Ask me on any random day to name my favorite indie watchmaker, and there’s a pretty good chance I’m likely to respond with H. Moser. They are all the things I like, in or out of watches: kind of provocative, colorful, approachable, fun, and can be viewed as either completely understated or ridiculously ostentatious (OK that last one is more or less exclusive to watches). They were an early fixation for me as I began to discover higher end independent watchmaking in earnest, so their whole vibe has imprinted on me somewhat, and I’m a little biased by the sheer amount of time I’ve spent thinking about the brand. But the thing is, they’ve changed a lot, even just in the last few years, and the brand that felt fresh and irreverent to me a decade ago feels, well, different now. And the watch I got to spend a good chunk of the summer with is a reflection of those changes, both positive and (maybe?) negative.
Review: the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Arctic Blue
I’ve been wanting to spend some real time with the Pioneer Center Seconds in 40mm since the watch was introduced a few years ago. I had previously reviewed the Pioneer “Mega Cool,” which came in the 43mm Pioneer case, which at that time was the only size available for Moser’s sporty, everyday option. I liked that watch quite a bit on the strength of its dial, but the case was just too big and unwieldy for my taste. The 40mm Pioneer was something a lot of people were waiting for, and it kind of boggles the mind that they’re still making the watch in 43mm to be honest.
Review: the H. Moser Pioneer Centre Seconds Arctic Blue
The 40mm version of the Pioneer came at the beginning of a chapter for H. Moser that is still unfolding, which if their history were an actual book would probably be called “Ambition and Expansion,” a follow up to the previous chapter which might have been called “Our MAD Magazine Era.” A brand that came to the attention of many for trolling Apple and making watches out of cheese now seems to be settling down, getting just a little more serious, and, importantly, reaching for a larger audience. Moser’s tagline remains “Very Rare,” a nod to their low production numbers as much as their unique perspective and sensibility, but they’ve moved out of the Carre at Watches & Wonders and into the main hall, literally across the way from Lange and Vacheron. They are no longer positioning themselves as a feisty underdog – they’re part of the watchmaking establishment.
Part of that shift, obviously, means making watches that are more broadly accessible and appealing to a wider audience, and at the moment a more medium sized case is table stakes for that kind of appeal. I won’t bury the lead any deeper than I already have: the 40mm Pioneer case is absolutely fantastic.
Similar in some ways to my experience with the Trafford Crossroads S in two sizes, I think the 40mm Pioneer is unquestionably the “correct” size for this case. It feels more proportional, looks better, and I have to think that even on a very large wrist, 40mm is going to look more coherent and be a better wearing experience by any reasonable measure. I could technically pull off the 43mm Pioneer but it was borderline and my memory of that wearing experience is that it wasn’t always very comfortable. The 40mm case by contrast feels much more ergonomic, even though the case lines and shape are effectively the same, just dialed down in raw numbers.
With a 40mm diameter, the smaller Pioneer measures just shy of 48mm from lug to lug, and is 12mm tall, which is a measurement that includes the domed sapphire crystal. Take the crystal out of the equation and you’re looking at a thickness of just about 10.5mm, which in my opinion is much closer to what the watch actually wears like (it’s a big dome). The 48mm lug to lug measurement is not short by any means – we’re still dealing with a fairly decent sized sports watch here. But unlike the larger watch, this one doesn’t exist purely to make a size statement. The draw of the Pioneer in the 43mm size was partially its command, and the cartoonishly large presence it had with a bright color and mostly unadorned dial. The new size just feels normal, and the shorter lug to lug (by about 3mm compared to the 43mm case) allows the curvature of the lugs to have a real impact on comfort, rather than just the visual aesthetic.
One of the hallmarks of most Mosers is the finishing and accent details you’ll find on the caseband. The Pioneer has always had a recessed cutout with fine vertical lines etched into it, and in the smaller size this detail feels more subtle. In a big case, this can sometimes feel a little clumsy, but in the smaller size it becomes a true accent and less of a focal point, which helps the watch considerably.
The dial, in a fumé Arctic Blue, is beautiful. Moser was well ahead of the current fumé dial trend and still does it better than just about anyone, and this execution points to why. The fumé effect here is not overpowering or obvious. The perimeter is basically just a darker shade of blue, instead of pitch black or deep navy. That type of extreme fumé effect always felt to me to be a little over the top, kind of like the really intense textures on some Grand Seiko dials. It’s impressive and striking at first, but is it really something you want to look at every single day? For me, it’s not, and Moser is getting more mileage out of a more restrained approach here.
My favorite Moser dials have always been Concept pieces, which forego markings, logos, and wordmarks, and let the dial color and texture take center stage. The logic behind the Pioneer as a sports watch necessitates basic hour markers (at least I suspect that’s the logic – we’ve seen Concept watches across the Moser lineup including in the Streamliner, their sportiest offering), so while this 40mm Pioneer is not a true “Concept” piece, it’s still very minimal with only applied, faceted markers at each hour, no minute markers, and a hidden engraved wordmark that can only be seen in certain lighting, at an angle.
This bare bones approach is one of the things that creates a lot of tension in the community. I know watch enthusiasts who really dislike the lack of markings on Moser Concept dials. Their take on this basic idea with the Pioneer is a nice compromise, I think, although certainly some will want more precision with a dedicated minute track.
The Pioneer 40 runs on the HMC 200 caliber, which is essentially Moser’s in-house, automatic, “workhorse” movement which forms the base for other more complicated calibers in their collection. It’s a very good, robust, modern movement with 72 hours of power reserve, and in my several weeks of testing ran just about non-stop with very good timekeeping (I recall setting it to 5:00 PM exactly on the day it arrived and checking it a week later to see that it was about seven seconds fast, your mileage may vary of course). The finishing is mostly done by machine but it looks very nice, and the movement is a nice size that impressively fills the case when viewing it through the exhibition caseback. Moser is rightfully proud of the fact that they are one of the very few brands to manufacture their own hairspring (through Precision Engineering AG, their sister company), which means that the entirety of the regulating organ (hairspring, balance wheel, and escape wheel) is made in-house. That’s pure watch nerd stuff, but worth pointing out I think particularly because so much attention paid to this brand is centered on aesthetics – they do have some legitimate manufacturing and watchmaking bona fides as well.
The stock Pioneer configuration remains a simple rubber strap, although a bracelet is also available as a custom order. Moser, I think, can be at least partially credited for popularizing the notion of the high end indie on a rubber strap look that has become a sub-genre unto itself these last few years. I quite like this look and have put my own avant-garde leaning watches from Christopher Ward, Otsuka Lotec, and others on rubber, not exactly as an homage to what Moser is doing with the Pioneer, but certainly informed by an understanding that this works well for me just makes sense with this type of watch. Moser’s strap is very supple and high quality, and the tang buckle has accents that are meant to mirror what you see on the side of the case, which is a nice touch.
The strap, unsurprisingly, greatly informs the wearing experience, and perhaps because of the timing of the loan right at the height of summer, makes me consider the Pioneer 40 predominantly as a “summer watch,” although I still struggle with the idea of applying seasonality to watches in this way. I didn’t take the rubber strap off and try the Pioneer with anything else during my time with it, but suffice it to say, it’s hard to imagine it working nearly as well on leather or any other material. The brightness of the dial lends itself to something inherently casual, like rubber, worn in less formal environments, which are the only environments I care to find myself in, frankly, between May and September.
As an unabashed fan of H. Moser, it was impossible for me to wear the Pioneer for any length of time and not consider what it might mean, realistically, to own one of these watches at some point. This is a watch I’ve considered purchasing from time to time in a slightly more than theoretical way. Ultimately, as much as I like the case of the Pioneer 40 and see it as an improvement over the larger version, I think realistically the Pioneer is among the less likely Moser collections I’d personally invest in.
My inclination if I were determined to buy into the brand would probably be a watch in the Endeavour collection, in a 40mm steel case, with a concept dial. This to me is the right mix of versatility, weirdness, and craft, and captures all the various “stuff” I like most about Moser in a wearable that works in a variety of contexts.
I’d also strongly consider a Streamliner, which is a watch that I’ve grown to appreciate more and more as they’ve introduced new iterations over these last several years. I’m not a die hard integrated bracelet sports watch person by any means, but I love the Streamliner bracelet and see it as, basically, the best in the category when it comes to originality of the design, finishing, and comfort. After a period of time where any Streamliner was incredibly difficult to source, I’ve gotten to know a handful of owners who all universally hail it as a favorite in collections that include both indies and more mainstream fare.
The Pioneer, by comparison, is missing some of the personality of the Endeavour and Streamliner, which both know exactly what they are (respectively, a dress watch format that is a canvas for some of Moser’s most experimental ideas, and the brand’s spin on a tried and true 50 year old sports watch trope). The Pioneer, in both sizes, sits uncomfortably between these ideas (it does have a screw down crown and 120 meters of water resistance). As much as I like the Pioneer 40, it does feel like a compromise of sorts, and like Moser itself has pushed beyond its originating principle with the Streamliner, which is a more serious sports watch and a more interesting and daring design object.
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The retail price of the Pioneer 40 in Arctic Blue is listed at CHF 12,900, which equates to roughly $16,000 at the time of this writing, and is the most affordable watch Moser makes. I won’t sit here and tell you it offers good value for money or anything like that, but I don’t think it’s an obscene asking price for what you’re getting. There was a time during the pandemic when certain indies were being inflated by social media hype, and for a brief moment a cadre of influencers might have had you convinced Moser could be the next Journe or Richard Mille, an indie on the cusp of wild, hype drive success. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that’s likely to happen, and that your $16,000 Pioneer will someday trade for multiples of what you paid for it. I think it’s pretty clear that not only is this unlikely to happen for a host of watch culture reasons, it’s simply not in line with Moser’s gameplan.
And that brings us back to observing Moser in this transition period, as they go from plucky upstart indie to a more reserved, established independent with what we can assume are the same lofty goals of any brand that finds itself in the main hall of Palexpo. The expense associated with exhibiting there could really only lead one to believe that the brand is focused on expansion, growing through opening more retail doors, selling more watches to existing retailers, or both. Watches like the Pioneer 40 are exactly the type of watch we’d expect to see from a brand positioning themselves for this kind of play over the next several years. They’ll make a bunch of these in different colorways, inviting people to experience the brand in the lowest stakes way they possibly can, and continue to put these, and a not insignificant number of Streamliners, I’m sure, on the wrists of new customers.
There’s probably a little bit of irony in the Pioneer 40 emerging as one of the best all around watches that Moser has ever made, mainly in that in doing so, it has smoothed out the edginess of the brand that I initially found so appealing. But that’s what you’d expect from a brand that moved on from pure provocation to future-proofing their business. And, to be clear, it’s not like Moser has gone soft. They still make plenty of surprising and unusual watches that generate plenty of conversation across the watch-internet. The main difference, though, between a watch like the Streamliner Pump and the various iterations of their Apple Watch-like Swiss Alp is in the former’s relative safety. Collectors might love it or leave it, but, I imagine, will see it as a transgression against the industry itself.
I’m rooting for Moser’s success and hope that more people discover and grow to love the brand as their footprint expands. But I’ll miss the cheese watch days, that time period where it felt like their mission was to poke the proverbial bear that is the Swiss watch industry. The brand has undeoubtedy matured, and I think the Pioneer 40 is a reflection of that. H. Moser