H. Moser & Cie Vantablack pure black dial watch 2327-0222

Although laughter is rare these days, this time last year there were a number of watchmakers joining in on the April 1 tradition, one of the funniest being H. Moser & Cie. Their comedic creations include dials and hands made from the darkest material on Earth: Vantablack.

Made from an arrangement of carbon nanotubes 10,000 times thinner than a human hair, Vantablack absorbs 99.965% of visible light. It’s a material so dark that anything made from it looks like a 2D silhouette. In the case of H. Moser & Cie., it renders the watch completely unreadable.

Somewhere, however, inspiration struck this unbalanced watchmaker. All it needed was a change of hands. So we have the Venturer and Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands timepieces.

Caliber HMC 327 Manufacture Caliber

The Venturer is available in 39mm and 43mm stainless steel or white gold cases, both with a striking Vantablack dial and darker solid black hands. It’s a subtle contrast, but still easy to read if you’re at least wearing the watch. Otherwise the dial is bare, without even an index to its name. Or a name, for that matter.

The Endeavour Tourbillon, despite interrupting the Vantablack dial and opening up its titular complication, takes it a step further in the stealth stakes. The 43mm stainless steel case gets a black DLC makeover to create the world’s most talked-about tourbillon.

HMC 804 Manufacture Caliber

All three timepieces are, of course, equipped with Moser’s extraordinary in-house movements and black (what else?) leather straps for a complete monochromatic look.

Prices are at the usual Moser level, which is to say pretty high. The stainless steel Venturer is $26,600, the white gold is $27,600, and the Endeavour Tourbillon is $69,000.

Price and Specifications:

Model Name: H. Moser & Cie Venturer Vantablack® Black Hands
Reference: 2327-0222
Case/Dial: 39 mm diameter x 11.9 mm, 18k white gold case with Vantablack® dial
Movement: Caliber HMC 327 in-house movement, manual winding
Functions: Hours and minutes, power reserve
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours
Strap: Alligator leather pin buckle
Price: CHF 25,000

Model Name: H. Moser & Cie Venturer Vantablack® Black Hands XLReference: 2327-1213
Case/Dial: 43 mm diameter x 11.9 mm height, stainless steel
Movement: Caliber HMC 327 Manufacture movement, manual winding
Functions: hours and minutes, power reserve
Frequency: 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours
Strap: Leather with hand-stitched black alligator strap and pin buckle
Price: CHF 24,000

Model name: H. Moser & Cie Endeavor Tourbillon Vantablack® Black HandsReference number: 1804-1206
Case/dial: 42 mm diameter x 11.6 mm height, DLC-coated stainless steel
Movement: HMC 804 Manufacture movement, automatic winding
Functions: hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours
Strap: Alligator strap and pin buckle
Price: CHF 69,000