H. Moser & Cie. is orchestrating a dazzling ballet beneath a framework of titanium: hammers, chimes, and a flying tourbillon spin in harmony on the dial of the new Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon. To allow the passage of time to be both heard and admired, the Schaffhausen-based Manufacture is displaying this complex mechanism which sounds the hours on the dial side, choreographed against a brand-new shade, Electric Blue, and stripped of logo and indices. A welcome return back to basics, this purist approach allows all the beauty of the complication to be expressed without any unnecessary elements.
For the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon, H. Moser & Cie. presents one of the most traditional watch complications and combines it with a magnificent flying tourbillon performing a spinning waltz. Two shaped chimes and the minute repeater hammers are resplendent against a dial featuring the newest color in the H. Moser & Cie. catalog, Electric Blue, intertwining with the tourbillon at 6 o'clock. To develop this marvel of ingenuity, H. Moser & Cie. drew on the expertise of Timeless SA, a specialist in minute repeaters. Together, the two manufactures created a brand-new design, showcasing the beauty of the complication by positioning the chimes and the hammers on the dial side. This involved overcoming many technical challenges. In particular, the chimes —which are placed on one level to preserve the finesse of the piece— had to be curved so as not to interfere with the flying tourbillon and to respect H. Moser & Cie.'s main focus to keep the design understated.
In creating the movement and the 43 mm titanium case, significant effort has gone into ensuring the diameter and thickness —14 mm— retain their elegant proportions. Additionally, the sliding actuator has been set over a runner made from Teflon to ensure it slides perfectly smoothly and is also built into the main plate to save space. The case middle has been widened to the maximum in order to accommodate the movement while allowing enough space to create a soundbox. This amplifies the chiming of hours, quarter-hours, and minutes by two gongs, onto which fall two hammers that are raised based on information provided by different feeler-spindles.
Turning over the Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon reveals the movement fully visible via the display case back. And unlike traditional minute repeaters, the gongs and hammers are not visible on the movement side but on the dial side to allow the wearer to enjoy the visual spectacle they create when chiming the hours, quarter hours, and minutes. The beating heart is the manual wound calibre HMC 903 which beats at a frequency of 21,600 vph to provide a power reserve of 90 hours when fully wound.
The geometry of the case has been case has been meticulously designed, developed, and adapted to maximize the properties of titanium and enhance its impact, amplifying the resonance chamber whilst allowing the essential walls to form part of the resonance.
The one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock is certainly eye-catching. Visible behind a skeletonized bridge, it is fitted to a ball bearing that improves the accuracy and chronometry. Resolutely contemporary, an icon for our modern times, the tourbillon appears to float weightlessly on the Electric Blue dial stripped of both logo and indices.
Titanium has a high elastic modulus, which means that this material deforms very little under stress and is consequently more rigid; its low density ensures that it is also lightweight, and it retains the vibratory energy from sound well, rather than allowing it to dissipate thanks to its low damping effect. While ensuring the functioning of the minute repeater mechanism was already a complex technical feat, it also required a perfect understanding of the subject to achieve a beautiful sound that combines amplitude, a certain length, and a pure note.
The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon is delivered on a black alligator leather strap, adding the final touch of elegance to this unconventional piece. This watch is available in a highly exclusive limited edition of 20 pieces.
Sticker Price CHF 330,000 Swiss Francs –approximately $372,000 USD. For more info on H. Moser & Cie. click here.
