A timeless timpiece…

As I noted in my last post, I am feeling the need for a return to simplicity.  And here it is, a beautiful piece from the very soft-spoken Swiss-watch brand  H. Moser & Cie.  Much like the H. Moser Perpetual Moon that I featured a month ago, the H. Moser & Cie Mayu Marrone is a fantastic watch for those who prefer the classical watch aesthetic.  The more I read about H. Moser & Cie the more I come to like and appreciate this relatively recently re-launched brand (2002).  With a strong watchmaking heritage, limited total production, in-house movements, emphasis on after-sales service, and timeless design, the brand has a lot going for it, in my view.  But more on this later — here is the MAYU MARRONE, in each of the two new variants it will be produced in:

38.8mm three-part designer case in rose gold (9.3mm thin), crocodile leather strap with a rose gold folding clasp

Ref. 321.503-015:  CHF 12,500 / €   8,200

Ref. 321.503-016: case in white gold, crocodile leather strap with a white gold folding clasp

CHF 12,500 / €   8,200

Moser Cal. HMC321.503 movement is a hand-wound movement w/80 hour power reserve, modular escapement

H. Moser touts the “pocket watch-style” seconds sub-dial on its Mayu collection.  The Mayu collection is, intersingly, a tribute to Heinrich Moser’s first wife, Charlotte Mayu. While the pocket-watch style sub-dial isn’t something I was particularly conscious of, it makes sense upon further reflection — a remnant of traditional pocket watches, this type of sub-dial is not common in wristwatches today.  Looking closely you can see that the pocket watch-style seconds sub-dial extends as far as the minute chapter ring (the outer edge of the dial & case).   This means that the movement size must be adapted to the case dimensions and that no movement retaining ring between the movement and the case is used.  While this seems perhaps a minor detail, it is a in fact a very thoughtful and traditional one.  Or as As H. Moser puts it “This is exclusivity in its purest form” — I wholeheartedly agree! Just the kind of fine attention to detail that I like in watches!  This stands in contrast to watches whose case diameter far outsizes the movement.  Such configurations (placing a small diameter movement into a large case) can create an oddly proportioned dial-to-bezel or dial-to-case ratio as you can see if you click through the link in the prior sentence.

The H. Moser MAYU MARRONE – a perfect watch for the discerning watch enthusiast!

Did You Know?

The first internationally active company founded by Heinrich Moser was the St. Petersburg trading company, H. Moser & Co.  From this name, he developed the company signature in Latin and Cyrillic script, which was almost always accompanied by a medallion. Until about 1918, these symbols were the standard signature on all watches supplied by Moser’s watch company. In 1829, Heinrich Moser opened a watch factory in Le Locle, which also bore the name “H. Moser & Co.”.

The Russian operation had to be abandoned in 1917 in the aftermath of the October Revolution. In about 1920, the State-owned “Central Watch Repair Workshop” was formed in Moscow from the remains of the Moser watch businesses, from which a watch production facility of its own would eventually emerge. Moser watches continued to be regarded as synonymous with work of the highest quality for some considerable time afterwards. In 1966, the Government of the USSR presented one of its high-ranking military officers with an original Moser pocket watch in 18-carat gold, dating from the period before the expropriation and bearing an engraved dedication.

The name of Moser also died out in this branch of the family in 1923 with the death of Heinrich Moser’s only son, who had no male offspring.  Dr. Jürgen Lange and the great-grandson of Heinrich Moser, Roger Nicholas Balsiger, jointly with private investors, founded the watch company Moser Schaffhausen AG in 2002. Dr. Lange also registered the original brand H. Moser & Cie again internationally.

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