
Sponsor partnerships between Formula One teams and watch brands are a well-established tradition at this point. Some make a lot of sense such as Red Bull and Tag Heuer or Ferrari and Richard Mille, but one of the more unusual collaborations is between high end haute horology specialists H. Moser & Cie. and Alpine.
Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend they’ve come together to release a pair of timepieces, the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition and an incredibly unusual, connected Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition. They’re exclusively available as a pair in a limited edition of 200 sets.
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition
The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition is a skeleton chronograph featuring a 42.3mm steel case with blue PVD treatment echoing the colours of the Alpine team. It follows the classic shape of the Streamliner collection with curving flanks and a cushion design inspired by the Art Deco influences of vintage trains. Though here they’ve traded the railways for the circuit.
This is the first time that the calibre HMC 700, which was developed in partnership with Agenhor, has been presented as a skeleton (in its non-skeleton form it’s known as the HMC 907). Revealing the inner workings of the movement when viewed from the dial side of the watch. They’ve paid careful attention to the skeletonisation process to ensure a strong thematic connection to Alpine.
There are two prominent V shape bridges above and below the central hands that emulate the triangular suspension systems used in F1 cars and then the central bridge is shaped like a racing helmet. The automatic rotor is based off the wheel rim design of the Alpine A110.
For timekeeping functions, it’s equipped with central hours, minutes, seconds and a central flyback chronograph seconds hand. There are no additional subdials in order to keep the focus on the seconds, fitting for an F1 watch where the slimmest margin is all that matters. There’s also a tachymeter mounted on the flange, allowing you to calculate a car’s speed.
Price and Specs:
Model:
H.
Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition
Ref:
6700-1200
Case:
42.3mm
diameter x 14.2mm thickness, stainless steel with blue PVD
Dial:
Skeletonised
Water resistance:
120m
(12 bar)
Movement:
H.
Moser & Cie. calibre HMC 700 developed with Agenhor, automatic, 55 jewels
Frequency:
21,600
vph (3 Hz)
Power reserve:
72h
Functions:
Hours,
minutes, seconds, flyback chronograph
Strap:
White
rubber strap with steel pin buckle, blue PVD
Price:
CHF
59,000 (approx. £53,200), limited to 200 pieces
More details at H. Moser & Cie.
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition
In a first for H. Moser & Cie. along side the Driver’s Edition they have produced an ana-digi connected watch called the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition. It features a traditional timekeeping dial at 12 o’clock with hours and minutes but below that is a black screen capable of displaying a range of information. Perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, dual time zone with country selector and an F1 function that essential serves as a motorsport equivalent to a regatta timer, counting down to the start of each Grand Prix.
Of course, as a first for the brand, H. Moser has collaborated with a connected watch specialist to develop the watch. That specialist brand is actually one that we’re very familiar with at Oracle Time because it’s Sequent and the Elektron HR2.2 was one of the first connected watches I ever reviewed for the magazine. Their particular niche within the connected watch sphere is hybrid design, meaning electronic watches powered by mechanical rotors or that use ana-digi styles of display, and it’s the latter that’s the case here. It’s cool to see them collaborate with a major brand like H. Moser & Cie.
The movement inside is called the DI0, operating with quartz technology for an ultra-high 32,728 beats per second providing an accuracy of +/-0.3 seconds per day. It also has a 9,000-hour power reserve equivalent to 12 months. With the connected portion active they give the reserve duration as 6 Grand Prixes.
The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition is available as part of the 200 piece limited edition set alongside the Drivers Edition at a price of CHF59,000 (approx. £53,200). As a note, if you look at the caseback of the Mechanics Edition you may notice that it’s engraved as a limited edition of 500 pieces, not 200, that’s because it’s also being made available to collectors who have already purchased any previous (and potentially future) Alpine collaboration watches.
Price and Specs:
Model:
H.
Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition
Ref:
6DI0-1200
Case:
42.6mm
diameter x 14.4mm thickness, stainless steel
Dial:
Sapphire
with digital display and blue fumé subdial
Water resistance:
120m
(12 bar)
Movement:
H.
Moser & Cie. calibre DI0 developed with Sequent, connected movement
Frequency:
32,768
vph (Quartz)
Power reserve:
9000h
Functions:
Hours,
minutes, dual time zone, chronograph, perpetual calendar, race mode with countdown and team alerts
Strap:
Blue
rubber strap with steel pin buckle
Price:
CHF
59,000 (approx. £53,200), limited to 500 pieces
More details at H. Moser & Cie.
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