ReviewMaking Time Eternal With The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar
H. Moser & Cie. continues spearheading the movement of being very rare with the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar. The simple brilliance of this high complication watch changes the game. We discover how
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There are perpetual calendars and then there are H. Moser & Cie. perpetual calendars. This avant-garde independent Swiss watchmaker often creates a stir in the horological world, and proudly so. With the breakthrough Endeavour Perpetual Calendar, it gives its competitors a strong reason to worry.
The Endeavour Perpetual Calendar is offered in several dial variations, including colours like argenté, black, fumé, fumé gold, encased in either 18-karat white gold, rose gold or titanium, but it’s the purity funky blue fumé edition that instantly captures one’s attention. Paired with an 18-karat white gold case, measuring 40.8mm, the pure and minimalistic design of the sunburst-patterned dial is a sheer exhibition of the brand’s evolution and passion to innovate.
This Moser Endeavour does not fit the textbook definition of a perpetual calendar, to begin with. Through phenomenal technical know-how and creative dexterity, H. Moser & Cie. has simplified a highly regarded horological complication. The face of this sublime timepiece features a big date display at three o’clock, the power reserve is indicated via the up-and-down display at nine o’clock, and the most astute trait seen here is the month display.
A clever, little arrow-shaped hand has been employed to accompany the 12 hour indices to indicate the month, which is marvellous as it negates the need for different sub-dials—traditionally seen on perpetual calendar watches. Edouard Meylan, CEO, H. Moser & Cie. has often expressed marvel over the ingenuity of using the 12-hour indices to achieve this goal mechanically. To reinforce the idea of purity, the leap year indicator sits on the movement side—again going against the conventions of a watch such as this.
Owing to the flash calendar mechanism, it changes the date in a fraction of a second, which means that the date instantaneously changes at midnight to the correct date, even on short months such as February. Additionally, the time can be adjusted forward or backwards at any moment without any risk to the movement. Speaking of the movement, ticking inside this timepiece is the hand-wound HMC 341 calibre, beating at a frequency of 18,000vph, thereby offering a minimum seven-day power reserve. Clever features such as the double-pull crown mechanism, hacking seconds, double barrel and the interchangeable Moser escapement have also been imbibed. The hand-stitched beige kudu leather strap makes it all the more appealing.
It would be safe to dub this as the most legible, easy-to-set and handsome perpetual calendar out there. Earlier christened as Perpetual 1, this was H. Moser & Cie.’s first watch when the Swiss manufacture re-entered the watchmaking scene in 2005. Distinguished at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in 2006 in the complicated watches category, this is, in a way, a milestone creation for the brand that was actually a newcomer then. With offerings like these, H. Moser & Cie. is perpetually winning hearts.