Tag Archives: HighEndWatches

STREAMLINER TOURBILLON CONCEPT CERAMIC: A NEW CREATIVE TERRITORY FOR H. MOSER & CIE.

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H. Moser & Cie. Introduces the Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Ceramic

For the first time in its history, H. Moser & Cie. is venturing into the world of ceramics, opting for this technically demanding material to enhance the flowing lines of its most iconic collection: Streamliner. The cushion case and integrated bracelet are crafted from anthracite grey ceramic with alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces. With neither indices nor logo, the Red fumé Grand Feu enamel dial illuminates this crisp architecture, while the flying tourbillon with double hairspring injects dynamism. With the Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Ceramic model, the Schaffhausen-based Manufacture underscores its commitment to watchmaking that is forward-looking, precise, masterful and resolutely timeless.

Ceramic: a decisive, self-evident choice. The Streamliner collection marks H. Moser & Cie.’s entry into this new territory. With its cushion case and integrated bracelet made entirely from anthracite grey ceramic, the Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Ceramics boldly asserts its personality and character. The material naturally embraces the organic lines of the collection, cultivating the aesthetic without constraining it. The surfaces play with the effects of light in a masterful choreography. Vertical satin finishing on the bracelet, subtle polishing on the edges, circular satin finishing on the case: the characteristic finishes of the Streamliner find in ceramics a demanding medium for expression. They are hand-applied to reveal the depth of the material, its density and colour. An intense, absorbing dark anthracite grey.

Unalterable, lightweight and hypoallergenic, ceramic offers unexpected comfort and a durability suited to everyday use. Pleasant to the touch and almost warm for a mineral material, its most distinctive feature is its absolute stability. Unaffected by time, it is synonymous with mastery and precision. A material defined by its future-oriented expression.

At the heart of this restrained anthracite grey lies a striking contrast: a Red fumé dial of a rare chromatic depth. True to its unique approach, H. Moser & Cie. has reinvented the ancient art of Grand Feu enamelling, bringing it firmly into the modern era. A textured pattern is engraved on a white gold base to create a hammered effect. Two enamel pigments, washed, ground and applied in a gradient, create a vibrant colour generated by successive firings. Never pixellated, always alive. The result is an intense, luminous, almost incandescent Red fumé dial, devoid of indices and logos in line with the brand’s minimalist philosophy.

At 6 o’clock, a one-minute flying tourbillon energises the overall composition. The HMC 805 automatic calibre that drives the watch is equipped with a double hairspring designed and produced in-house by H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG. This pair of matching hairsprings improves accuracy and isochronism, compensating for the effects of shifts in the centre of gravity when the springs expand. The bridges and main plate, finished in anthracite grey, offer a subtle contrast to the red gold oscillating weight, emphasising the contemporary elegance of the movement.

With the Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Ceramic model, H. Moser & Cie. is embarking on a new chapter and expanding its creative horizons by incorporating a material as exacting as it is radical into its creative language.

H. Moser & Cie.’s own and unique take on Haute Horlogerie.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – STREAMLINER TOURBILLON CONCEPT CERAMIC

Reference 6805-2100, anthracite grey ceramic model, Red fumé dial, integrated bracelet in anthracite grey ceramic

Case
Anthracite grey ceramic
Diameter: 40.0 mm
Height without sapphire crystal: 11.0 mm
Height with sapphire crystal: 12.8 mm
Screw-in crown adorned with an engraved “M”
See-through sapphire crystal case-back
Water-resistant to 12 ATM

Dial
Red fumé Grand Feu enamel with hammered texture
Hour and minute hands with Globolight® inserts

Movement
HMC 805 automatic calibre
Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1/4 lignes
Height: 5.5 mm
Frequency: 21,600 vibrations/hour
Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
Skeletonised oscillating weight in 18-carat red gold with engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo
Power reserve: minimum 3 days
Original double hairspring
One-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonised bridge
Anthracite finish with Moser double stripes
Partially skeletonised bridges

Functions
Hours and minutes

Bracelet
Integrated bracelet in anthracite grey ceramic
Folding clasp with three blades, engraved with the Moser logo

Frederique Constant Classics Moneta Moonphase

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In August 2024 Frederique Constant unveiled its Classics Moneta Moonphase, a timepiece on which the traditional fluted bezel motif was moved to the flange, giving the case the appearance of a coin – hence the ‘Moneta’ moniker. Now the Geneva-based manufacture has added further style flourishes, giving two of the original models with blue or silver dials a new look that takes them into a whole other aesthetic dimension.

For the first variation, Frederique Constant has opted for a PVD case done out in yellow gold with matching hands and hour markers – a classic prestige livery. For the first time ever, the second timepiece features a Milanese mesh bracelet, beautifully offsetting the steel colour of the case, externals and Moon display at six o’clock and resulting in a more vintage look. Both watches retain the 37-millimetre diameter case and are powered by a quartz movement that makes the Classics Moneta Moonphase that bit more affordable – and desirable.

One of Frederique Constant’s most foundational style principles is timelessness, characterised by a vintage look coupled with discreet modernity – and both new variations of the Classics Moneta Moonphase take the expression of that principle to new heights. Are they vintage, contemporary, urban, Sixties, or Seventies? At the end of the day the answer is very much in the eye of the beholder; the one thing that’s not up for debate is the thoroughly horological nature of the two timepieces.

In the best traditions of fine watchmaking, the dials sport a meticulous sunray finish, softly diffusing light towards the twelve applique hour markers above which hand-polished dauphine hands glide effortlessly. The decision not to include a seconds hand blurs the boundary between quartz and mechanical movements: at first glance, it’s impossible to tell which powers the Classics Moneta Moonphase. The calm, peaceful atmosphere exuded by the dial is further highlighted by the moonphase at six o’clock. Earth’s closest neighbour cycles through its phases in 27 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes and 12 seconds at a rate invisible to the naked eye. Housed in a 37-millimetre case, the restrained and elegant Classics Moneta Moonphase embodies the canons of watchmaking etiquette, be it on men’s or ladies’ wrists.

The style signature of the Classics Moneta Moonphase is its flange, crafted to resemble the edge of a coin. Here, this hallmark of Geneva watchmaking has been moved from its original location on the bezel, instead adding grooved relief to the dial. Frederique Constant’s creativity delights in these clever, sophisticated new takes on convention – giving the brand its very own design ethos in the process.

On the first new variation, the brilliant yellow gold colour adds a further sense of prestige to the piece; the finish is a first for a Classics Moneta Moonphase. The Moon, stars and all the externals (the case, hour markers, hands, and crown) are done out in the same hue, underscoring the philosophy of affordable luxury so dear to Frederique Constant.

The second version offers a steel colour scheme to complement its gold counterpart. Instead of a calfskin strap, the watch sports a Milanese mesh bracelet – another first in the Classics Moneta Moonphase collection. The flexible bracelet fits snugly around the wrist almost like a second skin, giving the piece both a daringly relaxed air and a vintage look; Milanese mesh was all the rage in the 1970s. The steel bracelet beautifully offsets the colour of the applique hour markers and dauphine hands (another icon of vintage watches), as well as the lunar grey of the Moon and stars. The complication is encircled by a thin gold line matching the lettering of the brand’s ‘Frederique Constant, Genève’ signature at twelve o’clock.