Burgundy Bonanza: H. Moser & Cie.’s Daring New Pioneer Tourbillon Variant

Fumé dials enhance watch aesthetics by ensuring depth, elegance, and a sense of historical refinement. These have a gradient appearance that goes from a lighter centre to a darker edge, intensifying the interaction between light and shadow on watch faces. The fumé impression can range from being subtle to appearing spectacular, and is often achieved through painstaking finishing procedures and lacquer or enamel coating. Beyond aesthetics, fumé dials also add to the originality of a watch, making each piece feel more lively and expressive. Bringing out the magic of a fumé dial, H. Moser & Cie. has just launched the new Pioneer Tourbillon Burgundy variant. The timepiece maker has combined in it a sturdy design with a reimagined tourbillon movement contained in a striking blend of materials and colours.

The 40 mm timepiece has a red gold case, lugs, a crown, and a polished bezel. As watch buffs would know, timepieces are often crafted in red gold because of the material’s rich, warm colour, and increased durability. This alloy, comprising gold, copper, and silver, has a deeper crimson tone, compared with standard yellow gold, making it ideal for luxury timepieces. The enhanced copper content not only deepens the colour, but also strengthens the metal; as a result, the watch becomes more resistant to wear and tear over time. High-end watchmakers also prefer this material for its capacity to acquire a distinct patina. The burgundy fumé dial of the new Pioneer Tourbillon reference features the H. Moser & Cie. logo in transparent lacquer, making it almost invisible at 12 o’clock. The red gold faceted applique hour markers, and the leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova®. 

There is a tourbillon movement with a double hairspring at 6 o’clock. Produced by H. Moser & Cie.'s sister company, Precision Engineering AG., the paired hairsprings reduce the effect of friction normally experienced with a single hairspring, improving isochronism even further. Finally, thanks to its unique design, the tourbillon is an interchangeable module, assembled and regulated independently of the movement via a simple plug-and-play system that allows for easy servicing. 

The HMC 805 automatic Manufacture calibre replaces HMC 804, providing a wider opening onto the mechanism through partially skeletonised bridges, combined with a highly contemporary anthracite grey finish. This opening allows the gear train and bidirectional automatic winding system wheels to be viewed, while the rotor has been bevelled so as to not obstruct the view of the movement, which still guarantees a power reserve of at least three days. 

Turning the watch over showcases the domed sapphire crystal and see-through caseback with an 18 ct red gold rotor sporting an engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo. With a water resistance of 120 metres, the watch is finished on a rubber strap (hand-stitched alligator leather or textile also available separately) with a red gold clasp, engraved with the H. Moser logo.