocket watches. That means a relatively simple yet very appealing case, a large dial with excellent legibility, wire-style lugs and a large onion crown. This distinct look dates back to the time when pilots would solder lugs onto pocket watch cases to be able to strap them to the wrist.

The introduction of the Heritage collection was a departure from the more contemporary-looking watches we’ve come to know and love. Nevertheless, this is a very interesting collection marked by Moser’s typical flair. The most complex and classical one so far is the Heritage Perpetual Calendar Midnight Blue Enamel. This new Heritage Bronze “Since 1828”, launched during Dubai Watch Week, comes in a bronze case, which is no surprise given its name. It measures 42mm across and 11.1mm in height, making it quite large but still very wearable. The caseback is steel to prevent unwanted tarnishing of the skin from the bronze.

H. Moser & Cie. is known for its creative and funky dials, and this one is no exception. The Heritage Bronze “Since 1828” has an anthracite fumé dial with the brand’s logo in Cyrillic script. This is a nod to the origins of H. Moser & Cie. when early watches often featured this script. On the perimeter of the dial is a minutes track in white. The applied hour numerals are made from solid Globolight. This ceramic-based material emits an intense glow in the dark, an unusual modern touch in this otherwise classical styled watch. Time is indicated with sword-shaped hands for the hours and minutes (with Super-LumiNova) and a slender central seconds hand.

Powering the H. Moser & Cie Heritage Bronze “Since 1828” is the well-known in-house calibre HMC-200 that’s also used in the Endeavour, Pioneer and Streamliner collections. This automatic movement measures 32mm in diameter and 5.5mm in height and can be seen through the steel caseback with sapphire crystal. The HMC-200 is developed entirely in-house, including the Straumann hairspring (made with Precision Engineering AG, Moser’s sister company). It runs at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600vph) and provides a healthy 72 hours of power reserve. The openworked rotor reveals most of the movement, including the signature Moser double striped finishing.

The Heritage Bronze “Since 1828” is worn on a black textile strap with a bronze pin buckle engraved with the H. Moser & Cie. logo (the model we had was fitted to a grey leather strap). It is presented as a limited edition of 50 pieces at a retail price of EUR 18,800.

For more information, please visit H-Moser.com.