So far, for H. Moser & Cie. in 2024, it seemed like the year of the Streamliner. Before the Watches and Wonders blitz, the brand’s prior two announcements for this year had both been Streamliners, though those were variations on existing models of the sleek integrated bracelet. Then the brand dropped a new Pioneer and a new Endeavour and I wasn’t so sure. Never worry, though: the brand has announced a third Streamliner, this one with an entirely new display showcasing a skeletonized tourbillon movement aptly named the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Skeleton Tourbillon.
The new Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton shares its case design with the rest of the Streamliner collection. Made of stainless steel, it measures 40mm across with a domed sapphire crystal that brings the total thickness to 12.1mm. The case radiates with brushing, with polished chamfers facilitating the transitions between facets, with a brushed recessed caseband adding a bit of personality to the profile. The cushion shape flows into the tapering bracelet, the links of which, for me, recall a carapace and share the same finishing as the case. Unfortunately, while you can buy half-links, Moser still has yet to integrate a rapid adjustment mechanism for the butterfly closure (though I hear it’s on the way). The watch affords 120m of water resistance, which is on par with most luxury integrated steel sports watches.
The dial of the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton is almost all movement. Moser has not dallied much with skeletonized watches and movements. Two years ago, it released the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton, and the brand’s partnership with MB&F has seen plenty of dial-side mechanics, but a full-on, movement-is-the-dial watch hasn’t been offered until now. Moser isn’t clear, but the brand’s phrasing around this watch seems to suggest it’s taken an existing movement (likely the HMC 804 tourbillon) and carved it away until it got what you see here. While there is no dial proper, the inclusion of the ring for the markers is subtle. The brushed anthracite ring with its applied rose gold-plated markers blends in perfectly with the brushed anthracite plates and bridges of the movement. The hands complement the indices with rose gold plating and solid Globolight lume inserts, which should glow nicely in low light. The movement has a one-minute tourbillon situated at 6 o’clock, while the mainspring barrel above has been skeletonized.
As mentioned, this doesn’t appear to be an entirely new caliber. Instead, I believe the HMC 804 was skeletonized and renamed the HMC 814. The in-house automatic movement runs at the tourbillon-standard 21,600 vph and delivers a minimum power reserve of 72 hours. In addition to skeletonizing every component it could, Moser has hollowed out the solid gold rotor, so even when observing from the caseback, you get a nearly uninterrupted view. The brand also boasts of its “original double hairspring,” which it says corrects for the movement of the point of gravity and the friction, ultimately resulting in improved accuracy and isochronism (curiously, the brand makes no claim and provides no details as to what that accuracy may be).
This is a bit of a swing in the other direction for Moser, a brand whose Concept series is focused on aggressively paring down a dial to its bare essentials. Conversely, it could be seen as the next logical step in that process: completely removing the dial. We already know the Streamliner to be an exceptional timepiece, and the wide-open mechanical showcasing with what appear to be sufficiently contrasting hands and indices only add more wonder to the line. The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton is priced at $86,900 USD. For more information,, please visit the H. Moser & Cie. website.