Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye (Live Pics & Price)
Make the stone dial cool again!
H. Moser & Cie. is known for several things, but the way it plays with dials and colours probably stands out most. New for this year is a duo of watches featuring natural stone dials with a tourbillion movement. Stone dials are notoriously hard to craft as they are prone to breaking during production. The biggest attraction to watches such as this is that no two dials are alike, so even though both these watches are limited to 50 pieces, you will end up with a unique dial. This is the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye. Will it make stone dials cool again…?
Stone dials have seen a resurgence in popularity for a while now, with various brands experimenting with these natural materials. In the past years, stone dials – including tiger’s eye – were considered rather tacky as they were often set in full gold cases with gold. While perhaps sought-after nowadays due to the vintage appeal, a fine example is this 1968 Rolex Day-Date (or this one), a watch from a brand well-known for stone dials in gold watches. H. Moser & Cie. is bringing it back to the modern age with a very handsome pair of limited edition models.
The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye is based on the already existing Endeavour Tourbillon collection, which we have featured on MONOCHROME before. In 2019, for instance, they launched the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack, with one of the blackest black dials we’ve ever seen. Of course, the Endeavour Tourbillon line also includes their trademark sunburst brushed fumé dial, in either blue or green.
The clue to the dials is in the watch’s name, as they are made of tiger’s eye, a semi-precious stone that comes in an array of colours. Other than the familiar golden-brown tiger’s eye, there are also red and blue variations. The use of such stone dials is not new, as they have been around since the 1960s. As mentioned, it’s not easy to create a thin dial made out of a natural material like stone. It takes knowledge to understand the internal structure of a stone, a keen eye to avoid fracture points and a bit of luck to find the right colour and graining for a watch dial. After cutting, each dial needs to be polished to perfection to reveal its true beauty while also being extremely careful not to damage it. Finally, holes for the stems to fit the hands need to be drilled, another high-risk step in making a stone dial.
The dials for the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye feature two variations on the most familiar golden-brown stone. The Ox’s Eye version, with striking horizontal layers in a deep red tone, is set in a red gold case and attached to a brown leather strap. The other features a Falcon’s Eye dial in elegant blue, which comes with a white gold case and a blue leather strap. Just as with Moser’s superb fumé dials, the tiger’s eye dials play with the light and need to be seen from different angles to be fully appreciated. Colours range from deep black to bright red or blue, depending on the light. The contrast with the baroque style of the 1970s is surprising and well suited for a brand like H. Moser & Cie, using the stone’s horizontal lines for a contemporary look.
Like its predecessors, the H. Moser Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye is free of logos and markers on the dial, with only two leaf-shaped hands indicating hours and minutes. The only “break” in the dial is the one-minute tourbillon. The watches use the in-house designed, developed and manufactured HMC 804 automatic movement. This calibre is similar to the one in the blue and green fumé dial versions. The movement is decorated to the highest standards, including Moser-striping and skeletonised escapement bridges. It is fitted with a double-hairspring, made in-house by Moser, and has a 72-hour power reserve. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the rotor is18k red gold and features the brand’s logo.
Availability & Price
A limited edition of 50 pieces per colour, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye, will be priced at CHF 69,000.
More details at www.h-moser.com.
