H. Moser makes an April Fool's joke a reality

H. Moser is certainly no stranger to coming up with crazy one-off ideas, generally poking fun at some aspect of the industry. Last year, however, the fun was had at their expense, when they posted up a watch with a black dial and blacked-out hands. You know, sort of ensuring that the one thing a watch is meant to do – tell time – would be all but impossible. Well, the folks just ate up the idea, so here we are a year later, and these watches are real.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that trying to read most blacked-out dials is an exercise in frustration. You’re trying to get into good light so you can get some shadows or something to get some delineation. Here, Moser has gone in a different way. For the dials, they’ve used Vantablack, which is the “blackest black” paint you can get. In short, there should be no reflections coming off of that dial. That means that could still make their hands on the watch black, but still (presumably) have a distinctly different-enough finish there that the hands can be picked out.

So, really, these three new Moser Vantablack models are actually pretty interesting exercises in materials and design. I’ve never seen Vantablack in person, but it sounds like it’s rather awesome effect. Know what else is awesome? Being able to shop online, now that we’re all shut indoors. With these three watches, Moser is launching their e-commerce site as well. Sure, they’re cutting out a middle man, but don’t come to Moser expecting some lowball Kickstarter pricing – these are appropriately high-end for the design and engineering. You can pick up the Moser Venturer Vantablack Black Hands (in white gold) for $27,600, the XL version in steel for $26,600, or go for the dazzling tourbillon in the Moser Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands for a cool $69,000. Yeah, your stimulus check won’t be paying for these, and they are nowhere near being a necessity. Do I think they look cool? Absolutely! Do I question the sense in launching these in the midst of a global pandemic and potential recession? Ab-so-lutely. Here’s to hoping we’re back to normal times somewhere this year where the concept of a 5-figure watch doesn’t feel so, well, absurd. h-moser.com

Tech Specs from H. Moser

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ? VENTURER VANTABLACK? BLACK HANDS
- Reference 2327-0222, white gold model, Vantablack? dial, blackened hands, black alligator leather strap
  - Case
    - 18K white gold
    - Diameter: 39.0 mm, Height: 11.9 mm (43mm for the XL version)
    - Curved sapphire crystal
    - See-through case back with sapphire crystal
    - Crown adorned with an ?M?
  - Dial
    - Vantablack?
    - Blackened leaf-shaped hands
  - Movement
    - Hand-wound HMC 327 Manufacture calibre
    - Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1?4 lignes/height: 4.5 mm
    - Frequency: 18,000 Vib/h
    - 29 jewels
    - Power reserve: minimum of 3 days
    - Hacking seconds
    - Moser teeth for all wheels and pinions
    - Movement and components hand-finished and decorated
    - Moser balance and original Straumann? Hairspring
  - Functions
    - Hours and minutes
    - Power reserve indicator on movement side
  - Strap
    - Hand-stitched black alligator leather
    - 18K white gold pin buckle engraved with the Moser logo
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ? ENDEAVOUR TOURBILLON VANTABLACK? BLACK HANDS
- Reference 1804-1206, steel model with black DLC coating, Vantablack? dial, black hands, black alligator leather strap, limited edition of 50 pieces
- Case
  - Black DLC-finished steel,
  - Diameter: 42 mm
  - Height: 11.6 mm
  - See-through case back with sapphire crystal
- Dial
  - Vantablack?
  - Blackened leaf-shaped hour and minute hands
- Movement
  - HMC 804 self-winding Manufacture calibre
  - Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1/4 lignes
  - Height: 5.5 mm
  - Frequency: 21,600 vibrations/hour
  - Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
  - Oscillating weight in 18-carat red gold with engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo
  - Power reserve: minimum of 3 days
  - Original double hairspring
  - One-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonised bridges coated in black PVD
  - Tourbillon cage, cage wheel, balance bridge and escapement bridge made from aluminium, a material taken from the aeronautical industry
- Functions: Hours and minutes
- Strap
  - Hand-stitched black alligator leather
  - Steel folding buckle with black DLC coating, engraved with the Moser logo