Latest Review
I was trying to think back to when I first really became aware of H. Moser, and I have to think it was probably right around the time the Swiss Alp series was gaining traction (and some notoriety) in the watch community. Obviously that wasn’t the genesis of the brand, but it marked a turning point in the larger awareness of Moser in the cultural imagination of watch enthusiasts. I hate using the word “disruptive” but it really felt that way in the moment, playing as it did with the well understood shape of the world’s most popular smart watch, and making an attempt to send a statement about the importance of traditional Swiss watchmaking through aesthetic codes.
It was also around that time that Moser really began leaning into color as a defining trait of their design language, particularly through “Concept” dials which completely abandon markings and branding of any kind. They never really completely turned away from this, but as they’ve expanded into new complications, experimented with Vantablack, and have generally leaned into watches that sit at ever higher price points, some of the purely playful colorful stuff that reminds me of that initial period of Moser discovery has felt like it’s been moved to the background. The latest Pioneer Centre Seconds in a colorway the brand is calling “Sun Berry” is the first reference from Moser in a long time that really brings me back to those earlier, pre-pandemic days.
Collectors and enthusiasts will argue about this, but to me the Pioneer is really the platonic idea of what Moser can be. It’s specced like a sports watch, with 120 meters of water resistance and classic sporty case lines, but it has a kind of casual elegance to it that I find really appealing. It’s also proven to be versatile in terms of colorways, and is a great canvas for Moser’s impressive fumé dials.
If there was one knock on the Pioneer, though, it was always the size. At 43mm, the original Pioneer was, and is, a bit of a handful. Not “too big” necessarily, as it’s proportional and well thought out, but also not super discreet. With the Sun Berry, Moser continues to expand their 40mm Pioneer offerings. This is a much more approachable size, coming in at 12mm tall (with a dramatically domed sapphire crystal) and 47.5mm from lug to lug.
The Sun Berry’s dial dips into purple, a color that increasingly seems to be having a moment in the enthusiast world. It has a fumé, sunburst finish with no visible logo indices, and is complemented by the same leaf shaped hour and minute hands that we’ve seen on other Pioneers over the years. The yellow inner flange is fully lumed and matches the color of the hands as well as the strap.
The Pioneer Centre Seconds Sun Berry runs on the HMC 201 automatic calibre, which is visible through the open caseback and has a lot of very attractive decoration, including partially skeletonized bridges and anthracite finishing. It has three days of power reserve when fully wound.
The new Pioneer Centre Seconds Sun Berry has a retail price of $18,300. More information can be found on the Moser website here.
