When it was released, the Perpetual Calendar was renowned for its simplicity and legibility.

H. Moser & Cie. is proud of the fact that they are a small manufacture. In fact, on their website, they proudly proclaim that they are family-owned, that they take pride in complications that “are simple and functional” and that every watch that they make is hand-built and finished.

The brand itself dates back to 1805, but was acquired by the Dixi Mechanique Group during the Quartz Crisis. It was later revived in 2005 and one of its earliest and most notable pieces was its simply named Perpetual Calendar watch, which we had covered some time ago in 2010.

Now that SIHH is behind us, we must look forward to Baselworld and H. Moser & Cie. has introduced a new version of their Perpetual Calendar watch, the Perpetual Calendar Black Edition. Unique to this watch is its DLC-coated titanium case- a first for the company, and for the watch, which was previously offered only in rare metals such as rose gold, white gold, and platinum.

Inside, the in-house HMC 341 calibre has been given a matching black finish to complement the case. In addition, it also has a hardened gold pallet fork and escape wheel.

H. Moser & Cie.’s Perpetual Calendar watch is truly unlike any other watch with the same complication, as a simple glance at the dial will tell you. For a watch with a perpetual calendar complication, the dial is remarkable clean, simple and highly legible. For those who are unfamiliar with this piece, here is how it works: the date is obviously at three o’clock; while the month is told off the little hand which points to the hours, indicating which month of the year it is; finally, the leap year indication is on the reverse side on the movement itself. Is there another watch with the same complication that is easier to read? I think not.

Furthermore, it is one of few perpetual calendars that can be easily adjusted using the crown alone and allegedly without the need for reading instructions, because there are no restrictions for advancing the date forward or back, regardless of the time of the day.

The H. Moser & Cie Perpetual Calendar will be limited to just 100 units and will retail for around US $56,000 with deliveries beginning in May later this year. h-moser.com

Tech Specs from H. Moser & Cie

Reference 341.050-020
Titanium model, black dial, black finish on movement, black carbon-coated alligator strap

Case
DLC-treated titanium, three-part
Diameter: 40.8 mm
Height: 11.1 mm
Curved sapphire crystal
See-through curved sapphire crystal case-back
Screw-in crown adorned with an “M”

Dial
Appliqué indexes and hands
Month indicated with a small arrow-shaped centre hand
Sub-dial for seconds
Big date display

Movement
In-house hand-wound calibre HMC 341
Diameter: 34.0 mm or 15 lignes
Height: 5.8 mm
Frequency: 18,000 vib/h
28 jewels
Power reserve: minimum 7 days
Hacking seconds
Double barrel
Interchangeable Moser escapement
Original Straumann® hairspring with stabilised Breguet overcoil
Pallet fork and escapement wheel made from gold
Movement and components hand-finished and decorated

Functions
Perpetual Flash Calendar
Big date display
Centre-hand month indicator
Hour and minute
Off-centre seconds dial
Power reserve indicator on dial
Leap-year cycle indicator on movement side

Strap
Hand-stitched, carbon-coated black alligator
Solid titanium DLC-treated pin buckle, with engraved Moser logo.