H. Moser & Cie: Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse

The name, rarity and mysterious, almost mystical character of this piece are inspired by the eclipse. Featuring a dial coated in Vantablack, a deep, intense black to contrast against the inner bezel – a halo as bright as the sun’s corona in a total solar eclipse – the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse is the result of a collaboration between The Armoury, a highly specialised menswear brand, and H. Moser & Cie.

THE PHILOSOPHY

The key to a successful collaboration is to take each partner’s unique talents and skills and use them to create something that neither could have achieved alone. The Armoury was founded in Hong Kong in 2010 by Mark Cho and Alan See. It was born out of their shared passion for classic styling, and their interest in bringing classic tailoring to the modern man, educating him by telling the stories of truly exceptional craftsmen and their products. Constantly pursuing excellence, and an expert in custom and bespoke offerings, The Armoury company sets the standard for the connoisseur. The association with H. Moser & Cie., an exclusive and prestigious company which exudes elegance to an insider clientele, was a natural step. Back in 2019, at the beginning of this partnership, Mark met with Edouard Meylan in New York. Sharing the same passion for clothing and watches, bonds were woven and the idea of a collaboration began to emerge. The leaders of The Armoury were attracted by the incredibly rich history of H. Moser & Cie., spanning almost 200 years, as well as its watchmaking expertise and desire to take risks with new ideas, such as the use of Vantablack®, and an assertive stance designed to provoke. On the other hand, the team at H. Moser & Cie. were drawn to The Armoury’s roots in classic design, its promotion of craftsmanship, and the desire to create special, understated pieces, sitting on the cusp between classic and contemporary. 

THE WATCH

Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, explains: “When Edouard and I first started talking about the idea of making a watch together, my main requirement was that it was small. I like watches that are discreet but reveal a deeper complexity if you pay them some attention. To me, H. Moser & Cie.’s fumé dial and Vantablack® dial are iconic and I wanted to work with one of them as a starting point for the design. Quickly, I started to favour the Vantablack® and I had the idea to add markings to the dial somehow. My design partner: Elliot Hammer, suggested that we imagine the design with the theme of a total solar eclipse. Thus, the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse was born’’. 

Conceptually, the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse is the perfect representation of a total solar eclipse, when the sun is completely hidden behind the moon. Absorbing 99.965% of light, just like a black hole, the Vantablack dial evokes the silhouette of the moon, while the steel bezel and the polished inner bezel, in steel or red gold, represents the halo of the solar corona, the gaseous, outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, visible by the naked eye only when there is a total solar eclipse. While models with a Vantablack dial have been characterised by their absolute, minimalist purity up until now, the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse features numerous subtle and discreet details. This begins with the exquisite marker dots of the indices, which lend definition and rhythm to the dial. 

The Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse has a classic feel, which extends all the way to the hands, a stunning complement to the indices. The hour and minute hands, finished with a circle at the tip, reflect the Breguet style especially prized by Mark, while the small second hand is adorned with a dot-style marker, echoing the indices. “Absolutely everything in this model links back to this quest for ultimate elegance, combining classicism with a contemporary feel,” explains Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie. “It’s 38- mm diameter is perfectly balanced. We opted for the smallest and finest of our movements, the hand-wound HMC 327 calibre, with an offset small second at 6 o’clock, reminiscent of the pocket-watch style.“ 

Made in two limited series of 28 pieces in steel or steel and red gold, the Endeavor Small Seconds Total Eclipse is paired with a black leather strap and sold with a pocket square developed by The Armoury for H. Moser & Cie. The watch will be available at a price of CHF 23.900 at The Armory boutiques in New York and Hong Kong and online on the platforms of the two Houses.