One of my favorite Watches & Wonders experiences these past few years was the brief time I got to spend with the Moser Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon. All tourbillons are special, of course, but this one is especially unique and I found it to be genuinely kind of awe inspiring in person. As the name of the watch implies, the cylindrical hairspring wraps around the balance spindle vertically, giving what is already a fairly dramatic watch an even more profound sense of depth. It’s a particularly challenging watchmaking feat to pull off, but pays dividends, according to Moser, in reducing friction and improving isochronism, both of which play a role in a more stable rate through the duration of the movement’s power reserve.
In the last few weeks, Moser has been busy introducing two new versions of their most impressive tourbillon, this time as part of the Streamliner collection of watches, and in both cases in partnership with the BWT Alpine F1 Team. The watches take a similar aesthetic approach seen in the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon, with a skeletonized dial that prominently highlights the flying tourbillon at 6:00, and a decentralized dial at the 12:00 position. The difference of course is that now we have this complication in a Streamliner case (and on a rubber strap) for a watch (a pair of watches, actually) that might just be the sportiest Moser has ever made.