Everything is new in the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic model that H. Moser & Cie unveiled in January. A new line, a new case, a new integrated bracelet, a new movement, a new dial, and new hands... Everything is new, everything is different, yet everything is Moser: fluid lines, geometric curves, dynamic forms, a harmony of contrasts and textures, minimalism.
Over five years ago, H. Moser & Cie. started the development of an entirely new and unique product line. The initial idea was to design a steel case model with an integrated bracelet. The notion of fluidity and curved continuous lines quickly became inextricable. The name of this collection was an obvious choice: it would be Streamliner, after the first high-speed trains from the Twenties and Thirties whose rounded and aerodynamic curves it evokes.
As key characteristic of the H. Moser & Cie. identity, minimalism is at the heart of the entire creation process, influencing everything from the aesthetic of the Streamliner to its movement and functions, as Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., explains: "We started with the bracelet, comfortable, elegant and different. We then designed this model around the chronograph function, as this was what we really wanted to highlight. The Streamliner is a chronograph which displays the time rather than a watch which features a chronograph. We preferred understatement, ergonomics, and legibility, opting for a central display with no sub dial: perfectly matching our minimalist philosophy. We took the very essence of the chronograph, and raised it to the next level".
Cushion-shape case, integrated steel bracelet
The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic model is a form watch, with a steel cushion case 42.3 mm in diameter. With dynamic water resistance to 12 ATM, the chronograph function of the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic can be used underwater. Its off-centre crown, adorned with an "M", balances the two chronograph push-buttons set at 10 and 2 o'clock.
The case is is topped by a domed Glassbox type sapphire crystal, echoed by the see-through case back. These lines extend to the integrated steel bracelet, which is elegantly curved to follow the shape of the wrist; the unique design of the links ensures that it sits perfectly on even the most slender of wrists. Highly complex in construction, this bracelet has fluid lines, based on organic forms. All the links are articulated and feature a gentle wave combining a vertical brushed finish with polished surfaces. The bezel has a sunray brushed finish; the case has alternating brushed and polished surfaces, with hollowed and satin-finished forms on the sides, in a nod to the typical shapes of Moser cases.
A world first
Côté mouvement, le Streamliner est le premier chronographe automatique à affichage central doté de la fonction flyback sur la minute et la seconde. Le nouveau calibre à chronographe a été développé par AGENHOR avec l’appui des équipes de H. Moser & Cie. avec une philosophie très similaire à celle du quantième perpétuel de H. Moser & Cie.: il est de conception extrêmement complexe mais au profit de la simplicité, de la lisibilité, du minimalisme, tout en privilégiant le côté pratique et l’ergonomie à travers un affichage au centre.
In fact, by highlighting the chronograph function, AGENHOR has rewritten all of the rules at the heart of chronograph technology which have followed for over 200 years. With the aim of enabling the watch mechanism and the operation of the chronograph and its column wheel to be admired, the oscillating weight has been placed between the movement and the dial. Using the retrograde principle which allows the elapsed minute hand to jump instantly using the energy accumulated and then released by a snail cam, the calibre HMC 902 allows the values to be read with greater accuracy. Featuring two chronograph hands, one for the minutes and one for the seconds, and two time display hands, one for the hours and one for the minutes, the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic is nothing if not understated.
A new signature dial
For the dial, H. Moser & Cie. has revisited the brand's signature element, the fumé dial. Featuring a new anthracite shade of grey, the dial is not only fumé, it is also griffé. Around the circumference are two white and red minute tracks, the outer one measuring the seconds and the inner one counting the minutes. At midday, the 60 numeral dominates the dial, harking back to the stopwatches of the Sixties and Seventies, when legibility and functionality were key. Of course, for a chronograph, accuracy is everything: this is ensured by the choice of hands to measure the elapsed time, which have a thicker base and a fine tip, like those found on counters in cars or measuring instruments.
Always with a focus on legibility, H. Moser & Cie. has opted for a red seconds hand, while the minute hand is rhodium-plated. To display the hours and minutes, H. Moser & Cie. has selected three-dimensional curved hands, with two sections. These have inserts containing Globolight®, an innovative ceramic-based material which contains Super-LumiNova® and has never before been used on hands.
