H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Small Seconds Complete Eclipse x The Armoury

Minimalist design, fashionable modern aesthetics and seductive fumé dials are bywords of H. Moser‘s model, however so is Moser’s provocative method to watchmaking, unafraid to experiment with empty dials and dispose of the pretentious jargon usually related to Haute Horlogerie. The newest mannequin, a collaboration with a prestigious menswear model, is an eclectic mixture of high-tech Vantablack, the darkest synthetic substance on Earth able to absorbing virtually each final ray of sunshine, and a few classically tailor-made touches appropriated from the world of pocket watches. The concept put ahead by The Armoury was to stage the phenomenon of a complete photo voltaic eclipse on the dial, utilizing Vantablack to recreate the darkest second when the Solar is totally hidden. Obtainable in two instances – metal and a mixture of metal and crimson gold – each editions of the Endeavour Small Seconds Complete Eclipse are restricted to twenty-eight items and are available 38mm case sizes.

The Armoury

An armoury often refers to a spot the place weapons are stored. The Armoury, based in Hong Kong in 2010 by Mark Cho and Alan See, has an arsenal of choices for dapper dressers and has turn out to be a retail haven for well-dressed males. With outlets in Hong Kong and New York, The Armoury gives ready-to-wear and bespoke fits, handmade Neapolitan shirts, English footwear and the perfect merchandise sourced from the best manufacturers and artisans all over the world.

Vantablack

Vantablack is the darkest synthetic substance on Earth able to absorbing as much as 99.965% of radiation within the seen spectrum. Developed and patented by Surrey NanoSystems Restricted, Vantablack (vertically aligned nanotube arrays + black) is a nanotube-based pigment. Functioning like a black gap, when mild strikes Vantablack, it’s trapped, deflected and absorbed among the many forest of billions and billions of nanotubes. Utilized in aerospace and defence sectors (telescopes, infrared cameras, thermal camouflage), Moser has used Vantablack on its Endeavour Tourbillon Idea and Endeavour Perpetual Moon Idea to dramatic impact. Stripped of any indications save the palms and the aperture for the Moon or tourbillon, the black light-absorbing dial was as alluring because it was mysterious.

A sartorial contact

Following a direct request from Mark Cho, the case measurement of the Endeavour Small Seconds is the smallest within the Endeavour household and has a 38mm diameter and a slim top of 9.9mm. Mark Cho and his design accomplice Elliot Hammer additionally recommended the theme of a complete photo voltaic eclipse, and Vantblack was the plain alternative. As Cho explains: “When Edouard and I first began speaking concerning the concept of creating a watch collectively, my foremost requirement was that it was small. I like watches which can be discreet however reveal a deeper complexity should you pay them some consideration. To me, H. Moser & Cie.’s fumé dial and Vantablack® dial are iconic and I needed to work with one in every of them as a place to begin for the design.”

Vantablack is used on the dial of this Endeavour Small Seconds to characterize the silhouette of the Moon, whereas the gleaming metal bezel and the interior flange – in metal or crimson gold – represents the halo of the photo voltaic corona.

In a transparent departure from Moser’s former Vantablack dials stripped to the naked minimal, Mark Cho and Elliott Hammer determined that the dial ought to have some delicate particulars within the type of indices and stylised palms. Given the fragile nature of Vantablack that may be broken by a easy contact, a particular method needed to be developed to drill the black matter to accommodate the dot-style markers. These of you conversant in Breguet’s watches will instantly recognise the provenance of the hour and minute palms with their circles on the tip. The small seconds hand additionally includes a strong round counterweight to match the indices, and the handsets, in both metal or crimson gold, echo the interior flange.

The black hand-stitched calfskin strap was additionally designed and created by The Armoury and options two completely different textures and a standard metal pin buckle.

Calibre HMC 327

“Completely every little thing on this mannequin hyperlinks again to this quest for final class, combining classicism with a up to date really feel,” explains Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie. “Its 38mm diameter is completely balanced. We opted for the smallest and best of our actions, the hand-wound HMC 327 calibre with an offset small second at 6 o’clock, paying homage to the pocket-watch model.” The sapphire crystal caseback reveals the ability reserve indicator and the in-house manual-winding motion. Fitted with a silicon anchor and escape wheel and an in-house Straumann hairspring with a Breguet overcoil, the motion beats at 18,000vph and delivers a 3-day energy reserve. Drawing from the custom of Moser pocket watch actions, all of the parts are historically hand-finished and embellished.

Availability and Worth

The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Small Seconds Complete Eclipse, accessible in two editions of 28 items, will likely be accessible in The Armoury shops in New York and Hong Kong, in addition to on the net gross sales platforms of each firms. The retail value for the metal mannequin (ref.1327-1200) and the metal and crimson gold (ref.1327-1201) is CHF 23,900 or EUR 25,100. The watch comes with a pocket-handkerchief developed by The Armoury for H. Moser & Cie.

For extra info, please seek the advice of H. Moser.com.