H. Moser & Cie. Adds a Subdial Chronograph and an Espresso Fumé Dial to Heritage Collection

Almost all of Moser’s modern chronographs use the Agengraph movement, made by Agenhor, which puts every chronograph hand in the centre of the dial. It’s a great movement, but the whole point of it is that the chrono hands are centered and not delegated to sub-dials. Well, for the new Heritage Chronograph White Fumé, Moser really wanted sub-dials. So out with the Agengraph and in with a Dubois Dépraz module on one of its own automatic movements instead. This is the latest update to the Heritage collection, it’s the round, thin-lugged line Moser launched with Bucherer in 2018, and probably the least discussed thing the brand makes. Joining the chrono is the new brown-dial Heritage Centre Seconds.

Both have 42mm steel cases with sapphire crystal on the front and back. The chronograph is 13.8mm thick, which is pushing the maximum thickness for a watch based on 1940s designs, and the module is mostly to blame. The Centre Seconds is 11.1mm thick and should wear noticeably better. Water resistance on both is 30 meters, which isn't much to speak of.

I like the chronograph dial a lot. It’s a silvery white sunburst with a smoked edge so faint you could miss it. There are two subdials, one of them a 45-minute counter, the other running seconds, plus large Arabic numerals and a tachymeter that is scaled in two passes from 300 to 30kph. All the printing is dark blue to match the blued sword hands, and the logo is a 1947 version. It doesn’t look much like a Moser. The Centre Seconds dial is brown and darkens toward the edge, with the transparent logo painted on. Its big applied numerals are made of Globolight, a ceramic with Super-LumiNova mixed in, so the whole numeral glows.

The chronograph uses the HMC 220, Moser’s in-house automatic, which beats at 3Hz, has 72 hours of power reserve and a Straumann hairspring. On top is the mentioned chronograph module. Some people won’t want to pay this much for a modular chronograph, and I understand that. The Centre Seconds uses the HMC 200 automatic, with three days of reserve at 3Hz. The chronograph comes on grey kudu leather and the Centre Seconds on brown, both with a steel pin buckle.

The Heritage Chronograph White Fumé (ref. 8220-1200) is limited to 100 pieces and it's priced at €34,100. The Heritage Centre Seconds Espresso Fumé (ref. 8200-1207) is limited to 200 pieces and will set you back €18,300. See more on the Moser website.