Inspired by the exploratory soul of the founder of the Swiss maison, Heinrich Moser, the Heritage Dual Time elegantly interprets the spirit of adventure and travel, combining it with the classic sense of time and tradition.
Heinrich Moser, in fact, at the age of only 22 left his hometown of Schaffhausen to embark on a challenging journey that led him to St. Petersburg, where in 1828 he founded H. Moser & Cie, which was then moved to Switzerland. The bond with the Russian world remained so strong that many Russian princes and Vladimir Lenin himself chose Moser watches for their wrist.
The Heritage Dual Time seeks to reinterpret the spirit of travel, first represented by the maison H. Moser & Cie. With the Endeavor Dual Time model, characterized – in fact – by the Dual Time function, the simplest complication for travelers: a second hand red allowed the “nostalgic” traveler to read the time “at home” wherever he was; hand that could be hidden under the hour hand where the Dual Time function was not needed.
This new model, the Heritage, is also equipped with the Dual Time function, which allows you to view two times for maximum functionality while traveling: the Swiss maison wants to offer a reference model for the modern traveler, a timepiece that would have worn Heinrich Moser himself for his journeys.
Designed for those who want to experience adventure and travel without losing the sense of the time they leave home, the Heritage Dual Time represents a very special combination of the lines of pilot’s watches and the classic style of pocket watches.
Let’s explore the technical details
An immediately striking feature is the very elegant sunburnt Burgundy dial, a color present in the Moser collection also in the Endeavor Center Seconds and Pioneer Perpetual Calendar models. Frankly, a breath of fresh air from the green dial trend which has recently become rampant in watchmaking.
The steel case is 42mm × 11.6mm: a dimension in line with the latest trends, which might seem excessive for a model like this. However, this carat weight is balanced by the tapered lugs, so thin and curved as to very elegantly balance its wrist presence.
The shape of the round case gives a nod to pocket watches, a pleasant classic appeal for a watch with an openly sporting mission.
The crown is knurled and signed by the M of Moser.
The hours are marked by large three-dimensional Arabic numerals, made of Globolight ®, a ceramic material that contains Super-LumiNova and allows perfect reading in the dark.
The gray and skeletonized Dual Time hand, as well as the red hand of the Endeavor Dual Time, can be hidden behind the hour hand when the Dual Time function is not used. The date is at 6 o’clock.
The Moser signature is engraved on the dial, in transparency and almost imperceptible, with a very elegant effect: a true no logo and minimalism manifesto!
The strap is in gray Kudu leather (an African antelope): very soft, flexible yet durable, which gives an appearance that is definitely in line with the “adventure” spirit of the watch.
At the heart of the Heritage Dual Time beats a self-winding caliber 809, an evolution of the self-winding caliber HMC 200; it guarantees three days of autonomy at full charge and is characterized by a ratchet charging system with a bidirectional rotor, which reduces the time required to fully wind the watch. Caliber 809 is equipped with the Dual Time function, which characterizes this watch, with a module developed entirely by H. Moser & Cie.
Our take on the Moser Heritage Dual Time
The model is proposed as a watch for the traveler who does not give up on elegance and style on the wrist: classic lines, which reflect the “onion” shapes of pocket watches, and a particular color, a warm but decisive smoky burgundy, really beautiful to look at and made even more chic by the happy contrast with the sober and essential strap.
Above all, we appreciate the choice of a color that “breaks” the green trend that is nowadays far too often followed.
The dominant feature is undoubtedly the Dual Time complication, typical of travel watches and, as mentioned above, the “legacy” of another model of the house, the Endeavor Dual Time.
If we can make a note, it is precisely from the comparison with its “predecessor” that we feel the lack, in the new Heritage Dual Time, of an important function for the traveler: the AM / PM indication at twelve o’clock.
Furthermore, in this new model the size of the case, together with the strong impact of the Arabic numerals, risks being heavy on some wrists, despite being well mitigated by the thin lugs and minimalism – typical of Moser – that characterizes all the remaining details.
Even the price, around 20,000 euros, is not exactly minimalist, since it is a steel model whose complexity – net of the interesting Dual Time complication – does not differ much from a time only watch.
As with any self-respecting journey, even for the Heritage Dual Time adventure in the world of watchmaking, we are curious to see the evolution and path – in the market and in the dreams of collectors – of this new timepiece.
For more information, visit the official Moser website.
If you want to get to know better Moser and their philosophy read our article
Author: Benedetta Valcastelli
Translated by: Enrico Della Guerra
