For SIHH 2018, H. Moser & Cie. has released an impressive line-up of new watches, many of which you will see us cover in detail very soon. But, this year one of their most interesting pieces by far is the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Flying Hours watch, which utilizes an orbital time display with three spinning discs to tell the time. As a huge fan of H. Moser & Cie. and the way they get things done, it’s fun to see the brand experiment with something slightly different from the traditional and minimalist designs they constantly knock out of the park. Once you wrap your head around the way it works, the Endeavour Flying Hours watch proves itself as a very capable everyday piece that’ll steal some serious wrist time for a bunch of lucky owners.
Apparently, this is the first time H. Moser & Cie. has experimented with this kind of system. It’s also a modular development for the brand, which is based on their own HMC 200 calibre and gives way to the new C806 movement that you see here. Developed in collaboration with Hautlence, the caliber C806 is a 34-jewel automatic that beats at 21,600vph and supports 72 hours of power reserve. When looking at the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Flying Hours watch, it’s all housed in a very wearable 42mm wide x 12mm thick white gold case. But, none of that matters until you figure out how to read the time – so let’s get into it.
At the heart of its signature “Funky Blue” dial is a central sapphire main disc that displays the minutes on a 240° sector. This makes it easy for quick reference and serves as the backbone of the orbital system. Surrounding the minutes is an array of three hour discs, with each one rotating on its own independent axis. The current hour features a white backdrop and simultaneously points to the minute track as it makes a full revolution before switching to the next hour. In a way, it’s actually quite simple and if H. Moser & Cie. is going to complicate things, I feel like this is exactly what it would look like.
Other features of the movement include a bi-directional winding system powered by a solid red gold oscillating weight along with an escapement and hairspring produced by Precision Engineering AG. One downside for me, however, is that there is no lume. Although, I’m sure that won’t necessarily take away from how attractive the watch is overall. Once again, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Flying Hours watch serves as a cool and somewhat surprising release from the brand and one that has been on my mind since it was revealed at SIHH 2018.
The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Flying Hours watch comes on a beige kudu leather strap with a raw finish and is limited to 60 pieces. In the end, this is a pleasant take on the wandering hours style and it fits right in with the kind of aesthetic and quality I’d expect from H. Moser & Cie. Pricing is yet to be confirmed and we will update you with hands-on impressions and live photos very soon. h-moser.com
