50 Shades Darker: The New H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Gets a Tantalum Case
Designed to adjust days, dates and years correctly until the year 2100, perpetual calendars have carved a niche for themselves since their inception in 1518. H. Moser & Cie. is one of the leading contemporary timepiece makers that have elevated this complication to a whole new level of technical excellence.
The brand’s signature Endeavour Perpetual Calendar made its debut in 2006. Known for using some of the rarest materials for its models, the marquee timepiece maker has now opted for a tantalum case for its newest Endeavour Perpetual Calendar variant, namely Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Tantalum Blue Enamel (Ref. 1800-2000).
Back in 2006, the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar came on a 42 mm white gold case with a blue fumé dial. Rather than inundating the dial with windows, this perpetual calendar used a small hand in the centre and 12 indices to represent months. The watch had a HMC 800 movement with 168 hours (seven days) of power reserve.
Sophisticated materials have always been the top preference for the luxury watchmaker. For instance, last year, the brand unveiled the Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack in a new Vantablack dial that had the capability to absorb 99.99% of light.
This year, for its latest perpetual calendar iteration, H. Moser & Cie. has used tantalum (Ta), a very hard, silver-grey metal, characterised by its high density, extremely high melting point (3000 °C) and excellent resistance to all acids, except for hydrofluoric acid, at ordinary temperatures. The name of this rare metal is derived from Greek mythology. For the first time, this metal has been used in the brand’s history. Tantalum does not react with most chemical agents. Its dark grey colour is enhanced by bluish reflections and it does not get tarnished easily.
The new perpetual calendar variant is almost similar to the watch that was launched in 2006. The only difference is that this new timepiece comes on a tantalum and steel case, measuring 42 mm, with a slightly different Abyss Blue fumé dial.
The dial comes with signature detailing, such as the seconds dial at 6 o'clock, the power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock, the big date display at 3 o’clock, the leap year cycle indicator on the movement side and the month indicator via the central hand. The 12 indices represent each month, similar to what was offered on the 2006 model. The watch has a leaf-shaped hour and minute hand.
This 2023 model has the same movement and power reserve as its 2006 counterpart. Turning the watch over reveals the sapphire skeleton caseback made of stainless steel. Completing the watch is a hand-stitched grey kudu leather with a steel folding clasp, engraved with the Moser logo.
Image Credits: H. Moser & Cie.
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