Horological Meandering

WatchProSite Review: H. Moser Venturer Vantablack Diamonds Watch

 

WatchProSite Moderator Patrick_y reviews the H. Moser Venturer Vantablack Diamonds Concept watch.  After meeting a few celebrities wearing jeweled watches, Patrick_y has been fascinated with jeweled watches, because of their sparkle and because they're practical - they're scratch resistant.  What's it like for a normal individual to live with a jeweled watch? 

 

I’ve always wanted to attend some red carpet event.  And I always wondered, what watch would I wear if I attended some formal event…  I’m thinking a watch with many polished elements, and a dark blue or black face.  Then I thought about jewels.  I don’t normally care for jewels on my watch, but ever since I met a famous movie star/musician in Los Angeles a few years ago, who wore a beautiful diamond timepiece, I’ve been enthralled about the practicality of a diamond watch.  You can’t scratch it!  It’s practical!  I should get one since I’m always paranoid about scratching my watches!  I’ve even interviewed watches on how they like to be cleaned and how they like to avoid scratches! 

 

JEWELS ARE PRACTICAL

 

A jeweled timepiece, especially if the entire case is covered in jewels, makes it very unlikely you’ll make noticeable light scratches in your watch, since jewels are known to be the most scratch resistant materials on earth.  And while I didn’t do any scratch tests with this borrowed watch from H. Moser, I did have to say I was pleased with the practicality of the scratch resistant surface.  The jewels are of course diamonds (not white sapphires), 313 diamonds totaling a whopping 3.77 carats provide an elegant surface that goes well with formal attire.  The case is a generous 39 mm, although it wears as if it were larger than 39 mm.  It’s somewhat thick, at 12.6mm, but this is intentional, as it’s designed to be a statement watch.  Due to its thickness, it doesn’t fit well under a French cuffed shirt.  But this watch doesn’t want to be covered!  It wants to be exposed so it can be seen by the cameras and flashbulbs! 

 

I might add that the jewels aren’t all tiny 0.01 carat jewels.  The crown is endowed with an abnormally large jewel that certainly captures the light from all those flashbulbs!  The case is a heavy and solid case (many modern cases are designed with air pockets to reduce gold volume) of white gold! 

 

That Vantablack Dial is so black, it's like a black hole, it absorbs light and energy.

THE DIAL: IT’S SCIENTIFIC

 

Then came the black dial.  The Vantablack dial is the blackest dial known to man.  The dial is so black that it has an extremely low albedo, or light reflection.  Vantablack is a laboratory made material that consists of tiny black tubes, when light hits the material, light doesn’t reflect nor refract, it’s simply bounced within the black tube and fully absorbed.  Vantablack absorbs 99.965% of light, and is considered one of the lowest albedos possible.  Vantablack is so light absorbing that you can’t even see contour line reflections or creases of a substrate underneath!  The Vantablack technology is mostly used in scientific research and outer space research. 

 

THE MOVEMENT

 

What can I say…  Moser movements are always fantastic.  A more Germanic architecture, lends to a more stable movement.  The Power reserve seems to last for 3-4 days in my experience, meaning you can go from one award ceremony to after party upon after party upon hotel room, to after party for days on end.  The details of a Moser movement are always phenomenal; starting with a big beautiful hairspring with terminal curves, all made in-house at Moser (Moser supplies hairsprings to the most expensive and high quality independent watch brands); the polished anglage (sometimes referred to as bevelling) of the movement plates and the ribbing (also known as striping) of the movement plates are all executed beautifully; and the teeth of all the steel gears (not the brass ones) are beautifully polished to remove burrs and to ensure excellent movement function.  We praise the benchmark brands like Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe for excellent movement finishing detail, this Moser meets or exceeds those established brands!  The watch features a large balance wheel with a slow 18,000 vph beat; this slow beat contributes to a higher power reserve and a more traditional beat rate.  Last but not least, the watch is easy to wind, the diamond crown has no knurling, but it still offers precise setting and nice haptics while winding.  There is no second hand, but the movement does hack.

The manual wind movement seems to power the watch for 3-4 days. It’s exceptionally well decorated.  Notice the ribbing has an unusual stagger.  The case is also a complex construction, instead of a screw on-case back, it's a case-back that is secured with multiple screws.  Definitely not simple case architecture here. 

From this angle, you don't see the ribbing as well, but you do see the beautifully executed anglage (or polished beveled edge) on each bridge and plate. 

 

WEARING THE WATCH

 

I’m not a movie star, so it’s a little bit awkward for me to wear this watch.  Combined with the fact that due to COVID, I almost never leave the house except to run errands and signing papers, it felt a little silly to wear such a special watch for such basic tasks.  Nevertheless, the watch is a joy to wear, it goes exceptionally well with not only formal attire, but also black or navy cashmere sweaters, and black oxford shirts.  A simple outfit such as a black oxford shirt, grey trousers, and black leather shoes can be elevated to another level with this watch.  If you live in Los Angeles, Miami, or any fashionable place, this is definitely a watch that will benefit from regular/often use.  But in the San Francisco area of accountants and computer engineers (we’re not fashionable nor very glamorous) this watch will definitely be more of an occasional piece. 

Diamond crown Peek-a-boo.

 

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

 

Truly, not much.  The movement is already excellent.  The case is beautifully adorned, each diamond is well set, and there are even some large diamonds.  The biggest area of improvement is the buckle.  The buckle is made of a brushed white gold and not adorned with diamonds, maybe a couple diamonds on the buckle would be a harmonious addition; or at least give the buckle a polished look instead of a brushed look.  I realize I'm being picky here, but I make no apologies; just like I definitely don't like being asked to eat caviar with a metal spoon, especially by a 3-Michelin star restaurant who told me I was the first person ever to complain about it! 

The clasp is mostly brushed, I recommend some diamonds be put on it or at least make it more polished!

 

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

 

If you’re someone famous, or a socialite, this is definitely an ideal watch for you because you can definitely pull it off!  If you’re a normal individual like me, the scratch resistant practicality and beautiful aesthetics are real benefits.  But one thing is undeniable, Moser makes great movements.  Moser was a popular brand among Russian nobility hundreds of years ago, the same patrons of Faberge and other fine artists.  Today, it’s a great piece for someone who cares about a high horology movement with one of the best hairsprings money can buy.  Other products from other high horology brands are neither competitive in the extensivity of the diamond setting, the price, nor the quality of the movement.  With 3.77 carats, the carat weight on this piece far exceeds other offerings in this price segment and the movement quality is among the best. Until I can star in my own reality TV show (it'd probably be about high horology, cuisine, and motoring perfection), I'm not 100% certain if I can personally pull off the jewels.  Until then, I am 100% certain about the exceptional quality of Moser timepieces! 

We don't have a lot of Moser timepieces on WatchProSite (very small production) and we have even fewer diamond watches.  What are your thoughts about this piece?  I look forward to reading your comments and questions!