You don’t come across a flying hours watch every day, so when you encounter one, there’s a tendency to explore what makes it tick. When the news came in about the new Moser flying hours watch, there was a fair amount of eagerness to see what’s new about the watch’s mechanics.
Ten years after the debut of its Pioneer collection and seven years after unveiling the first flying hours model, H. Moser & Cie. has united these two lines in what the watchmaker is describing as ‘one irresistible cocktail’.
The Pioneer Flying Hours’ two new references reinterpret the wandering hours complication, this time with an instantaneous display that elevates both clarity and impact. Inspired by satellite systems that have shaped the language of modern independent horology, the watch makes the endeavor of telling time a precise, intuitive, and visually striking experience (even if the approach is a little unconventional).
The Pioneer sports watch collection has always embodied versatility, conceived as the watch for every occasion. Its refined and robust build makes it equally at home in the city, forest, or by the sea, with water resistance to 12 ATM ensuring it can withstand demanding environments.
Since its introduction, it has become a companion for fans of the brand who appreciate elegant design without compromise. By pairing this philosophy with the Flying Hours complication, H. Moser & Cie. has revisited one of its most distinctive creations.
While the first version featured gliding numerals that appeared and disappeared gradually, the new Pioneer Flying Hours adopts a jumping display, in which the hour changes instantly, making the watch more readable and adding a heightened sense of technical drama.
The Pioneer Flying Hours is available in two variations; each housed in a 42.8 mm case. The first model, reference 3240-0900, is crafted in 5N red gold with black DLC-treated titanium inserts and paired with an aventurine dial.
The dial evokes the mystery of a night sky filled with stars, offering an alluring backdrop for the moving discs that animate the watch. Limited to a production run of 100 pieces, it is a unique and rare timepiece.
The second, reference 3240-1200, is crafted in steel and features a white fumé dial, bringing a more industrial purity to the collection. This model, while not limited, achieves an equally striking effect through its pared-back design.
Both dials are stripped of logos and indices, allowing the rotating discs to take center stage. A skeletonized central minutes disc spans 120 degrees, while three satellites orbit beneath the dial, each rotating on its own axis to display the hours in turn.
At the core of this innovation lies the HMC 240 automatic caliber, a movement designed and manufactured by H. Moser & Cie. The caliber provides a minimum power reserve of three days and beats at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.
It features a Straumann® hairspring with flat overcoil, and a bi-directional automatic winding system. Both versions come with oscillating weights that align with the there respective case colors.
Bridges and plates with an anthracite finish underscore the technical character of the watch, while a curved sapphire crystal and transparent caseback complete the refined presentation. That’s plenty of eye candy for those of us who can’t get enough of staring at movements through glass casebacks.
The Pioneer Flying Hours is a visual spectacle. With its hypnotic ballet of discs, the watch offers a dynamic and poetic reading of time that captivates the wearer at every glance. The unique look (which may require some getting used to) will likely also trigger conversations.
