Independents

A short history



Heinrich MoserHeinrich Moser was born in Schaffhouse in 1805. Son and grandson of watchmakers, he learnt the craft from his father, Erhard Moser.

In 1824, he left Schaffhouse to set up in Locle where he perfected his knowledge in the presence of the greatest watchmakers of the time. Two years later, he tried to return and set up business in his home town, but the Municipal Council rejected his request to be given the honorary post of watchmaker to the town in favour of someone else.

Heinrich Moser & Co came into being in 1828 and in 1829, Moser founded his watchmaking business in Locle to manufacture pocket watches.
In 1831, he opened a subsidiary in Moscow, and became supplier to the tsars, the royal families and the Russian army. Moser also developed sales of his watches in Japan, China, Persia and Turkestan, as well as in Siberia and Kamchatka. (In 1845, the H. Moser companies in Russia employed around fifty people).

Having become a prosperous watchmaker, Moser decided to return and settle definitively in Schaffhouse in 1848 where he had the Charlottenfels castle built. He became one of the key figures in the town, participating actively in its development.

We owe to him:

The construction of a canal on the Rhine, that served to feed a water turbine
The railway line between Schaffhouse and Winterthur

• The construction of the biggest dam in Switzerland on the Rhine, which, thanks to its hydroelectric plant, brought Schaffhouse into the industrial age.

The Hour Glass
The Private Salon Sale
6 March - 8 March 2008 (Thursday - Saturday)

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I was considering a Choprad LUC Twist at the AD for the longest time. However, was immediately attracted by another piece on display at the recent THG Private Saloon Sale .

Needless to say, I ended up buying this piece instead. The Mayu is definitely a dressy watch, fit for a black-tie function.

Here are some pictures:

Presentation Box. Box is lacquered with Hand-painted wordings on the front. Nothing to shout about, one area H Moser should seriuosly work on. Lack of materials that gives the luxurious feel.



Nice Touch, Moser Seal embossed (below). On the pocket sleeve holding the warranty & instructions.

 

 A couple of features were particularly appealing:

- The simplistic design
- The sub second hand
- Hand wound movement
- 3day+ day power reserve
- The substantial feeling on the wrist

The dial (see below), note the 9 & 3 o'clock markers. Hands (leaf-shaped) reminiscent of a stop watch from yester-year.



Nice work on the side case. Fine intricate work on the CROWN, as expected of a fine swiss schaffenhuas



The buckle. HMC engraved & Platinium Seal on the reverse.

 

 

Escapement Module



All new Moser watches possess a revolutionary, interchangeable escapement module, which greatly facilitates servicing. The uncomplicated interchangeability with a cleaned and fully timed movement module is reinforced by yet another exclusive feature of Moser watches: the blocking pawl. The blocking pawl is situated between the escapement module and the fourth wheel. It remains out of operation for as long as the watch is running. As soon as the escapement module is removed from the plate, the blocking lever of the blocking pawl moves automatically into the limbs of the fourth wheel. In this way, it prevents the wheel train from running down unchecked when the escapement module is removed and causing the destruction of valuable components.

Drawing inspiration from historical models but up-to-date in its implementation, adjustment of the escapement is effected not in today’s customary fashion with an index that is susceptible to error, but rather with steel screws on the periphery of the balance, which are provided with two slots. Screws with only a single slot are used for the basic setting of the mass moment of inertia of the balance. Because they exhibit a higher mass, these screws are made of white gold. The materials of the Glycidur balance and the balance spring are matched to one another in such a way that their thermal properties are compensated. As a result, the variation in the accuracy of the watch is insignificant even in the presence of major fluctuations in temperature.

A further exclusive feature, which is found in all new Moser watches, is the durable and highly effective teeth for the wheels and pinions. For optimal precision, all teeth are milled and not stamped. The pinion pivots are compressed and smoothed by the traditional roller-burnishing process.

Moser Cal. HMC321.503 movement is a hand-wound movement with a diameter of 32 mm (found in Mayu)



A modern feature is the double Moser ground lines on the plate and bridges, which are found only occasionally in the historical watches from Moser. The pattern is equally as intricate to produce as the sun pattern finish under the barrels and the perlage of the plate. These specialities are an exclusive indication of the aesthetic appeal of watches made by hand in the craft tradition, since much of this is only revealed when the watch is completely dismantled.



Thanks to the use of true bevel wheels, the operation of the winding mechanism is gentle and low-wear. For optimal torque in the escapement module, the Moser tooth system is optimized in the entire wheel train. The fourth wheel and the third wheel are arranged beneath a common bridge. The value of this watch is emphasized externally by the polished edges, the sun pattern finish on the plate and bridges and the Moser ground stripes.



Before u start chiming in.... yes yes, the case back sticker is still there .... the wife's been nagging as well



Smooth-winding action, a tad difficult due to the small crown. 30-36 turns fully wound. Mighty good effort and (IMO) a mite too close to GO for their comfort, neverthesless, still way off Lange territory. Nevertheless, brings a very wide smile to any owner.



And finally to sign-off, a photo that does justice to the CAL HMC 321.503

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