Is the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch’s beautifully simple design enough to merit the sacrifice of easy readability? That is something that is up to each individual who views it to judge. Only ten people, however, will have to think extra hard about whether it is worth their money, as only ten pieces will be produced in this ultra minimalist, white gold limited edition for SIHH 2016, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar model. The design of the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch is stripped down just about as much as possible, and to me, it’s important to view it as a piece of art in addition to a timepiece.

So what, specifically, has been sacrificed? First, in comparison with the the non-limited Endeavour Perpetual Calendar that we reviewed here, the already clean and elegant design has been “simplified” to an extreme. Basically, the dial only features hands, a date window, and the bare texture of the brand’s signature “fumé” dial. No hour or minute markers of any kind, not even the brand’s logo or any other text.

Further, the running seconds seen on the non-limited Endeavour Perpetual Calendar – which didn’t include a day-of-the-week indication to begin with, as many perpetual calendars do – has been omitted in favor of open dial space. The leap year indicator is also relegated to the caseback, as on the other versions. The effect is certainly aesthetically pleasing. But, it is hard to overlook the sacrifice of practicality, as without even hour indicators, the information is much harder to read.

While we have seen other modernist designs that forgo the usual markers – it often occurs on basic two- or three-hand watches, like the famous Movado Museum Dial – I have hardly seen such a minimalist design on a watch with additional complications (beyond the date) or at this price point. So it is definitely interesting to see it applied here to a perpetual calendar watch. With Moser’s clever Endeavor perpetual calendar system, it could be said that this is one of the few applications where such a design with no indicators can work.

Again, although not impossible to read, the information displayed (date aside) will require a little time staring at the dial and a little mental effort. This means that the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch is probably not ideal for, nor intended to be, a daily-wear piece, meaning that it may spend time off the wrist waiting for some special occasions. And therein lies an issue that future owners should be aware of…

Once set, a perpetual calendar doesn’t need adjustment as long as it continues ticking. But you will need to manually wind the HMC 341 caliber powering the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept at least every seven days, as a winder will not be much use for a manually-wound watch. Seven days is a good power reserve, and the power reserve indicator on the left-hand side of the dial is helpful, but it means that if you spend time wearing your other watches (as this certainly is a watch for collectors), you may return to find your H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept needs to be reset (helpfully, one feature of the movement is that the date can be adjusted in both directions, at least, for when that time comes).

But maybe these issues of legibility and practicality are completely irrelevant and miss the point of this H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch. It is beautiful to look at, with a fantastic movement, is very recognizable as H. Moser & Cie., and it does indeed still indicate all the information it promises to – if less than precisely. For some, perhaps, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch is just so beautiful that nothing else matters. I’m sure that all ten pieces will find happy homes.

Aside from the dial, the basic package is unchanged from the standard H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar. The case shape and measurements, at 40.8mm wide and 11.1mm thick, along with the ingenious and beautiful HMC 341 movement are the same, and we have discussed those elements in detail in our articles on other versions. H. Moser & Cie. did not provide caseback images for this release, but one can assume that the view is very similar to previous models. As with the version in “Funky Blue” that we covered here, this H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch has a case in white gold. I will add, as well, that I like the look of these kudu leather straps they are using.

The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept watch seems like a bit of a departure for the brand that, in my mind, has always been about pragmatic designs and less about “statements,” but I do feel that the design is successful and attractive. Again, only ten pieces will be made, and despite its limited nature, at 60,000 Swiss francs, price for this version is more or less the same as its non-limited siblings. h-moser.com