Most people who follow watch news have known for a while that an H. Moser & Cie. x MB&F watch was in the works. When the 2023 Only Watch Auction timepieces were revealed by all participating brands this past June, H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F rather cryptically showcased just a psychedelic poster of a DJing panda. At Geneva Watch Days 2023, the collaborating brands unveiled the timepiece, named the H. Moser X MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium (Ref. 6906-1200) for the first time.
The teams at H. Moser & Cie. and MB&F have created what can only be called the synthesis of their design ideologies, with an added layer of technical innovation. But this is not the first time the two have collaborated. In 2020, the brands joined hands to create the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F and LM101 MB&F x H. Moser – the new watch is reminiscent of the latter in many ways.
The H. Moser & Cie.’s Streamliner design in steel comes alive in an aquamarine fume dial and leaf-shaped hour and minute hands off-centre at two o'clock. Spend a couple of more seconds on it, and you see the MB&F’s Legacy Machine’s flying balance wheel take centre stage on the dial. As the eyes move left, they rest on the minute repeater mechanism with the hammers on display and gongs that circle the dial, and then finally on the emblem of the timepiece, a miniature panda that rests between the two hammers. Made from white gold and entirely hand-created, it’s positioned to look as though it is mixing music on the two turntables in front of it.
It’s quite a lot of take, but then the most incredible pieces are. To add to this, at the press conference where it was unveiled, H. Moser & Cie.’s Edouard Meylan and MB&F’s Maxillian Büsser revealed that the watch and the three-dimensional movement had been developed specifically and exclusively for Only Watch. It would not be replicated.
The 42.3mm H. Moser X MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium has at its centre a flying balance wheel with two hairsprings, a mechanism developed by Precision Engineering AG, H. Moser & Cie.’s sister company. The double hairspring, apart from reducing friction, allows for greater accuracy in time-keeping. The balance wheel is anchored by a V-shaped bridge, over which pass the gongs of the minute repeater, slightly bending at the point where they pass over the bridges.
Coming to the minute repeater, first and foremost is that the steel of the watch helps the resonance of the minute repeater, which chimes the hours, quarter-hours, and minutes. The slide that activates the repeater is on the left of the case, fitted on a Teflon runner to ensure it slides smoothly and is built into the main plate to save space. There are two gongs visible on the dial - a flat coil and an upper coil, positioned one on top of the other. The case middle has been hollowed out in order to accommodate the movement while for a soundbox to be created.
Of course, the playful panda motif has special significance for MB&F, and care has been taken in its craftsmanship as well. The first panda was created by the brand for Only Watch 2011, and a panda-inspired design made a reappearance in the 2021 Only Watch design, where it realised CHF 620,000 (estimate was CHF 100,000 - 150,000) On the dial of the new watch, the miniature animal, created in white gold, is only 5.35 mm tall and features hand-engraving, painting, and polishing. Its muzzle measures only 0.99mm, and the turntables with the paw print have an outer diameter of 1.75 mm and a thickness of 0.35 mm. Interestingly, the turntables are fitted on the axis of the hammers and move as the mechanism operates.
The watch is driven by the three-dimensional hand-wound HMC 906 calibre, beating at 18,000 vibrations/hour, and with a minimum power reserve of 54 hours. To be able to integrate the calibre from the top of the case, a removable bezel was created. The case is also larger, which helps the sound created by the minute repeater. The movement features anthracite grey rhodium-plating on the bridges and the main plate, and the horizontal double Moser stripes. The screw-down crown is adorned with a panda paw print, and the watch is water-resistant to 50 metres. The integrated steel bracelet has a folding clasp with three steel blades, engraved with the Moser hallmark.
At the press conference where the watch was unveiled, both Meylan and Busser explained that it would be difficult to actually assign a true value/cost to the watch since it was a long time in development and both teams have spent a considerable amount of time on it. The exercise also seems futile since the timepiece is only meant to be auctioned – the watch is Lot No. 28 and is estimated to fetch between CHF 300,000 – 400,000 – with the entire proceeds going to Association Monegasque contre les Myopathies, which in turn finances research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy around the world.
Only Watch auction will be held on November 5, 2023. Read more about the auction and participating brands here.
All images: Courtesy MB&F and H. Moser & Cie.
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