H. Moser & Cie. of Neuhausen, Switzerland (hereafter Moser & Cie.) is one of the well-established independent watchmakers. A total of 15 in-house movements alone. It is also one of the few brands that even manufactures their own balance springs. The production of watches has already exceeded 1500 per year. Just because it has a stable foundation doesn’t mean it’s just an old-fashioned watch. The Swiss Alp Watch, which contains a message for a smart watch, and the replica Moser Nature Watch, which conveys the nature of Switzerland, are also continuously introducing extraordinary concept watches, and they are not losing their original mind.
This year, the Streamliner Chronograph “Blacker than Black” takes over the baton of the concept watch series. In pitch-black darkness, this model was based on the previous model, and all exterior parts except the hands were covered with Vantablack. Vanta Black is known as the darkest of all blacks. To achieve this, Moser & C used a special coating technique based on carbon nanotubes instead of general lacquer. A watch is a watch, but the window on which it was displayed also drew attention. The background is painted in Vanta Black, and the model is designed to look like only the hands are floating. The streamliner chronograph “Blackker Dan Black”, which Moser & See did this year as well, is not for sale as a concept replica watches uk.
The streamliner chronograph “Blackker Dan Black” is a kind of appetizer to keep the audience intrigued at this year’s Moser & Sea. The main is the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton. While the former is a product intended for a rather light gimmick, the latter shows a serious attitude towards traditional watchmaking.
The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton is an extension of the Endeavor Cylindrical Tourbillon, which was launched in collaboration with MB&F in 2020. While the previous work used MB&F’s unique slanted main dial for the purpose of collaboration, this new product has been completely reborn with its own design. The movement is, and still is, made by Moser & Mrs. Even the cylindrical balance spring, which is the heart of the cylindrical tourbillon, is made by our Precision Engineering AG. The cylindrical balance spring, which can expect higher isochronism through stable vibration, was first devised by the legendary British watchmaker John Arnold in the 18th century. In the early days, it was mainly used for large marine chronometers. In the 20th century wristwatches, there were only restrictions due to thickness, so there were not many uses. Although it is not much different today, leading brands such as Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre are occasionally showing tourbillons using this to prove their technological prowess. Unlike its predecessors, Moser & Sea maximized the openness of the cylindrical tourbillon by using the skeleton technique that removes unnecessary parts as much as possible. This creates a scene where the tourbillon appears to float in the air and toss around.
The main time dial is located separately just above the tourbillon. It was made in a domed shape to enhance the three-dimensional effect in line with the tourbillon, and the surface was treated with sunburst and gradation, and finished with Moser & Sea’s signature Fumé dial. The block-shaped index that rises more than before stands out. Made with Globolight® with super-luminova impregnated in ceramic. Thanks to this, you can enjoy a more three-dimensional luminous glow compared to the general Super-LumiNova that paints on the surface. The hour and minute hands are also made of the same material on the hands. Each index and hand glows blue when darkness falls.
The case is made of stainless steel, which is rare for such a complication, in keeping with the Pioneer collection’s quest for casual/sports watches. In the same design as before, both sides were dug out to preserve a three-dimensional effect. The size is 42.8mm in diameter and 15.3mm in thickness, aiming for wearable complications. Excluding the domed sapphire crystal that covers the dial, the actual case thickness is 11.7mm. It is similar to a typical automatic watch. The waterproof specification is 120m, which is worthy of a sports watch. As with the typical Pioneer collection, this is thanks to the screw-down crown. The strap isn’t particularly special. A black alligator strap is paired with a steel folding buckle.
The movement is an automatic in-house caliber HMC 811. It can be seen as a skeleton version of the caliber HMC810 used in the previous Endeavor Cylinder Tourbillon. I also adjusted the crown position to reveal the inner flesh. Unlike the existing ones that are tailored for left-handed people, the movement is designed to be rotated 180° so that the crown is normally positioned on the right side. This is also why the positions of the main dial and the cylindrical tourbillon are opposite to each other. The specifications are not different from the previous ones. The frequency per hour is 21,600vph and the power reserve is 74 hours.
The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton (Ref. 3811-1200) is a regular model, not a single-shot, and will continue to be presented for the time being. The price is 79,000 Swiss Francs. Although it is not a limited edition, the annual production seems to be very small due to the high difficulty of production.
Rebellion Timepieces is an independent Swiss watchmaker based upstream of Lake Leman. If you’re a fan of endurance races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, you might know the Rebellion Racing team. As the name suggests, they are from the same family. Another sibling is Rebellion Motors, which specializes in car maintenance including classic and racing cars. The eldest of the three brothers was Rebelion Motors. It was born in 1970 and has continued its history to this day. The second is the Revelion timepiece. Born in 2008, he presented his first watch the following year. The youngest, Rebelion Racing, formed a new team in 2010 and participated in the first endurance race in 2011. Revelion timepieces (hereafter Revelion) are inseparable from automobiles. Major products such as the T-500, T-1000, and T2M are also inspired by automobiles, and various wheels, barrels, and even the time-marking rollers (cylindrical rotating discs) are designed vertically to show off their original charm. The same is true of the Whip-One Flying Tourbillon series, which debuted splendidly in 2017.
In the name of the Whip-One Flying Tourbillon, Weap-One is reminiscent of Weapon, which means weapon. Perhaps that’s why the watch design resembles a cylindrical liquid bomb. Although the brand says it is a test tube that you would see in a science fiction movie. The Wep-One Biaxial Flying Tourbillon, introduced this year, is the successor to the previous Weap-One Asymmetrical Flying Tourbillon. In the previous work, the rotation speed of the plate connected to the bridge supporting the flying tourbillon and the plate opposite the axis fixing the shaft were different. The left one rotated once every 30 seconds, the right one one rotation per minute. As a result, the flying tourbillon exhibited erratic movements in an oblique state when it rotates around the horizontal axis. It is for the same reason that Asymmetrical, meaning asymmetry, is indicated in the product name. For this year’s new product, the flying tourbillon is fixed on a long horizontal axis without a separate bridge. Its axis rotates once per minute at the same period as the tourbillon. As a result, the tourbillon, which seems to be suspended in the center, is maintained horizontally unlike before when it rotates around the horizontal axis. It is also related to the fact that the word for asymmetry was omitted from the product name and the word Biaxial, meaning two axes, was used.
The iconic cylindrical case is crafted from black DCL coated titanium. The size is 52.85×26mm, and the waterproof specification is 100m. The sapphire crystal tube inserted in the center is treated with an anti-reflective coating to ensure excellent visibility despite its curved surface. The movement it is equipped with is made by the movement manufacturer Concepto (Concepto Watch Factory), which, like the previous series, has a knack for such ingenious products. There is no movement name. The manual system has a frequency of 28,800 vph per hour and a power reserve of 50 hours. Operation is handled by both crowns, which also serve as a cover for the cylindrical case. The left is for time setting, and the right is for winding. The time is displayed in hours on the left disk and minutes on the right disk. Each scale engraved on the disc is painted with green Super-LumiNova. There is also another version with the corresponding color changed to white. Each piece is paired with a black fabric strap with Velcro type. Both prices are undecided.
In the past, Louis Monet (1768-1853) was a renowned watchmaker active in France in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1816, he developed the world’s first chronograph, and he made countless achievements in watch history. It is known that he was also close friends with Abraham-Louis Breguet. Today, Louis Moinet refers to an independent watchmaker based in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 2004. To commemorate the achievements of a legendary great man, his name was also adopted. The main line is divided into Mechanical Wonders, which refers to the wonders of machines, and Cosmic Art, which refers to the art of the universe. The former is a unique mechanical watch that reinterprets traditional watchmaking in a ‘Louis Monet’ style, and the latter mainly consists of art pieces that sublimate elements related to space into artistic watchmaking.
Astronef, meaning spaceship, is the sequel to Space Revolution, which brought the dream of the night sky of 2020 into watchmaking. Space Revolution was not unusual from the first impression. At that time, two flying tourbillons and a model of a spaceship installed on opposite sides to balance each other drew a lot of attention as the so-called satellite double tourbillon, which revolved around the central axis of the dial like a satellite. If you look at the clock, a pair of flying tourbills and spaceships that rotate once a minute each rotate in a different direction. The cycles are also different. The spacecraft at the top rotates clockwise every 5 minutes, and the red spacecraft at the bottom rotates counterclockwise once every 10 minutes, and they intersect each other every 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Since the background is aventurine glass resembling a starry night sky, the model is naturally reminiscent of sci-fi like Star Wars. The new Astronev is a model with less artistic virtuosity based on it. That’s why Space Revolution belongs to Cosmic Art and Astronef belongs to the Mechanical Wonders line, respectively.
Astronev inherited the original satellite double tourbillon, but the spaceship model has disappeared. The aventurine glass depicting the night sky has also been replaced with a regular dial with hour indexes and minute tracks. It’s closer to the clock. The 43.5mm diameter rose gold case (water resistant to 10m) and the large 41.6mm diameter cylindrical sapphire crystal covering the dial are still intact. As for the movement, the previous one is equipped with manual caliber LM104, and the new one is equipped with manual caliber LM105. Although they have different names, they have the same design difference as a spaceship model, but they are actually the same movement. Coincidentally, it was developed and produced with the movement manufacturer Concepto in the same way as the Revelion described above. It has a vibration rate of 21,600 vph per hour and a power reserve of 48 hours. On one side of the caseback is a selector lever for selecting the winding and time setting, and on the other side, a part of the movement is revealed through a sapphire crystal.
The Astronev (Ref. LM-105.50.60) with matching black crocodile leather strap will be produced in a limited edition of 8 pieces. The price is 360,000 Swiss Francs.