In an era, when everyone tells time on their phone, why not erase time on the wrist?
Known for its brightly colored fumé dials, recognisable for their lack of logo, indie Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie, has made a name for itself by not using its name at all. The practice is a nod to early watchmaking tradition when, often, only the interior movement of a watch was signed.
In a new twist, the horological magicians are now erasing time with their latest drop. Created in partnership with Parisian artist Romaric Andre, alias seconde/seconde/, the new Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept x seconde/seconde/ has an hour hand in the shape of a pixelated rubber eraser. Yes, you read that right. Instead of a sleek, polished traditional hand, Andre and H. Moser & Cie CEO Edouard Meylan are nodding to a reality that Moser has played with frequently in the past. Mechanical watches, like rubber erasers, are nearly obsolete today, but they do make for wonderful pieces of nostalgia. In an era, when everyone tells time on their phone, why not erase time on the wrist?
“By adding a disruptive element, seconde/seconde/ flips the aesthetic, providing a welcome contrast whilst respecting the elegance inherent to this model, playing with the very concept of our dials without logo or indices,” said Meylan in a statement. Andre, meanwhile, dubbed the art form, the “hand swap,” and says it has become his signature. “The eraser, I see it as a banal everyday object which is taking power over the prestigious exceptional object,” he said in a statement.
Beneath the hood of the dial is the self-winding calibre HMC 200, entirely manufactured and created in-house, which can be seen through the sapphire crystal caseback. Its regulating organ was conceived by Moser’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG.
Limited to just 20 pieces, it retails for US$21,900 (S$29,315), comes with an exclusive numbered work by seconde/seconde/ and will be available online-only starting today.
PS: For the record, while it launched on April Fool’s, this watch is for real and is actually for sale.
This story was first published on Robb Report US
