At Baselworld last month, Swiss manufacture H. Moser & Cie introduced a beautiful new Ardoise fumé dial variant within the Venturer Small Seconds collection.

The Venturer Small Seconds Ardoise Fumé comes in a beautiful, three-part, fully mirror-polished 18K white gold case measuring 39 mm in diameter by 12.5 mm in thickness. The case is complemented by a sapphire crystal that is curved to perfectly match the curve of the bezel. Furthermore, the dial and hands are also curved, creating a look that is remarkably elegant.

Maybe best of all, the execution of the new Ardoise (black/grey) fumé dial with sunburst pattern, polished white gold (applied) baton indexes and polished white gold leaf-shaped hands – is just right.

Flip the watch over, and there is a see-through sapphire crystal protecting the hand-wound in-house caliber HMC 327. The movement beats at 2.5Hz (or 18,800 vph), has 29 jewels, 148 total parts, hacking seconds, and a maximum power reserve of 5-days (120-hours). The bridges have hand chamfered and polished edges and are decorated with Geneva stripes that slant at a 45-degree angle.

Underneath the bridges, the main plate has a perlage finish. All the teeth for the wheels and pinions are made by Moser. A free-sprung balance wheel is supported by a traversing balance bridge, and the spring is made by Straumann (which is owned by Moser), with a Breguet overcoil. “H. Moser & Cie.” and the company logo engraved on the bridges.

The functions include hours, minutes, small seconds, and power reserve indication (on the movement side). Push-in crown adorned with an “M.” Hand-stitched black alligator strap with carbon-effect matte finish 18K solid white gold pin buckle with engraved Moser logo. (Ref. 2327-0201)

Verdict

H. Moser & Cie has taken a model from their existing line-up and made a new variant, that is in a way, totally different than the existing pieces, even if the only difference is the dial and the strap. This brand is doing great things and I cannot wait to see what they do next.