When I came across the H.Moser & Cie timepieces some years ago, I was intrigued by the brand’s out-of-the-ordinary style. It is what I would define as an “hyper–essential” style; hard-smoked dials coupled with the purity of watch-making, the manufacturer’s goal is to be recognized as the company of reference for those who love watch essentials, basically everything that doesn’t simply mimic the current trend of flashy colours and overly-engineered cases.
In the last two years something has definitely changed at Moser’s, it all happened when the brand launched its Funky Blue dial with the beautiful Endeavour Perpetual Calendar and the kudu strap. It was quite a unique combination of high skills and good taste that crowned H.Moser & Cie the master in crafting smoked dials, a manufacturer that has also been able to create a product that is both completely new and slightly less formal that your average timepiece.
This big change occurred when the company started to use its technical skills and creativity to craft items that could actually appeal to a younger audience, a result that seemed hard to achieve with its former basic style.
In my opinion, when the manufacturer released the Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue, the brand’s awareness simply ballooned and generated quite a sizeable buzz. This new achievement made it possible to bridge the gap between those die-hard fans who are after a traditional watch-making style and today’s trend setters for whom haute-horlogerie and concepts like “colorful” and “standing–out” are a must (this is not my case though.)
The H.Moser & Cie Venturer Small Seconds XL Funky Blue is this year’s entry-level three-hands Venturer, it features a particular dial, a kudu strap and a white gold-made case that measures 43mm in diameter, a unique characteristic that is not that common among classic timepieces where 41mm in diameter (even 39mm to be more precise) is the maximum acceptable size.
The H.Moser & Cie Venturer Small Seconds XL Funky Blue is simply stunning when wrapped around the wrist and it is pretty rewarding to wear it, especially if your wrist is as generously proportioned as mine.
The large dial and the almost non-existing bezel make it look like as if this timepiece were almost 46mm in size but the general effect is actually not tacky at all. The super domed sapphire crystal grants the dial a special quality and it looks as if the blue colour were extending beyond the frame of the watch, the kudu strap with its green leather on the inside adds a touch of vintage-country style that makes it deviate from an austere formal appearance.
As far as the caliber goes, this is the in-house built manual HMC 327 caliber that runs at 3Hz and that is equipped with the Straumann Hairspring with Breguet overcoil for a better precision and stability rate. Among its highlights we can name the V–shaped balance wheel bridge and the power reserve indicator placed on the movement side.
The H.Moser & Cie Venturer Small Seconds XL Funky Blue is elegant yet dandy, generously sized and it retails at 20,600€. This would be my first choice of a luxury three-hands timepiece, it is a wristwatch that has led to a whole new market segment with virtually no competitors around.
I would like to thank H.Moser & Cie for its choice not to add, at least with its first release of a non-complicated Funky Blue watch, the date window on the dial since this could have spoilt the overall look of a watch that is destined to stand out for decades and beyond.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
