Through shared values and friendship between two passionate personalities, comes this story of two iconic watch brands building an extraordinary project together. H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F have for the past ten years been working together alongside Precision Engineering AG, which is a sister company of H. Moser & Cie. Precision Engineering AG has been working with MB&F’s to supply their balance springs. The two companies are now co-signing two new creations that embody the central DNA and characteristics of both brands, to create exceptional timepieces for the devotees of the fine art of watchmaking.
Initially, it started with MB&F asking Edouard Meylan, the CEO of H. Moser & Cie., to take part as a “friend” to help create a Performance Arts Piece. Maximilian Büsser, CEO of MBF said that “When I called Edouard to tell him that I wanted to collaborate on a creation, I mentioned that I really liked the double balance-spring, the Moser fumé dials and the Concept watch series. Edouard immediately told me that he would let me borrow these features, but on condition that he could also reinterpret one of my machines. After an initial moment of surprise, I gave it some thought. Being 50% Indian and 50% Swiss, I am firmly convinced that mixing DNA creates interesting results, so why not try the experiment in watchmaking? I therefore agreed and suggested the FlyingT model, which is particularly dear to my heart.”
H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F have jointly created two exceptional timepieces, Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser × MB&F and the LM101 MB&F × H. Moser, which are available in several versions, with each version being a 15-piece limited series. The reason the two brands decided to do a 15-piece limited series was that it was a celebration of the 15th anniversary of MB&F, while also honouring the 15th anniversary of the relaunch of H. Moser & Cie.
The two timepieces are created in a way such that the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon is H. Moser & Cie. creation which draws on MB&F concepts, while the LM101 is MB&F’s creation that draws on H. Moser & Cie. concepts. This way, both brands retain their base ideologies while dipping into the concepts of the partner to create something unique and truly special.
Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon – H. Moser × MB&F
H. Moser & Cie. has used a concept that’s integral to MB&F to create the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon; three-dimensional movements. The Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon is protected by a sapphire dome which is well known to MB&F watches, and also features a one-minute flying tourbillon which appears above the dial through an opening located at the 12 o’clock position. H. Moser & Cie’s sister company Precision Engineering AG have helped fit the tourbillon with a cylindrical balance spring, much similar to one developed by Precision Engineering AG for MB&F’s LM Thunderdome timepiece.
Another iconic concept that MB&F is known for is the tilted dials. The tilted dial concept is created in a way so that only the owner of the watch can truly know the time. Inclined at 40°, the tilted dial is mounted on a conical gear train, which makes sure that there is an optimal torque transmission output from one plane to the other. Moser & Cie. has used the tilted dial on the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon for the hour and minute subdial. H. Moser & Cie’s logo has been inscribed into the sapphire crystal dial as like a watermark feature, to not obstruct the beauty of the dial. This is enclosed in a 42mm steel case, with a crown at the 9 o’clock position bearing the “M” engraving.
Edouard Meylan explained in regards to using a sapphire domed dial; “We have Moserized the MB&F universe by developing a sapphire subdial, which melts into the background so as to highlight the beauty of our fumé dials. And to preserve the purity and elegance of this true work of horological art, we have inscribed our logo like a watermark on the sapphire subdial, thereby underlining the personal character and intimate relationship binding it to its owner”.
Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon comes equipped with H. Moser & Cie’s 810 three-dimensional automatic manufacture calibre. The movement comes with a total of 184 components and a frequency of 21, 600 vibrations/hour.
The movement features an automatic bi-directional pawl winding system and gives out a power reserve of approximately 50 hours. The Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon features an open case-back where you can see this movement in action. The oscillating weight is a skeletonised 18-carat gold piece, which has the H. Moser & Cie logo engraved into it.
The Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon comes in five different versions which all feature a variety of fumé dials from Funky Blue, Cosmic Green, Burgundy, Off-White to Ice Blue dials.
LM101 MB&F × H. Moser
MB&F have decided to revisit one of their famous models, the Legacy Machine 101, as the base concept for the collaborative project with H. Moser & Cie.
LM101 MB&F x H.Moser Yas Marina Blue fumé dial
Being of MB&F’s purest and simplest timepieces in their collection, the Legacy Machine 101 represents the very essence of fine watchmaking; the balance wheel, the power reserve and the showcasing of time. Staying true to the concepts of H. Moser & Cie., MB&F have opted to use a “back to basics” approach, by removing the brand’s logo and going back to the early days of horology where only the movement was signed. The LM101 MB&F × H. Moser sits in a 40mm stainless steel 316 casing for all of its four limited edition variants.
For the LM101 MB&F × H. Moser, MB&F have done away with the floating domed subdials and simply displayed the hours and minutes along with the 45-hour power reserve indicator by using hands on the main dial. As is the core concept of the Legacy Machine 101, the large suspended balance wheel still takes centre stage. The balance wheel is redesigned for the LM101 MB&F × H. Moser so that the beauty of the fumé dial can be fully expressed. The suspended balance wheel is the beating heart of the piece and is the quintessence of watchmaking for Maximilian Büsser. H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company Precision Engineering AG have provided MB&F with a double balance spring for the suspended balance wheel. In MB&F’s continuous quest for perfection, the use of double balance spring has significantly improved precision and isochronism.
The engine inside the LM101 MB&F × H. Moser is a three-dimensional horological movement, which is developed entirely in-house by MB&F. The movement has a total of 221 components and has a frequency of 18, 000 bph/2.5hz. There is a quite a few fine finishing touches which include superlative 19th century-style hand finishing, internal bevel angles, polished bevels, Geneva waves, hand-made engravings and NAC black bridges.
The LM101 MB&F × H. Moser comes in four limited-edition variants, all featuring different fumé dials. The fumé dials include; Funky Blue fumé, Cosmic Green fumé, Red fumé or the special edition “Yas Marina Blue fumé” dial made for retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. Just like the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon, each of the four limited-edition variants is capped at 15 models each.
The collaboration between H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F is long-standing, however with the release of the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon and the LM101 MB&F × H. Moser, they have taken this partnership to a new level. The results of this collaboration have far exceeded the expectations of Edouard Meylan and Maximilian Büsser. Two different communities of watchmaking artisans and Maisons have come together to share their expertise to create something new, daring and uniquely beautiful!
