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ReviewThe Dark Arts: H. Moser & Cie.’s Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack

For the first time in gold, this Streamliner features aerospace material Vantablack and a gorgeous one-minute flying tourbillon

Ajinkya Nair November 2, 2022

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In the field of horology, Vantablack is a relatively new substance. Derived from the acronym VANTA, which stands for ‘vertically aligned nanotube arrays’, the material absorbs more than 99.9 percent of light, resulting in the world’s blackest black. Developed at the National Physical Laboratory and widely employed in the aerospace and defence industries, the usage of this cutting-edge material in watchmaking is quite unusual. But so are H. Moser & Cie.—an independent Swiss watchmakers whose legacy goes back to the 1800s. In more recent times, they’ve been known to break new ground and disrupt the watch industry. They achieved exactly that with the vintage-styled Streamliner, which debuted in early 2020 and received a lot of attention. And now they’ve struck gold with the Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack in 18 karat.

A new Streamliner with a stunning one-minute flying tourbillon and a dial featuring Vantablack. What’s not to love?

Sun-Kissed Brilliance: The First Streamliner In Gold

The familiar case and integrated bracelet of the Streamliner are all made from 5N red gold, which is like rose or pink gold but with a little more copper, giving it a crimson hue. The red gold cushion-shaped casing measures 40mm in diameter and is 12.1mm thick. The watch is also water-resistant to 120m, thanks to a screw-down winding crown adorned with Moser’s ‘M’ insignia and a screw-on display case back. While the Streamliner’s case is distinctive, the collection’s most distinguishing aesthetic feature is unquestionably its integrated bracelet, which has an almost biomorphic appearance and attaches directly to the case with a very fluid design that lacks traditional lugs.

Feeding On Light: The Darkest Black Dial

Offset against the beautiful red gold is the Vantablack dial, which just devours light, giving the impression of a void on your wrist. The dial’s red gold indices, which puncture its otherwise pitch-black surface, further emphasise the contrast between the two materials. In this darkness, the only thing that’s palpable is the one-minute flying tourbillon at six o’clock, which appears to float in the black hole, bringing this extraordinary timepiece to life. This is the first Streamliner with full-size stick indices, thanks to a new technique that creates holes in the dial that are the same size and shape as the indices, so they can be positioned from the back. Because they are almost flush with the dial surface, the indices almost disappear when viewed from certain angles. The exquisite Vantablack dial is protected by slightly domed sapphire crystal, and the hour and minute hands shine in the dark owing to Globolight inlays.

The in-house calibre HMC 804 is an automatic movement with a bi-directional pawl-winding system and a power reserve of up to three days. A solid gold central rotor winds it. The one-minute tourbillon has a double-hairspring made in-house by H. Moser’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG. According to the brand, owing to the matched hairsprings, the shifted point of gravity on each spring, when expanded, is corrected, with friction reduced, which helps improve the accuracy and isochronism significantly.