The Off-Grid stays true to its moniker with straightforward purpose (All photos: Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/ The Edge Malaysia)
H Moser & Cie has long championed the art of restraint, paring away excess to spotlight what truly matters: a sophisticated enamelled dial, an entrancing flying tourbillon or simply the architecture of a calibre itself. Extending this modern minimalist philosophy, the independent brand is now applying its approach to a digital timepiece.
Stripped of the usual smartwatch gimmicks, the new Off-Grid stays true to its moniker with straightforward purpose. You won’t find step counters, heart rate sensors, location tracking, remote camera shutters or WhatsApp pings here. Instead, it uses its digital module to consolidate a focused suite of complications that relate to the present moment.
Users will have access to a GMT with a country selector for all time zones; a split-seconds chronograph displaying 1/100th of a second; perpetual calendar; perpetual moonphase that is updated hourly and programmed for the next 100 years; sunrise and sunset times calculated to an accuracy of a minute and 30 seconds, also programmed for the next century; vibrating alarm and timer.
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Taking its aesthetic cues from the Streamliner, the Off-Grid features a skeletonised dial where digital technology and traditional watchmaking meet. Above the screen at 12 o’clock is a small domed fumé dial with the brand’s logo applied in subtle transparent lacquer. Here, Super-LumiNova-filled hands and ceramic indices ensure legibility in low lighting. The push buttons at 2, 3 and 4 o’clock are for function selection and setting, while the 9 o’clock button allows wearers to switch between saved regions. Water resistance reaches up to 120m, while the watch’s power reserve can last for 12 months in time display-only mode.
The Moser Exploration Lab creation comes in two steel variations: one with a blue PVD treatment, Blackor fumé dial and white rubber strap; and the other with a black PVD treatment, Red fumé dial and black rubber strap. They are iOS and Android compatible and limited to 1,000 pieces each.
Moser owners will have exclusive early access to the new release, priced at CHF3,900, from Sept 21 to 24 via h-moser.com. It will be available to the public from Sept 25 to Oct 4.
