H. Moser & Cie Skeletonizes The Streamliner Tourbillon

H. Moser & Cie is known for combining modern design with traditional watchmaking principles, with an overall aesthetic of minimalism. These elements coalesce in the new skeletonized version of the Streamliner Tourbillon. This is Moser’s second skeletonized model. In 2022, it launched the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon in an openworked version. To skeletonize a watch means to cut away as much of the plate and bridges as possible to showcase the movement without rendering it unstable in the process.

Traditionally, skeletonization meant finishing whatever metal was left in some elaborate filigree pattern by hand engraving. Modern skeletonization, which is better defined as openworking a movement, foregoes the filigree but finishes the components according to high watchmaking standards. On the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton, the plate and bridges are coated in anthracite and then finished with drawn strokes and precise bevels. Unlike most vintage skeletonized watches, this one even opens up the barrel so that you can see the mainspring, so you can check firsthand how tightly wound it is and thus what the remaining power reserve is likely to be.

If you look at the flying tourbillon at six o’clock, you can also get a glimpse of the movement’s main novelty: it has a double hairspring, the purpose of which is to make it more efficient. The two hairsprings correct each other when they expand, which improves isochronism and thus accuracy. In order to stand out against the movement, the hands and indexes are gold plated and treated with Globolight, a ceramic-based material containing Super-LumiNova, the material that makes watch components glow in the dark. The 40mm cushion shaped case is steel, with a fully integrated steel bracelet – there are no lugs on the case, which adds to the minimalist aesthetic. The slightly domed sapphire crystal is a vintage touch. It is priced at $86,900.