H. Moser & Cie x MB&F Joint Hemispherical Watch

Some crossovers are great, like Run DMC and Aerosmith combining rock and hip-hop for the first time with the stoner classic Walk This Way, while others are as incredible as the idea of Lamborghini building a 4×4.

The watch world is full of examples of such fruitful fusions. The likes of George Bamford’s Bamford Watch Division have brought noise to TAG Heuer, Zenith and Bulgari models, or even his recent barista-inspired collaboration with James Thompson of Black Badger Design. But this usually involves creative individuals adding their own style to the work of established brands in limited runs, rather than brand collaborations.

However, if there was one brand that was more open to the idea of collaborating with other brands, it was (and is) MB&F, after all the “&F” in the brand name stands for “and friends”, pointing to the nature of the joint venture and company ethos.

MB&F’s entire product line, from its first HM1 watch, to its latest HM10 Bulldog, has relied on input from other watchmakers, even including mashups with designer Alain Silberstein and collaborations with rival Urwerk (Nitro). Now Max Busser’s company is teaming up with one of today’s most unpredictable and creative brands, besides, of course, itself.

MB&F has collaborated with H Moser and Cie on two watches that draw from existing watches in each brand’s catalog, and each embodies the aesthetic of the other.

Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F

First up is Moser’s Endeavour Tourbillon, which has been flipped (literally) so the exposed flying one-minute tourbillon mechanism is now at 12 o’clock instead of 6 o’clock, which also turns the watch left-handed, with the crown now on the left side of the case. The reason for this rather dramatic face change is to free up space at six o’clock for a now-iconic flourish from MB&F’s repertoire; a small offset dial standing at a 40° angle like a picture frame, a style introduced only last year on MB&F’s first watch designed specifically for women, the FlyingT.

As we saw on that watch, this arrangement could only be accommodated by using the world’s most extreme domed sapphire crystal, with the case itself measuring 9.4mm in height but containing the bombshell sapphire more than doubling to 19.5mm. This Endeavour uses the same cylindrical hairspring that swings in the FlyingT, which is no coincidence as both are made by Moser’s sister company, Precision Engineering AG.

Powered by Moser’s automatic 21,600 vph HMC 810 movement, the watch is housed in a 42mm stainless steel case and is available in a choice of stylish blue, cosmic green, burgundy, off-white and ice blue smoked dial colours.

Price and Specs:

Case: 42mm diameter x 19.5mm height, stainless steel case, Funky Blue fumé dial, Cosmic Green fumé dial, Burgundy fumé dial, Off-White fumé dial and Ice Blue dial | Movement: Calibre HMC 810 3D, automatic, 21,600 vph (3 Hz), 29 jewels | Functions: Hours, minutes, one-minute flying tourbillon at 12 o’clock | Power reserve: 72 hours | Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator leather, steel folding clasp engraved with Moser logo | Price and availability: CHF 79,000, available in 5 limited editions of 15 pieces each in stainless steel: Funky Blue fumé dial, Cosmic Green fumé dial, Burgundy fumé dial, Off-White fumé dial and Ice Blue dial.

LM101 MB&F x H. Moser

Meanwhile, MB&F’s much-loved Legacy Machine 101 gets Moser’s radical concept treatment, minus the MB&F logo and domed floating subdials showing the hours and minutes and power reserve, very much in keeping with the spirit of the already distilled LM101.

To be honest, Moser’s concept look can be a little disorienting at first glance, which is hardly surprising when all the reference points we use to increase legibility in timekeeping suddenly disappear. But it’s really about focusing on the essentials, which is what the LM101 has always been about. That’s the massive central balance wheel, here redesigned with twin matched balance springs, held aloft by two imposing crossbars that even Brunel himself would be proud of.

Moser offers four fumé dial colours, and the MB&F LM101 x H Moser & Cie is only the third time MB&F has launched a stainless steel watch.

Until Moser began stripping its own dials of all indices, markers, text and even logos to show off how great their fumé dials had become, legible and current branding was considered sacrosanct. Now, with the launch of the much-praised Streamliner steel sports watch earlier this year, the company is on an absolute high, having turned anti-branding into a hallmark of its own brand. It’s a testament to how strong the brand’s house style is, and how good these dials are, that Moser certainly has the dominant gene in this pairing.