H. Moser & Cie. has taken an unusual side step into digital watchmaking with the Off-Grid, a new watch that combines the brand’s understated design language with a long list of digital functions.
In horological circles, the smartwatch has a bad rep. Seemingly a sartorial faux pas and the butt of countless ‘rating men’s watches out of 10’ jokes on social media, it takes a brave watchmaker to try and reclaim the category as something other than a bit cringe.
But Moser might have just got as close as anyone can. Rather than looking like your average smartwatch, the new Off-Grid is designed to sit somewhere between a mechanical watch and modern wearable technology.
Its technology is deliberately kept in the background, with Moser focusing on what it describes as the essentials rather than a constant stream of notifications and data.
This isn’t the first time the brand has flirted with the smartwatch though. Last year, Moser collaborated with Swiss smartwatch specialist Sequent to create the Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition – an analogue-digital connected watch designed for the Alpine Formula 1 team’s mechanics, featuring a hidden digital display and functions including race notifications and countdowns.
Purists will rejoice in hearing it’s not all glassy touchscreens and emojis here. The new watch has a skeletonised dial with a digital display at six o’clock, while a small domed fumé dial at 12 o’clock carries the brand’s logo in transparent lacquer.
It comes in two versions: blue PVD steel with a black fumé dial and white rubber strap, or black PVD steel with a red fumé dial and black rubber strap.
At 42.6mm wide and 14.4mm thick, the Off-Grid also manages to keep the instantly recognisable proportions and architecture signature of Moser’s Streamliner collection.
Behind the display is the D10 calibre, also developed with Sequent for H. Moser & Cie. The digital movement connects via Bluetooth Low Energy and is compatible with both iOS and Android.
Its functions include hours and minutes, GMT with a country selector, a split-seconds chronograph measuring to 1/100th of a second, a perpetual calendar, moon phase, sunrise and sunset times, a vibrating alarm and timer.
One for the frequent flyers, there’s also an “OFF-GRID” travel mode, which offers quick country selection and a dictionary of 10 words in 21 languages.
Limited to 1,000 pieces in each colourway, the Off-Grid is initially being offered to existing H. Moser & Cie. clients from today until September 23, before becoming available to the wider Moser community from September 24 – though you’ll have to act fast, as the edition will be available until October 5.
$4,900, h-moser.com