Moser & Cie just dropped the hammer with the release of their latest Pioneer. The Pioneer Cylindrical TourbillonTourbillon A tourbillon is a complication in a mechanical watch that is designed to improve the accuracy of the watch by compensating for the effects of gravity on the balance wheel and escapement. It consists of a rotating cage that holds the balance wheel and escapement, which rotates on its own axis once per minute. This rotation helps to average out the positional errors caused by gravity, making the watch more accurate [Learn More] Skeleton is a perfect blend of key ingredients that make a Moser watch a “Moser watch”. Mixing strong ingredients isn’t easy. Balance is key. Based on the initial release images, Moser managed to get things just right.
First, let’s perhaps point out that Moser & Cie chose to opt for the Pioneer case. The Pioneer is essentially the Sportswatch as defined by Moser & Cie. A robust luxury timepiece that feels at home on the beach, in the boardroom, and anywhere in between. The Pioneer exists in a couple of variations, with the Perpetual CalendarPerpetual Calendar A perpetual calendar is a complication in a mechanical watch that automatically adjusts for the different lengths of the months, including February, and leap years, and (almost) never requires manual adjustments. It has a mechanism that takes into account the different number of days in each month, including leap years, and automatically adjusts the date, day, month and year accordingly [Learn More] MD being my personal favorite. However, none of these variations come anywhere close to this latest release by Moser & Cie.
Let’s start with perhaps the most familiar ingredient. The typical fumé dial, here in Funky Blue. If you’ve heard of Moser watches, you will have heard about fumé dials, that grow darker as you move towards the edge of the dials. An enthusiast will assume that this is a Moser & Cie watch long before seeing or reading the brand on the dial, purely due to the fumé dial. Note that here the dial is of course smaller than usual, and it is also slightly domed.
But I promised their would be a balancing act of multiple ingredients, not just a single one. So what else do we see? Ingredient number two would be the use of Globolight® . We see the thick 3-dimension Globolight® indices and hands. An ingredient which we also tend to associate with Moser & Cie, in particular its Heritage line of watches. A sight to behold (and a joy to photograph).
Now adding another ingredient is Moser & Cie’s cylindrical hairspringHairspring The hairspring is a thin spring in a mechanical watch movement that is connected to the balance wheel. The balance wheel oscillates back and forth at a consistent rate, and the hairspring helps regulate these oscillations. The hairspring works by applying a restoring force to the balance wheel, which helps to keep the balance wheel oscillating at a consistent rate. The hairspring is also known as a balance spring. [Learn More]. Little known fact perhaps, but this is produced in-house at Moser & Cie (to be exact, it is produced under the same roof (literally) as Moser & Cie, at sister company Precision Engineering AG which sits under the MELB Umbrella). According to Moser & Cie each cylindrical hairspring is shaped by hand, taking ten times longer to produce than a traditional hairspring.
We have seen this cylindrical hairspring before, most notably perhaps in the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon which was a collaboration between Moser & Cie and MB&F. I’ll honestly say that I was never expecting this to make an appearance in the Pioneer, nor that it would look good, but here we are, it looks stellar.
Another key ingredient is of course the caliberCaliber The caliber ('movement') is the heart and engine of a watch. It consists of a number of interconnected components that work together. Energy is transmitted through the gear train, to the escapement mechanism. The escapement mechanism releases this energy in a controlled manner. This drives the gear train, which ultimately rotates the hands of the watch and keeps time. [More Info]. In-house caliber to be exact. The caliber used here is a skeleton model of the new HMC 811 calibre. The use of a skeletonizedSkeletonizing A decorative technique that involves removing some of the material from the movement parts to create a see-through effect, often used on the plates and bridges. [Learn More] movement is a new twist, so far unseen at H. Moser & Cie, and it looks surprisingly great. I am also quite curious to see how or if this will evolve across other HMCalibers in the future.
All things said and done, this is an absolute Tour de Force by Moser & Cie, pure and simple. Oh and by the way, yes it is still a Pioneer indeed – with its robust & sculpted case you can take this on any of your adventures (12 ATM) or just gaze at its beauty during your next meeting. To find out more about this watch, don’t hesitate to check it out right here.
SPECIFICATIONS
Case
Steel topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal
Diameter: 42.8 mm
Height without sapphire crystal: 11.7 mm
Height with sapphire crystal: 15.3 mm
Screw-in crownCrown The knob on the outside of the watch that you typically use to either wind the mainspring or set the time
[Learn More] adorned with an engraved “M”
See-through case back
Water-resistant to 12 ATM
Dial
Funky Blue fumé domed sub-dial with sunburst pattern at 12 o’clock
Skeletonised dial
Indices in Globolight®
Hour and minute hands with Globolight® inserts
Movement
Fully skeletonised HMC 811, self-winding, three-dimensional Manufacture calibre
Diameter: 34.0 mm or 15 lignes/height: 5.5 mm (without hands or tourbillon)
Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h
28 jewelsJewels
Watch jewels are small, synthetic sapphire or ruby bearings that are used in mechanical watches to reduce friction and wear on moving parts. They are typically made from corundum. They are used as bearings for a.o. the pivots to reduce friction.
[Learn More]
171 components
Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
Gold, fully skeletonised oscillating weight
Power reserveRéserve de marche Also known as Power Reserve. A watch's power reserve refers to the amount of time a mechanical watch can run without being wound. The power reserve of a mechanical watch can vary depending on the size of the mainspring, the efficiency of the gear train, and the rate at which the mainspring releases energy. If a watch has a Power Reserve 'complication' it simply means that the status of the power reserve can be seen on the watch itself (either on the dial or movement side of the watch).
[Learn More]: minimum 74 hours
Cylindrical hairspring with 2 Breguet curves
One-minute flying tourbillonFlying Tourbillon Like the classic tourbillon, its purpose is to counter the effects of gravity on the rate of the watch (rate deviances). It tries to achieve this by rotating the escapement and balance wheel in all possible directions. The balance, anchor and escape wheel are positioned in a cage, which rotates 360° in one minute. With the Flying Tourbillon this complex construction is anchored on one side only, which lends the complication its apparent weightlessness, enables increased precision and gave rise to its name. There is no bridge obstructing the view, giving the appearance that the tourbillon is indeed flying.
[Learn More] at 6 o’clock with skeletonised bridgeBridges
The bridges of a watch movement are the metal plates that hold the wheels and other components of the movement in place. They are attached to the main plate of the movement with screws. Bridges are used to support the balance wheel, the escapement, the mainspring barrel and other elements. Combined with the main plate they are the foundation of any watch movement.
[Learn More]; hand-bevelled balance bridgeBalance Bridge
The balance bridge holds the balance wheel in place and connects it to the main plate of the movement. It serves as a key support for the balance wheel.
[Learn More]
Diamond bevellingAnglage Anglage is a decorative technique used in the finishing of mechanical watch movements. It involves beveling, polishing, and chamfering the edges of various movement components, such as the main plate, bridges, and gears, to create a smooth and polished look
[Learn More]
Main plateMainplate
The mainplate holds all the components of the watch movement together and forms the base of the watch movement. The mainplate is typically made of brass. It serves as the foundation for the movement, and all the gears, wheels, and other components are attached to it. It holds the jewels and pivots in place, and also serves as the base for the bridges and other structural components.
[Learn More] and bridgesBridges
The bridges of a watch movement are the metal plates that hold the wheels and other components of the movement in place. They are attached to the main plate of the movement with screws. Bridges are used to support the balance wheel, the escapement, the mainspring barrel and other elements. Combined with the main plate they are the foundation of any watch movement.
[Learn More] with anthracite PVD finish
Functions
Hours and minutes
Strap
Black alligator leather strap, hand-stitched
Steel folding clasp, engraved with the Moser logo
A Perfect Blend