H. Moser & Cie. just launched today a sublime dress watch in collaboration with The Armoury. Cased in steel and featuring the brand’s now-iconic and representative ultrahigh-tech Vantablack, the Endeavour bears some distinctive notes imposed by Mark Chow and his The Armoury team. I asked Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie a few questions to lighten up the mystery of the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse.
Andrei: First a technical question: how was possible to have indexes on the Vantablack dial? Due to the fragility of the Vantablack material and the difficult growing process, when and how were the bullets added?
Edouard: The bullets are not added on top of the Vantablack. We have set golden plates at the back of the dial and made the holes before adding the Vatanblack structure.
Andrei: Breguet hands? Such a drastic change from the leaf hands of the Endeavour. What was the deciding factor behind this choice?
Edouard: This is Mark Chow and his team’s choice. They took inspiration from some historical pieces shown in our museum.
Andrei: The Total Eclipse is, without a doubt, a purist’s dress watch. But unwritten rules ask for a precious metal case. Were other materials in the discussion? What was the definitory factor in choosing stainless steel?
Edouard: Again, it was Mark and The Armoury’s choice. We provided the canvas and they expressed their sensibility. They like stainless steel because it’s robust, light and understated.
Andrei: 38mm is another strong point for the perfection of the dress watch. How about a 36mm? Can we hope for an extreme niche piece?
Edouard: 36mm is not feasible with our current movements but who knows… maybe in the future…
Andrei: Total Eclipse stands for elegance, sartorial rules and pure horological pleasure. Can we expect that this will spark also a sportier version with Globolight inner bezel (and not only)?
Edouard: Why not but it is not planned yet. We have a very full pipeline for the next 2 years. More surprises to come…
