A general rule that I’ve settled on in life is that if someone has to tell you about an aspect of themselves (for instance “I’m a good driver!”) you should immediately get a grain or two of salt ready. So, when a watch calls itself “Mega Cool”, you’d be right to be skeptical. Then again, cool is in the eyes of the beholder, so whether or not the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool lives up to its name, well, that can be up for debate.
While I know not everyone is of the same opinion, I tend to like the stuff that Moser creates. They’ve got their hallmark fumé dials locked down, and they tend to do some interesting things with material usage, aside from any of the sublime work going on in their movements. Here, of course, we’ve got that dial done up in a hue that they call blue, but feels more like a turquoise or aquamarine that skews more heavily towards the green side of the spectrum. Still, it’s fun to see the light play with it.
What really drew me to request a review loaner of the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool was how it accomplishes the luminous aspects. This is done via a material they call Globolight, which is basically a luminous ceramic. This is how you can get those really interesting insets on the hands here that extend out past the steel. It also means you can have a very three-dimensional look to it, with the whole piece emitting light. Our photos don’t do it justice here, but suffice to say, this is a very interesting look in a darkened room. While it may not light up the whole room like some lumes do, it’s consistent and steady, and gets the job done (telling time in the dark).
Then again, telling time in a normally-lit room is just fine as well with the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool. You of course have those generously sized hands with the Globolight inserts picking out the time, going against the beveled and highly-polished indices that catch and reflect light quite sharply. Though, just as the dial can shift a bit depending on the light, you can actually make those indices almost disappear in some lighting, which really makes the main hands (and the thin, white seconds hand) stand out in sharp relief.
Fully completing the overall aesthetic for the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool is the color-matched textile strap. A sturdy textile can be difficult to do well. They can end up overly stiff and bulky, or they could end up feeling thin to the point that you worry about its durability. Fortunately, Moser has gotten the right mix here. It’s definitely a thicker strap (particularly at the lugs), but it was still quite flexible and felt immediately comfortable. Now we just need some of that Globolight set into the signed buckle to really solidify things!
Looking at the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool from the front, you’re probably thinking that the 42.8 case is pretty simple, and minimized to keep the focus on the dial. Which, sure, it is. When you view it on the sides, however, you see something that’s reminiscent of louvered inserts that bring a little more visual interest to the profile. And of course, around back, you get a clear view of the HMC 200 doing its job, keeping you on time for up to 72 hours of no winding.
At the outset, I said you should immediately distrust anyone or anything who declares something about themselves. After assessing it in my time with the watch, I think we’ll allow it for the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool. Non-watch folks will find themselves drawn to the dial, and the watch folks you run into will appreciate the movement inside, as well as the Globolight used on the watch. All you have to settle for yourself is if it’s $15,300 of cool to put one on your wrist. Check out the details (and the other variants) directly at h-moser.com
Tech Specs from H. Moser
- REFERENCE: 3200-1214
- MSRP: CHF 13900 ($15,300 USD)
- CASE MATERIAL: Steel
- DIAMETER: 42.8mm
- STRAP MATERIAL: Textile
- DIAL: Blue Lagoon fumé
- TYPE: Original
- MOVEMENT: Centre Seconds Automatic
- CALIBRE: HMC 200
- The HMC 200 movement places emphasis on the basics of time – the hours, minutes and seconds. With an incorporated automatic winding system, the HMC 200 converts the movement of your wrist into energy.
- 72 hour power reserve
- Functions: The centre seconds provides time in its purest form. Strikingly minimalistic, the centre seconds hand sweeps across the dial, reminding the wearer of the fleeting nature of time.
- HIGHLIGHT
- Bringing light to darkness, Super-LumiNova® is a photo-luminescent pigment used on different elements. After being charged by light, it emits a glow that makes the reading of time possible even when it’s pitch black.
- WATER RESISTANCE: 12 ATM
