INTRODUCING: The H Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade
H Moser & Cie is good at a lot of things, most things I would say. But one place they excel in is creating contrast to an otherwise clean look. And today they introduced a new entry to the Streamliner Collection with the Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade. Featuring a single shaved slice of Jade as the dial, the all natural stone is pulled right out of the ground of Wyoming in the good ol’ US of A. Why Jade? And how difficult was the process to create a dial out of it? Well let’s get into it. But first, the basics…
THE BASICS:
BRAND: H. Moser & Cie
Model: Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade
Case Material: Rose Gold
Case Size: 40mm
Water Resistance: 12 ATM
Movement: HMC 804 automatic Manufacture calibre
Movement Specs: 70-hour Power Reserve, 4-Hz, Tourbillon
Strap Options: Integrated Red Gold Bracelet
The juice:
Being frank, this watch was kind of a surprise release from the brand a week ahead of LVMH watch week, which means a lot of people are going to be talking about it next week. For starters, it’s simply gorgeous. The red gold contrasting with the green dial is quite the looker. And it’s a great entry from Moser in a time when green dials are really hot. We’ve recently seen Omega take their shot at the red gold and green contrast with the Speedmaster and while beautiful, is a bit more toned down than Moser’s entry which uses stone to create the dial.
And while Jade has been used to create dials before, I’ve never quite seen it utilized like Moser does here. There are plenty of traditional ways to cut and shape Jade, and Moser settles for a mix of both traditional and modern. Using a CNC machine for precision, specific pieces of Jade are selected and CNC-ed down into shavings of 1.2mm thick - Remarkably thin for a stone dial.
Once shaved down, Moser uses more traditional methods of wetting and inspecting the stone to ensure that it’s ready to be glued to it’s plates. While Jade isn’t necessarily a soft stone, at 1.2mm thick it is incredibly fragile, so this process is done by hand and with extreme precision.
And further, a hole is cut at 6 o’clock to make the Tourbillon of the HM 804 movement visible. While controversial in some regards (amongst purists anyway), the dial features few indices or markings, and only a handset. I actually prefer this design, as it allows the stone to be enjoyed completely and without hindrance. The watch will be relatively rare at only 100 pieces.
If you’ve followed the blog for any amount of time, or read any of my other releases, I’ve always been a big fan of Moser. The company is light-hearted with a sense of humor, but still producing some seriously heavy-hitting pieces like this one. Stone dials are always a hit, and rarely seen in modern interpretations, though, have become more and more popular over the last few years. I always appreciate brands who take risks, so this is a win in my book. I don’t expect these to sit on any shelves.
How much is the Streamliner tourbillon concept wyoming jade?
Price will come in at a reasonable (I know, I know) $119,900 USD.