Smoked Salmon & Funky Blue: H. Moser & Cie. fires up its Streamliner

One thing is certain: when you write about H. Moser & Cie. you can never get bored. Not even when you have the privilege of holding his watches in your hands to shoot exclusive pictures like the ones you see on this page. A photo shoot dedicated not only to one, but two watches from the Streamliner collection: theStreamliner Centre Seconds Smoked Salmon and the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Funky Blue 2.0. Two H. Moser & Cie. champions.

THE SIMPLICITY OF THE SMOKED SALMON STREAMLINER

We already wrote about the Streamliner Centre Seconds Smoked Salmon last spring, when it was presented, but today, in the light of our photo shoot, we look at it with different eyes. Starting with the integrated bracelet, which in our opinion catches the eye as much as the very special dial, with the shade that gives the watch its name.

The complexity of its construction is inversely proportional to its comfort and wearability. The undulating, fluid links with a vertical satin finish are extremely flexible and so thin that they easily fit on the wrist. Their continuity with the cushion case is clearly visible from the shots, making clear why the Streamliner Centre Seconds is one of the most coveted watches among collectors today.

And also for the movement that animates it, of course. The HMC 200 automatic calibre, in fact, is entirely manufactured – a feature which, in this case, isn’t just a good marketing argument. We visited the H. Moser & Cie. manufactory in Neuhausen am Rheinfall and saw how watches, including calibres, are made. Their precision and, why not, their beauty, are the logical consequence of the care and perfection that goes into every stage of production, from design to development to manufacture.

THE UNEXPECTED SALMON OF H. MOSER & CIE.

And then there is the dial. You know, H. Moser & Cie. is also and above all famous for its dials, which are frankly inimitable. That of the Streamliner Centre Seconds Smoked Salmon definitely stands in a higher category. Apart from CEO Edouard Meylan‘s stories about the origin of the colour, which you can read here and which serve to tell a story before narrating a product, having shot this watch has allowed us to fully understand why this smoked salmon is so special in its Swiss version.

Light provides the answer. Without it, we would not be able to appreciate the infinite colour variations of this pink that isn’t pink and which, as the press kit says, ‘evolves according to the movement of the wrist, moving from chocolate to gold, through a wide range of shades’. And which goes ‘from black to a striking mirror effect’. All true, of course, but seen and photographed live, it is something else entirely. 

The vertical satin finish, the faded transition from the luminous central zone to the black minute circle, the invisible signature at 12 o’clock: everything is enhanced by light to achieve a result of extraordinary elegance. Beyond a classic salmon shade.

THE STREAMLINER FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH IS FUNKY BLUE

As written earlier, however, in our photo shoot the Streamliner Centre Seconds Smoked Salmon (reminder: it is available only for one year) is joined by the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Funky Blue 2.0. This is the evolution of one of the brand’s most famous and popular watches: H. Moser & Cie. wanted to avoid that the successful timepiece rest on its laurels so they have subjected it to a number of upgrades.

These are changes in both form and substance, which indicate how maniacally attentive the brand is when it comes to the care of its watches. Because if a timepiece is to be rewarded by the market, it must not remain the same in the long run but must be updated in order to stay among enthusiasts’ preferred watches.

Specifically, the change in form concerns the logo, the change in substance concerns the calibre. Both were inspired by other watches already in H. Moser & Cie’s collections and make this version of the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic very contemporary.

SMALL ALTERATIONS

Meanwhile, for this evolution of its chronograph, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer is introducing the transparent lacquer logo on the Funky Blue dial, an exclusive H. Moser & Cie. signature – a feature that the brand had already introduced on the Pioneer MEGA Cool and which, as you can see from our shots, is extremely elegant.

The other change concerns the movement, which now has a more contemporary finish, with anthracite grey rhodium-plating on the bridges and the plate, like that found on the Streamliner Perpetual Calendar calibre. A processing method that gives the movement greater visual depth.

H. MOSER & CIE. BETWEEN BLUE AND MINIMALISM

Let us start with the logo in transparent lacquer. It is the stylish translation of H. Moser & Cie.’s brand philosophy: the product before the brand. A watch must be the immediately recognisable expression of a brand by what it conveys in its form and identity, beyond logos and brand names on the dial or elsewhere.

For this reason, the special lacquering of the logo makes it visible only in certain positions on the wrist and, more generally, only to the wearer. An expression of minimalism, refined elegance and sobriety that, on this timepiece, are combined with the smoky dial’s so-called Funky Blue shade.

A nuance that goes back to the origins of the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic. Those with a good memory will remember that the first version of the watch was launched in early 2020 and was an instant triumph. That reference had a dial with a new anthracite grey shade, not only smoky but also griffé. A 100-piece watch that sold out in no time.

A few months later, the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic also arrived with the Funky Blue smoky dial, the christening for this shade on the chronograph. On that reference, however, the H. Moser & Cie. logo was prominently displayed at 12 o’clock, as on the previous anthracite grey version. Now, however, it disappears and the blue stands out in its whole elegance.

This can be fully appreciated from the photo shoot. The dial’s colour goes beyond a classic blue, which, for several years now, has become fashionable in watchmaking. Its hue ranges from the sugar paper of the central part to the midnight blue of the periphery, with a light soleil processing which perfectly accompanies the blue in its infinite colour variations. The secret signature is there, available to be seen only when you want to see it, a unique and rare privilege for those lucky enough to wear the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Funky Blue 2.0.

A REDESIGNED CALIBRE (OR ALMOST)

Now let’s get to the movement: the HMC 907 automatic calibre developed for H. Moser & Cie. by AGENHOR, one of the Swiss brand’s technical partners. It is an evolution of the HMC 902 that equipped the 2020 Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic and, just like it, is a movement developed on the basis of a philosophy very similar to that underlying the manufacture’s perpetual calendar. 

If, on the dial side, minimalism and readability shine through and from the point of view of functionality, making the chronograph extremely user-friendly, on the other hand the movement presents an architecture that is complex but harmonious. This is because it is designed to be seen operating through the sapphire glass back.

This is why, as for the HMC 902 calibre, on the HMC 907 the AGENHOR engineershave positioned the oscillating weight between the movement and the dial so that it doesn’t obstruct the full view of the movement, with the action of the chronograph and column wheel.

Similarly, some bridges have been redesigned to further lighten the calibre’s architecture and treatments and processing techniques have beenapplied in order to give more depth to the whole. We are talking, for example, about the classic Moser côtes positioned at 45 degrees and the anthracite grey rhodium-plating on the bridges and mainplate.

THE STREAMLINER FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH AUTOMATIC’S CASE AND BRACELET 

The design of the integrated bracelet and 42.3 mm steel case are the classic, fluid and elegant ones we know and which have made the Streamliner collection instantly recognisable. The central chronograph display offers easy and intuitive reading of the information, without crowding the dial with additional hands, indices and counters.

The Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic is in fact equipped with two chronograph hands, one for the minutes and one for the seconds, and two hands for indicating the time, one for the hours and one for the minutes. The beauty of the chronograph, for those who feel up to trying it out, is that it can also be operated and reset under water thanks to the case’s water resistance, guaranteed up to 12 bar. Not bad for a chronograph with such complex features and architecture.

THE STREAMLINERS’ HAT TRICK

Having said that about the Streamliner Centre Seconds Smoked Salmon and the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Funky Blue 2.0, you will notice that there is an ‘intruder’ in our shots. At least up to a certain point, because it was mentioned twice in the article. It is the Streamliner Perpetual Calendar, which comes to complete the collection’s hat trick.

After devoting so many shots to the two watches featured in this article, it seemed only right that we should also feature the other leading member of the Streamliner family in our pictures. This is the best way to celebrate H. Moser & Cie’s watchmaking prowess through one of its most successful collections. But it is always at its best when worn on the wrist: we hope that our shots will inspire you to go and try it on at the boutique.

By Davide Passoni