As I’ve noted in other articles on watches from Moser, it seems that the Pioneer lineup gets the most attention and experimentation. Just in time for Spring – and to commemorate the volatile egg prices we’ve been seeing – there’s the H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Centre Seconds Sunny-Side Up.
Pioneer Centre Seconds Sunny-Side Up: what it is
Well, at this point, if you’re not familiar with the Pioneer Centre Seconds, I would be surprised. However, on the off-chance: the Pioneer lineup represents the “sporty” side of the brand, with mostly matte surfaces that lend themselves to hard wear. Pair that to a 120m WR rating and the rubber strap and a steel case, well, that feels like a sporty watch. Of course, everything is relative, and there are definitely refined touches as well.
About that dial
The dial of the Pioneer Centre Seconds Sunny-Side Up is probably one of the most refined components. Here, of course, we have the fumé enamel dial that gives things a look that would be hard to produce any other way (also, take note of the “ghost” logo at 12 o’clock). Color is often the name of the game on these dials, and here they’ve gone with a bright yellow.
They went with a gradient on the dial that darkens at the edges. That looks a little weird for an egg yolk (if we’re embracing the theme); if there was going to be two tones, perhaps another hue of yellow or even the orange that you see in eggs yolks coming from well-fed chickens and ducks would make sense. Zoom out from just the dial, though, and the yellow makes sense for the egg theme against the white of the strap.
And the movement?
Moser makes good-looking watches, but that doesn’t mean that they ignore the actual engineering of the watch. Here, it’s the HMC 201 taking up residence, which is the evolution of the HMC 200 (which we talked about here). It’s functionally the same, it’s just exposing more of the gear train, and also has a skeletonized rotor (all visible through the exhibition caseback). Basic time indication (hours, minutes, and seconds) along with a three-day power reserve, means you’ll be good to go.
Wrapping things up
In general, I am a fan of the Pioneer line, though I tend to find myself drawn to one of their many blue dials. That said, the Pioneer Centre Seconds Sunny-Side Up is a nice bright diversion in the color palette, and could be a fun one for someone who is fan of raising backyard birds for the eggs. Whatever your reason, you can get your own for a similar price to what we’ve seen the Centre Seconds go for previously: $15,900. Check it out, and even order yours, directly at
Pioneer Centre Seconds Sunny-Side Up Tech Specs
- Reference 3201-1200, steel model, yellow fumé dial, white rubber strap
- Price: $15,900 USD
- Case
- Solid steel
- Diameter: 40.0 mm
- Height without sapphire crystal: 10.6 mm
- Domed sapphire crystal
- See-through case-back
- Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”
- Water-resistant to 12 ATM
- Dial
- Yellow fumé with sunburst pattern
- H. Moser & Cie. logo in transparent lacquer
- Faceted applique indices, with hour markers in Super-LumiNova®
- Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, filled with Super-LumiNova®
- Movement
- HMC 201 automatic calibre
- Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1/4 lignes
- Height: 5.5 mm
- Frequency: 21,600 Vib/h
- 27 jewels
- Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
- Engraved oscillating weight
- Power reserve: minimum 3 days
- Hacking seconds
- Original Straumann® hairspring
- Anthracite finish with Moser double stripes
- Partially skeletonised bridges
- Functions
- Hours and minutes
- Central seconds
- Strap
- White rubber
- Steel pin buckle engraved with the H. Moser & Cie. logo
