ReviewSet In Stone: Presenting The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye

In an industry that thrives on excesses—whether it’s in terms of complications on watch dials or the exorbitant marketing budgets that drive these brands; very few have the gumption to hold their ground and not toe the line of traditional watchmaking maisons, which have zealously guarded several age-old norms with all their might. Independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. have challenged this with their edgy-yet-sophisticated timepieces that are definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. Think of the brand, and the first thing that comes to mind are their minimalistic fumé or smoky dials that are now synonymous with their gorgeous creations. This pursuit of minimalism started in 2015, when Moser removed the logo for their Concept dials, and truly embraced the understated design aesthetic. Devoid of any markings, or superfluous stuff, the only visible components on the dial were the three hands—driven by a desire to return to the basics and redefine the notion of luxury, high-end watchmaking. While this move was intended to shine the spotlight away from the brand, and primarily focus on the time-telling; they inadvertently put their name in the spotlight by removing their name from the dial. What a masterstroke!

With the Tiger’s Eye watch, Moser have achieved a natural version of their famed fumé dials, since the tiger’s eye stone has natural gradients that glisten when light reflects off its surface

₹76,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

Moser have taken inspiration from the 1970s, when this stone was in high demand for timepieces that applied a baroque style to their wristwatches

₹76,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

With its name taking after the elusive big cat, the tiger’s eye stone represents prosperity, strength and courage, and has been used as a talisman since the early days of human civilisation

₹76,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

The luminosity of the tiger's eye gemstone is enhanced while holding it up into the sunlight, thereby creating a hypnotic effect on the onlooker

₹76,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

01

Today, the Concept dials are an integral element of Moser’s timepieces, and have been incorporated into their main collections—Endeavour being one of them. And the results are anything but ordinary. A contemporary reinterpretation of the classic, round watch with beautiful curves, the Endeavour collection includes exceptionally refined time-measuring instruments such as the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar, to name a few. Even though the watches in this range are complex pieces, they strike a balance between innovation and fine craftsmanship that lend a poetic edge to these timekeepers. And this year, at the digital edition of Watches and Wonders, the brand unveiled a spectacular timepiece that uses the tiger’s eye stone for the dial, which gives it an enigmatic appeal. With neither a logo nor indices, and an aperture at six o’clock to highlight the one-minute flying tourbillon, the dial of the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye is highly iridescent—a perfect backdrop to highlight the tourbillon mechanism. Moser launched two versions—a white gold model with a blue dial, known as Falcon’s Eye, and a red gold watch with a reddish brown dial called the Ox’s Eye—each one limited to 50 pieces. An ingenious approach to minimalism, with these watches, Moser have achieved a version of their famed fumé dials, but in a more natural way, since the tiger’s eye stone has natural gradients, which look absolutely spectacular when light reflects off its surface.

Eye Of The Tiger: What Makes This Stone Unique

With its name taking after the elusive big cat, the tiger’s eye stone represents prosperity, strength and courage, and has been used as a talisman since the early days of human civilisation. It has fuelled the imagination of mankind due to its mysterious and magnetic appeal, just like the tiger operating on stealth mode. The luminosity of the stone is enhanced while holding it up into the sunlight, thereby creating a hypnotic effect on the onlooker. According to ancient myths, the tiger is highly revered in Chinese culture, and is one of the 12 zodiac animals. Their ancient literature also alluded to the animal as king, and believed that the tiger protects one from the onslaught of evil, hence the stone was often set into amulets and charms for the protection of loved ones. Not just in China, the tiger was also revered in Egyptian culture—known for worshipping the feline. They believed that the stone possessed the power of the midday sun—also a time for maximum life force. Therefore, pharaohs and other aristocrats wore jewellery made from tiger’s eye, believing in its power to provide strength and vitality. The stone also finds mention in Greek and Roman mythology for offering protection and strength in battles, and also passing on the traits of bravery, strategic thinking and patience to its wearers.

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye comes in two versions—a white gold model with a blue dial, known as Falcon’s Eye, and a red gold watch with a reddish brown dial called the Ox’s Eye—each one limited to 50 pieces

However, the use of this stone is not new in wristwatches, and was found in a 1960s model of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref 1607—a rare and attractive yellow gold wristwatch with a tiger’s eye dial—sold for CHF 12,500 at a Philips auction in 2015. This stone also graced certain yellow gold models from Piaget’s repertoire of square-cased watches created in the 70s. Moser have also been inspired by this era, when this stone was in high demand for timepieces that applied a baroque style to their wristwatches.

The Dial: Natural Fumé Effect

In the industry today, fumé dials are now naturally associated with Moser even though it’s not a concept created by the brand. But they can be credited with reviving the art of manufacturing smoky dials in order to make a unique statement. The same principle has been applied to the Tiger’s Eye tourbillon watch. A variety of microcrystalline quartz, the tiger’s eye is a semi-precious stone formed of amosite—the fibres of which are partially replaced with silica, following a natural transformation process. Appearing in fine layers, it’s these fibres that impart a lustrous and rich feel to the stone, available in several varieties and hues ranging from greyish blue to golden and reddish browns.

“Tiger’s Eye is a natural reinterpretation of Moser’s fumé dials, which have been a key part of the brand’s success,” says CEO Edouard Meylan

“With the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye model, we wanted to enhance the brilliance of the tiger’s eye [stone], using a highly contemporary approach," he adds

The hallucinating effect of these stones is such that one feels like one is staring straight into the soul of the elusive beast. “Tiger’s Eye is a natural reinterpretation of Moser’s fumé dials, which have been a key part of the brand’s success. Its horizontal lines lend it balance and symmetry. It is a dynamic stone, which seems to come to life as it catches the light. The richness of its details are revealed gradually; it must be admired from different angles to fully appreciate its beauty,” explains CEO Edouard Meylan, and states that the brand have opted for a minimalistic and understated interpretation of this grand gemstone. “With the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye model, we wanted to enhance the brilliance of the tiger’s eye [stone], using a highly contemporary approach. The 1970s have been a great source of inspiration for us in terms of design and aesthetic trends. Tiger’s eye was very popular at this time, and it was showcased in a number of timepieces, with a look that was quite baroque or rococo in style,” he adds.

A variety of microcrystalline quartz, the tiger’s eye is a semi-precious stone formed of amosite—the fibres of which are partially replaced with silica, during a natural transformation process

Appearing in fine layers, it’s these fibres that impart a lustrous and rich feel to the stone, available in several varieties and hues ranging from greyish blue to golden and reddish browns

While the red gold model showcases a dial with a reddish brown stone with horizontal lines, the white gold version features a blue stone with parallel bands that run in a horizontal manner against a vertically brushed surface that makes it appear even more lustrous. Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are the only elements apart from the tourbillon on the dials. Additionally, since all tiger’s eye stones are different due to their composition, the pattern in every dial created from these stones is different, effectively making every piece unique in the true sense.

A ‘Case’ Of Yellow And White Gold

Moser have based the Tiger’s Eye watch on an existing reference—the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept, launched in 2017. Minimalistic but far from mundane, every piece in the Endeavour collection is a piece of art in its own right with curvaceous and smooth-sculpted cases, and minimalistic dials flaunting only the ‘essentials’ of timekeeping. In the high-end watchmaking business, one has to sell emotions and stories to generate a demand for watches that brands believe are worthy of being talked about; else why would people shell out eye-popping moolah for any timepiece!

And Moser believe that their watches have been able to generate that kind of feeling among their clientele. Today, they produce around 1,500 watches annually. The Tiger’s Eye timepiece, comes in a 40mm, round case in either red or white gold. The transparent caseback gives a complete view of the inner workings of the movement, and the red gold rotor looks striking and well-matched with the red gold case. While, the red gold version—the Ox’s Eye is presented on a brown leather strap, the white gold model—the Falcon’s Eye, looks resplendent on a blue leather strap.

The Movement: In-House Creation

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye timepiece is powered by the self-winding calibre HMC 804, equipped with a double flat hairspring—designed and produced in-house. Thanks to this, the effect of friction is reduced significantly, thereby improving accuracy of the movement. It beats at 21,600vph and can function non-stop for at least three days. One can also see the skeletonised bridges through the tourbillon aperture at six o’clock and on reversing the watch, the transparent caseback also gives a view of the double-stripe finishing, typical of Moser’s movements.

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye timepiece is powered by the self-winding calibre HMC 804, equipped with a double flat hairspring—designed and produced in-house

The transparent caseback gives a complete view of the inner workings of the movement, and the red gold rotor looks striking and well-matched with the red gold case

Fascinating—almost hypnotic—the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Tiger’s Eye is the perfect artwork for your wrist, without looking too over-the-top or garish despite using a gemstone for the dial. This is perfectly in-sync with Moser’s philosophy of building on heritage while keeping a contemporary, cool aesthetic that defines its non-conformist watchmaking approach.