H.Moser & Cie - The New Traveler
WORLDTEMPUS - 19 March 2012
A visit to H. Moser & Cie. from Schaffhausen at Baselworld every year is mandatory. Not only are the watches impeccable in taste considering the maker's choice of design and materials, but they also have something new to show to those who know it all and have seen it all. The Moser Perpetual is one of those examples and one that easily comes to mind when we think about a perpetual calendar that is as simple to use and set as the time of day. It allows one to go back or forth without worrying about breaking the mechanism.
Walking to the famous Ramada Hotel with its modern and beautiful architecture, where Moser has its headquarters for the duration of the Baselworld fair, I was wondering if this year something similar would again stimulate my horological senses. Along with new variations of the more mainstream Monard Date Marrone and the sparkling Mayu Marrone Diamonds, the Meridian Dual Time fulfilled all my expectations.
At first sight, the big window opened at 12 o'clock recalls a classic big date display as is so often seen by certain German makers at home in the Glashutte region of Germany. A second look makes you aware that there is no separation between the two digits, making me wonder what purpose it actually fulfills. In fact, the 12 o'clock window of the Moser Meridian Dual Time indicates AM and PM time, which switches automatically from 12 to 24 hours for home time. A short slide, moving back and forth, contains only the digits 1, 2 and 4 allowing the window to present either the 12 or 24-hour numbering system in the window. Either number 1 or number 4 will remain hidden underneath the dial in a quick change occurring twice a day and that will only last one second. The change is managed by a spring, which gains tension over a period of about eight hours without affecting the rest of the movement.
A new automatic movement
The movement chosen by Moser for the Meridian Dual time is completely new. For the first time, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture introduces an automatic winding movement with a 72-hour power reserve. Caliber HMC 346.121 features a large, solid gold rotor that transfers its energy to the large barrel by means of a "push-pull" pawl winding system, which is wound in both directions. In charge of precision, the now-iconic Straumann hairspring with Breguet overcoil produced in-house and beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour joins forces with a pallet fork and escape wheel in hardened solid gold - remaining a high point for this watch.
During the beginning of the presentation, I was somehow puzzled not to see a traditional hand for the second time zone. In fact, the second time zone hand bursting in a shiny red color was actually hidden underneath the golden home time hour hand, making it the first that can be invisible to the observer if only one time zone is desired. Although a small detail, the fact is that one can use this Meridian Dual Time as a most classic timekeeper by setting the second time zone in par with the home time, virtually making the additional indication disappear. This new and intelligent approach to a classic complication is accompanied by the timeless elegance of H. Moser & Cie.'s design: a combination that will certainly bring me back to the Ramada Hotel in 2013.
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[Rating:(5 / 5 stars)]
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