Matt Clymo 
H. Moser & Cie kicks off its year with a stunning Pioneer Tourbillon in red gold and a deep burgundy dial that is to die for.
This release is one that we’ve been holding onto for a while now, eagerly awaiting it’s release this year. Watch Advice was lucky to preview it at Geneva Watch Days last year, and to say that I at least was a little smitten with it may be a slight understatement. Moser watches are just beautiful works of art and mechanics. They get a lot of press over the fan favourite Streamliner collection due to it’s design and comfort when wearing one, but I for one are more of a Pioneer guy. Don’t get me wrong, the Streamliner collection is amazing, and H. Moser & Cie has some stunning pieces (one that is still to come I can’t wait to showcase), but for some reason, the Pioneer just does it for me. The Pioneer Retrograde Seconds Midnight Blue that was released late last year was a winner, and now, the Schaffhausen brand run by the Meylan family has come out swinging in 2025 with the newest release, the Pioneer Tourbillon in 5N red gold and a deep burgundy dial.
Measuring 40mm in diameter and a thickness of just 12mm, the watch has great proportions when on the wrist. The case is 10.4mm thick so it is visually slimmer thanks to the design and domed crystal, and Moser has also designed the Pioneer collection to sit nicely on the wrist thanks to the curved case and lugs.
RELATED READING: In Person With Bertrand Meylan of H. Moser & Cie
For the Pioneer Tourbillon, Moser has chosen to encase this piece in 5N red gold. This gives the watch a solid feel and weight to it, which I personally kind of like. It makes it feel like you are wearing something of value and there is a quiet comfort in that for some reason. The case has a combination of brushed and polished finishes, and in the middle of the case, you have reverse motif sections with vertical striations which gives the watch more character but also takes this piece out of the dressier realm and puts it squarely in the sports watch space, which is exactly where the Pioneer collection sits. These are watches that are meant to be worn and enjoyed.
Adding to the sports look is the khaki green rubber strap that offsets the red gold case and fumé burgundy dial so well. With 120m water resistance and a screw-down crown, this is a piece you can take swimming should you wish, so it reinforces the fact that Moser has designed this for every day, and every occasion wear. If you need or want to dress this up a little, then you could swap out the rubber strap for the hand-stitched alligator leather strap. A nice dark brown or black would work equally as well with the piece. The Pioneer Tourbillon doesn’t have a quick-release system, however, so you would need a springbar tool if that was the case.
The dial, like pretty much all Moser’s is where the Pioneer shines. The dial is a deep burgundy with a fumé gradient effect through it. This adds something a little different to the Pioneer Tourbillon collection, which up til now was comprised of the blue lagoon fumé and the artic blue fumé. The addition of the burgundy was a good move by Moser, especially in the colour combination with the red gold and green strap as it stands out from the others. H. Moser & Cie can be seen on the dial, done in a transparent lacquer so it is visible only at certain angles. The red gold indices are applied with Super-LumiNova pips at the top of each, and the red gold leaf-shaped hands traverse the dail as the 60-second tourbillon keeps the watch ticking.
The movement is H. Moser & Cie’s HMC 805 automatic calibre tourbillon movement. It is made by Precision Engineering AG, Moser’s in-house movement maker, which not only makes the movements for Moser, but also manufactures parts for other brands. When I spoke to Bertrand Meylan about this, he was saying that while Moser makes about 4,000 watches a year, Precision Engineering does upwards of 300,000 hair springs a year for other major Swiss brands. This alone is a testament to Moser’s engineering. The movement has a 72-hour power reserve, beats away at 3Hz / 21,600 VpH and is decorated the way you would expect: A Skeleton 18k red gold rotor, Côtes de Genève on the bridges finished in an Anthracite coating and black polished screws. The tourbillon is also done with a double hairspring to improve accuracy and isochronism, or simply, the oscillation of the springs no matter what their amplitude is.
Initial Thoughts
When I got my hands on this piece for the first time, I have to say I loved the look of the watch and how it wore. The combination of the red gold, burgundy dial and the khaki green rubber strap just worked. While I like the dials on Moser watches, I find they need something to help break up the dial to add just something a little more…extra. I mentioned to Bertran Meylan last year that Moser does these fantastic dials that on the surface look simple, but when you look closer they are actually complex in how they’re made. It’s a situation where Moser makes the complex look simple. For me, the addition of the tourbillon adds that little something extra.
Dial looks aside, the tourbillon using a double hairspring to help with regulating the accuracy is something you won’t see in many other tourbillons, or balance wheels for that matter. This is Moser showing that they don’t just make beautiful and different watches, but they have real watchmaking at the heart of these pieces too. The other aspect I like, which I touched on before, is the production number. While high-end brands like Patek, AP and the like make upwards of 50,000 watches a year, (small compared to the mainstream brands like Rolex and Omega at around 1M a year) Moser makes just 4,000. This adds one of many meanings to their tagline – “Very Rare”, along with the design and style of the pieces.
Overall, the new H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Tourbillon Burgundy is a great addition to the Pioneer Tourbillon collection. Yes, it’s not a new watch for Moser in terms of the design and model, they have three other versions already in the lineup, but the new colour combination sets this piece apart from the others. If you walk into a watch meet-up with this on your wrist, it will set you apart as well from all the other pieces and provide a great talking point for the night.
Reference: 3804-1205
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 40mm case diameter x 12mm thickness
- Case Material: Brushed and polished 18k 5N red gold
- Dial: Burgundy fumé with sunburst pattern & H. Moser & Cie. logo in transparent lacquer
- Movement: Automatic HMC 805 with 60 second tourbillon. Beating at 21,600 VpH / 3Hz
- Power Reserve: 72h
- Water Resistance: 120m (12bar)
- Strap: Kahki green rubber strap with a 5N red gold clasp, engraved with the H. Moser logo
