Hands-On The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel

There are many reasons for the longevity of the Streamliner. One of them is certainly the fact that it doesn't look like a knock-off of any other integrated bracelet design. The smooth and rounded case shape, articulated bracelet with links that run straight across, and the bold dial (which, like the case, has gotten more and more refined over the years) all come together to be something distinctly Moser. It's also been the platform for a number of interesting iterations with complications: chronograph, perpetual calendar, tourbillon – all of them look quite good in a Streamliner while still, again, looking like it's not trying to be something else.

This isn't the first minute repeater in a Streamliner case. You might remember that Moser and MB&F's "Streamliner Pandamonium" minute repeater sold for CHF 380,000 at this year's delayed Only Watch auction against a CHF 300,000-400,000 estimate. That auction, however, faced issues leading up to the sale and a cyber attack against Christie's, which prevented online bidding. 

Well, without MB&F's collaboration (or a DJ Panda on the dial), the new Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel will cost less and deliver (in my opinion) a lot more for your money – all $296,000 of that money, mind you. This is not a value proposition – I can't think of any modern minute repeater that fits that framework. But where it's lacking in pandas and flying balances, you instead get a one-minute tourbillon.

You might recognize the dial from last year's revamp of the Streamliner Small Seconds. Moser describes this as the same Aqua Blue fumé "Grand Feu" enamel with a hammered texture, and it looks indistinguishable to my eye. I think the refinements on the most recent generation small seconds model were fantastic, but one of the things that I didn't love about it was that a circular-grained subdial broke up the beautiful dial. While the dial is carved out for the minute repeater hammers and the tourbillon on the new release, it looks good without the clashing texture. Anordain comes up frequently when discussing Moser due to the fumé and vitreous enamel dials, but H. Moser has worked with the technique historically, and the two brands operate in such different price points that I don't think there's any real competition here based on dial alone.

The new watch also wears surprisingly well despite being nearly exactly 3.5mm bigger in each direction. The stainless steel case is 42.3mm by 14.4mm thick, which is understandable because of the watch's complexity. The choice of metal is also, theoretically, the best choice for a minute repeater. But I'll come back to that. The hands have Globolight inserts for lume, so if you don't want to chime the repeater in the dark (one of its original purposes), you can still potentially see the hands.

I'm a big fan of Moser's approach to finishing. The anthracite bridges and plates, with Moser's double stripes, give off a mean look while still featuring a lot of the quintessential elements that you'd expect of a major independent selling a watch closing in on $300,000. When you take a closer look, there are a few little touches that other larger brands have skipped over at the price point.

The best example is on the wheels, highlighted here by the second wheel, but you can also see it moving down to the smaller wheels in the train. Moser has finished the interior angles not just on the bridges nearby but also on the spokes of the wheel and around the center point. There's also a nice depth to the movement, something I've come to appreciate from brands like Lange. You can't always eliminate dead space, so you might as well accentuate it in an aesthetically pleasing way.

By now, we likely all know that a tourbillon is usually just complexity for complexity's sake, and Moser didn't share any chronometry data with this release. I can understand that brands often have to shoot for pushing their own horological boundaries and I have no problem with that here. Moser has a longstanding history of making some incredible-looking tourbillon watches. I would, however, love to see how this watch would look solely as a minute repeater. 

Now, back to the repeater itself. When I checked out the watch in person, I tried the repeater several times in different ways. The watch was presented on a special resonating display stand that should help amplify the repeater's sound. I also listened to the watch held in my hand and on my wrist. Repeaters have two main qualities: volume and tone. In each case, it wasn't the loudest repeater I've heard, nor the clearest. I need to look into the physics of materials and repeater construction a bit more, but there are a few factors I could imagine impacting the acoustic performance.

Sound is made when air molecules vibrate and move in waves and are impacted by the material waves pass through. Some materials accomplish this transmission better than others, and less dense materials transmit sound better – this is why F.P. Journe prefers steel for his chiming watches. Other brands – like Patek – have experimented with "advanced research" projects using internal case and dial design to amplify the sound better. In theory, since sapphire glass is less dense than steel, it should transmit sound even better, but I've always heard that minute repeaters sound better with closed casebacks (though I've not had a chance to make an A/B comparison). I've only listened to one other (non-Moser) repeater where the chiming works were on the dial side – F.P. Journe's minute repeater – which also sounded louder. The thicker, 2.2mm domed sapphire here may impede the sound in some way.

Returning to the whole package, it's still a pretty incredible watch. Instead of picking apart each detail, I tend to see it as the forest, not the trees, which goes back to why I said I liked the Streamliner in the first place. It's a great platform to do everything from something simple to very complicated while still not trying to pretend to be anything else. At the same time, the little details work so well.

The integrated bracelet features a three-blade folding clasp engraved with the Moser crest logo. You'll also notice that 2.2mm sapphire crystal. I appreciate that Moser sends their measurements with and without the crystal. The snarky folks will note you can't wear the watch without a crystal. Sure, but it accurately represents how the watch sits on the wrist. The bracelet connects pretty high to the case for integrated bracelet watches like this, so the domed crystal won't sit as high as on an MB&F. In my experience, it balanced out quite nicely.

I've been a fan of H. Moser & Cie for some time now. They were the first brand I got to tour on my first trip to Switzerland, and it's impressive how the company continues to grow both technically and aesthetically. They have also grown logistically with their investment in complications specialist Agenhor SA, so we're nearly guaranteed to have no shortage of complications from Moser in the future.

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Blue Enamel, ref. 6905-1200. 42.3 mm diameter by 14.4mm thick stainless case, with 50m water resistance. Aqua Blue fumé "Grand Feu" enamel with hammered texture, Hour and minute hands with Globolight inserts. Hours, minutes, small seconds on the tourbillon, minute repeater. Hand-wound HMC 905 movement with 35 jewels, operating at 21,600 vph, Anthracite finished with Double Moser stripes on the plate and bridges and 90 hours of power reserve. Integrated steel bracelet. Price: $296,000.

For more, visit Moser here.