H. Moser’s Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack Gold combines what started as a lark—a pure black dial with stealth black hands that made it hard to read the time—with a sleek modern case and bracelet and sporty luminated hands. It then adds a traditional complication and packages the whole thing in 18-karat red gold. The result is something modern, classic, sporty and minimalist all at once. There is a purity of design in this unique combination of elements that is somehow pure 2020s, and very much signature Moser.
The Vantablack dial, which Moser first introduced as a concept in 2019 with the Venturer Concept Vantablack, is a carbon material, which gets its name from the acronym VANTA (Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Arrays). It is known as the blackest black ever produced by artificial means because it absorbs 99.9 per cent of light. The concept played into Moser’s custom of producing clean dials with no indexes, no Swiss-made moniker and no logo.
The gold indexes on this Vantablack dial, however, prove striking and come fixed from the back, so depending on the angle, they appear or disappear against the Vantablack, a charming idiosyncrasy that seems pure Moser. They are only outdone by the conventional (though beautifully skeletonized) tourbillon movement packaged in 18-karat gold. The hour and minute hands have Globolight inserts—a ceramic-based material that contains Super-LumiNova—which adds a sporty look. Moser pioneered its use on watch dials.
The gold/black contrast is pleasingly intense and is complemented by the finish on the case and bracelet. It is polished in a vertical scratched-brush finish that gives the bracelet a sense of movement and absorbs rather than reflects light. A slightly domed sapphire crystal gives it a sporty, vintage feel.
The Streamliner has several inspirations. It refers to the high-speed trains of the 20s and 30s, but also the sexy curves and sleek aerodynamics of Italian sports cars. The Streamliner started out as a sports watch, and the chronograph version is still a fan-favourite. The case is tightly integrated with the bezel and bracelet, and is constructed of long, wave-shaped links in articulated horizontal rows that overlap in a way that makes them resemble fish scales. The first Streamliner Tourbillon, a one-of-a-kind cylindrical version, was auctioned at the ONLY Watch Auction in 2021 to benefit Duschenne Muscular Dystrophy research. It also had a Vantablack dial, but the case was steel and it sold for a whopping CHF 750,000 (just over RM3.4 million).
The Streamliner Tourbillon Vantablack Gold is driven by the automatic caliber HMC 804, equipped with a double hairspring, designed and produced in-house by H. Moser & Cie’s sister company Precision Engineering AG. The dual hairsprings result in reduced friction, significantly improving accuracy and isochronism. The case is 40 mm x 12.1 mm thick, positioning it well within the sleek dress watch category. Priced at US$119,900 (about RM537,000), you won’t see too many of these in the wild.
Previously published on Robb Report.
