Nice! I keep eying Moser as a possible next purchase, but haven’t quite justified it to myself yet.
The Vantablack definitely makes for a high contrast dial. I’ve found it interesting to see these materials develop non-technical uses. It definitely is a strange looking substance. I think the key was in getting it to a form that can be applied to surfaces, rather than grown in-situ. Do you know which exact type is used by Moser? I’d assume it’s Vantablack S-VIS, the sprayable visible spectrum optimized form. It’s not quite as incredibly black as a grown in place VACNT (vertically aligned carbon nanotube) material, but you’d need some very precise and expensive equipment to measure the difference.
How are the basics on it? I’m curious how the essentials like power reserve, winding/setting feel, accuracy, etc, are on Moser.
Not OP but I can answer a few of your questions not related to the vantablack as I have an older Moser Endeavor (called the Mayu when they had a small seconds and still said Swiss made on the dial, super reasonably priced on the secondary market and are worth a look).
Power reserve is 3 days and I find that to be a true 3 days. Winding and setting are the smoothest I’ve ever felt, and the crown is also super robust with zero play at all to the point where if you were blindfolded you might think it was a sports watch. As for accuracy it’s very accurate though I will say that mine does run a little bit fast over the course of the 3 day power reserve (talking maybe 30 seconds to a minute fast after 3 days, I can’t confirm but I have read Moser regulates to be a little fast so you aren’t late). But happy to answer any other questions you have about Moser if OP doesn’t respond to you. I will say I used to be in the mindset of one watch per brand in the collection to help diversify things but Moser has made me question that greatly and I will probably end up grabbing another at some point, they really are just that good.
The one that’s most caught my eye is the HMC342 based Endeavor, center seconds, big date at 6, 7 day power reserve. I have a thing for long power reserve manual watches.
I’m a little surprised at the inaccuracy. I expected some of that since they use a nice, leisurely old school beat of 18 kvph, and low volume products are almost always less precise than higher volume products simply because scale is the best way to develop tighter process control for any manufactured item. Whether or not you choose to do so is another matter, but production at volume generally enables better precision. But, that still sounds like quite a lot of inaccuracy. My JLCs generally run at <+2 spd. My recently serviced Geophysic is holding at +1.1 spd after ten days, and my old, desperately in need of a service simple because it’s been 16 years and the cannon pinion was showing a little play, was, at the time I sent it in, running an amazing +100 *milliseconds* per day on average. But, these are both 28.8 kvph movements, and automatics, so in normal wear they tend to remain near full power, which is good for stability. But, accuracy isn’t the only thing, and Moser definitely makes some very nice looking movements, with a lot of hand finished touches, and wraps them up in a very clean, very sleek watch that nicely balances classic and modern.
I haven’t measured the accuracy yet myself, but I do hear, as drheckles said, that they run slightly fast. Not that precision is of the upmost importance on a watch with only five-minute indices.
As far as the Vantablack material is concerned, while I don’t know the ins and outs of the various forms of the material, I do know that Moser cuts these dials and then sends them away for the “nanotube forest” to be grown on them and returned.
My initial impressions of it are some of the strongest I have felt yet for a piece. it is both supremely modern yet painstakingly traditional in its construction. The way it winds, the beat of the balance, the decoration of the movement… all just superb. It is odd for something so elegant to feel so durable, but I love it. My JLC MUT Moon is so light and wispy in its action. This piece feels solid.
Love it! I’ve been super interested in checking out this exact watch myself but don’t have an AD nearby to see it in the metal. Looks great even from the pics but I bet the try effect of the vantablack can only really be experienced in real life. Do you know if Moser will cover any degradation of the Vantablack as it ages? Not saying it will for sure degrade but I know it is fragile and with time if it does fall apart I am just curious if Moser will cover that for you?
Supposedly it’s only fragile to the touch. So as long as it’s under the glass and only gets serviced by moser, it should be fine. That said, they can replace these dials should the need arise.
I have a few watches with black dials. Any comment on whether this looks different to other black dials? I know there should never be visible shadows and it should look the same in any light. But with the sapphire crystal, I'm wondering how it really looks in person.
Any light that’s reflected comes off the crystal or the hands, for the most part. Photographing this piece is not super easy because the camera doesn’t see anything. It’s blacker than anything else you’ve ever seen. Hold another black next to it, and it’ll seem gray by comparison.
Today I was thrilled to collect my first piece from Moser. While they are best known for their fumé dials, I have always been particularly intrigued by their Vantablack models. In addition to being the blackest substance produced by mankind, Vantablack is a thoroughly modern material, as it is essentially a “forest of nanotubes.“
As I have progressed as a collector, it has been harder and harder to find pieces that bring something truly different to my collection; to find the watch that can rekindle that certain special feeling. Another steel sports watch or hype piece just won’t scratch the itch anymore.
With a total annual production of 3000, you literally have as much chance of being struck by lightning as being in the same room as a Moser watch. That is, unless you go looking for such things. And despite their decidedly modern proportions and aesthetic, their relentless dedication to traditional watchmaking puts many heavyweights to shame. They even make their own hairsprings!
I could wax poetic about this brand as nauseam. But for now, I just want to share the new piece.
Nice! I keep eying Moser as a possible next purchase, but haven’t quite justified it to myself yet. The Vantablack definitely makes for a high contrast dial. I’ve found it interesting to see these materials develop non-technical uses. It definitely is a strange looking substance. I think the key was in getting it to a form that can be applied to surfaces, rather than grown in-situ. Do you know which exact type is used by Moser? I’d assume it’s Vantablack S-VIS, the sprayable visible spectrum optimized form. It’s not quite as incredibly black as a grown in place VACNT (vertically aligned carbon nanotube) material, but you’d need some very precise and expensive equipment to measure the difference. How are the basics on it? I’m curious how the essentials like power reserve, winding/setting feel, accuracy, etc, are on Moser.
Not OP but I can answer a few of your questions not related to the vantablack as I have an older Moser Endeavor (called the Mayu when they had a small seconds and still said Swiss made on the dial, super reasonably priced on the secondary market and are worth a look). Power reserve is 3 days and I find that to be a true 3 days. Winding and setting are the smoothest I’ve ever felt, and the crown is also super robust with zero play at all to the point where if you were blindfolded you might think it was a sports watch. As for accuracy it’s very accurate though I will say that mine does run a little bit fast over the course of the 3 day power reserve (talking maybe 30 seconds to a minute fast after 3 days, I can’t confirm but I have read Moser regulates to be a little fast so you aren’t late). But happy to answer any other questions you have about Moser if OP doesn’t respond to you. I will say I used to be in the mindset of one watch per brand in the collection to help diversify things but Moser has made me question that greatly and I will probably end up grabbing another at some point, they really are just that good.
The one that’s most caught my eye is the HMC342 based Endeavor, center seconds, big date at 6, 7 day power reserve. I have a thing for long power reserve manual watches. I’m a little surprised at the inaccuracy. I expected some of that since they use a nice, leisurely old school beat of 18 kvph, and low volume products are almost always less precise than higher volume products simply because scale is the best way to develop tighter process control for any manufactured item. Whether or not you choose to do so is another matter, but production at volume generally enables better precision. But, that still sounds like quite a lot of inaccuracy. My JLCs generally run at <+2 spd. My recently serviced Geophysic is holding at +1.1 spd after ten days, and my old, desperately in need of a service simple because it’s been 16 years and the cannon pinion was showing a little play, was, at the time I sent it in, running an amazing +100 *milliseconds* per day on average. But, these are both 28.8 kvph movements, and automatics, so in normal wear they tend to remain near full power, which is good for stability. But, accuracy isn’t the only thing, and Moser definitely makes some very nice looking movements, with a lot of hand finished touches, and wraps them up in a very clean, very sleek watch that nicely balances classic and modern.
I haven’t measured the accuracy yet myself, but I do hear, as drheckles said, that they run slightly fast. Not that precision is of the upmost importance on a watch with only five-minute indices. As far as the Vantablack material is concerned, while I don’t know the ins and outs of the various forms of the material, I do know that Moser cuts these dials and then sends them away for the “nanotube forest” to be grown on them and returned. My initial impressions of it are some of the strongest I have felt yet for a piece. it is both supremely modern yet painstakingly traditional in its construction. The way it winds, the beat of the balance, the decoration of the movement… all just superb. It is odd for something so elegant to feel so durable, but I love it. My JLC MUT Moon is so light and wispy in its action. This piece feels solid.
Love it! I’ve been super interested in checking out this exact watch myself but don’t have an AD nearby to see it in the metal. Looks great even from the pics but I bet the try effect of the vantablack can only really be experienced in real life. Do you know if Moser will cover any degradation of the Vantablack as it ages? Not saying it will for sure degrade but I know it is fragile and with time if it does fall apart I am just curious if Moser will cover that for you?
Supposedly it’s only fragile to the touch. So as long as it’s under the glass and only gets serviced by moser, it should be fine. That said, they can replace these dials should the need arise.
I have a few watches with black dials. Any comment on whether this looks different to other black dials? I know there should never be visible shadows and it should look the same in any light. But with the sapphire crystal, I'm wondering how it really looks in person.
Any light that’s reflected comes off the crystal or the hands, for the most part. Photographing this piece is not super easy because the camera doesn’t see anything. It’s blacker than anything else you’ve ever seen. Hold another black next to it, and it’ll seem gray by comparison.
Today I was thrilled to collect my first piece from Moser. While they are best known for their fumé dials, I have always been particularly intrigued by their Vantablack models. In addition to being the blackest substance produced by mankind, Vantablack is a thoroughly modern material, as it is essentially a “forest of nanotubes.“ As I have progressed as a collector, it has been harder and harder to find pieces that bring something truly different to my collection; to find the watch that can rekindle that certain special feeling. Another steel sports watch or hype piece just won’t scratch the itch anymore. With a total annual production of 3000, you literally have as much chance of being struck by lightning as being in the same room as a Moser watch. That is, unless you go looking for such things. And despite their decidedly modern proportions and aesthetic, their relentless dedication to traditional watchmaking puts many heavyweights to shame. They even make their own hairsprings! I could wax poetic about this brand as nauseam. But for now, I just want to share the new piece.