Moser Watches presented the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition which combines the Chinese and Gregorian calendars. Price €78,200
Renowned for its smart and elegant perpetual calendar, H. Moser & Cie. is adding another calendar to its collection. In collaboration with its partner Agenhor SA, the Swiss brand developed the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition, produced in 100 pieces.
This timepiece combines the Chinese lunisolar calendar with the solar-only Gregorian calendar and displays the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac alongside the moon phases, all without requiring any corrections for 12 years.
While the Gregorian calendar is purely solar, the Chinese lunisolar calendar predominantly follows lunar cycles but also incorporates solar aspects, making it more intricate.
Rich in cultural and traditional symbolism, this calendar makes it possible to follow the rhythm of lunar solar terms and the four seasons, crucial for Chinese agriculture and traditional culture.
A true technical feat, the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition displays the months and days of the Chinese calendar, the days of the Gregorian calendar, the moon phases, and the signs of the zodiac that are associated with each Chinese year. And, despite providing numerous indications, the dial upholds an elegant and minimalist design, enhancing the timepiece's user-friendliness for reading and operation.
The lunar calendar, based on the moon's cycles, comprises 29 or 30 days in keeping with the moon's phases, which take 29.53 days to orbit the Earth. There are 12 lunar months, averaging 354.36 days in a lunar year, which is 10.88 days shorter than a solar year lasting 365.25 days. To maintain alignment with the solar year and seasons, lunisolar calendars add an 13th month - known as "embolismic" - every two to three years. The Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition also indicates this extra month.
As there are no repeated cycles in the Chinese calendar, it is mechanically impossible to create a Chinese perpetual calendar. H. Moser & Cie. and Agenhor SA undertook a major challenge in creating a timepiece that precisely indicates all the lunisolar calendar information for 12 years without any corrections.
H. Moser & Cie. explains: “While the other Chinese calendars on the market require at least 70 manual corrections over a duodecimal period, this is the first movement to operate according to the same cycle without external intervention. This feat is made possible by two cams that work in parallel and convey information on the number and duration of Chinese months using feelers. The Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition will also take into account the number of Chinese lunisolar months and their duration, the embolismic months, the Chinese lunisolar year and the corresponding animal of the Chinese zodiac, the moon phases, and the dates of the Gregorian calendar, for a duration of 12 years. At the end of this cycle, the cams will very simply be changed for the next 12-year period at the same time as the watch is serviced.”
Framed by a 40 mm x 13 mm Endeavour case crafted from red gold, the Midnight Blue fumé dial bears the H. Moser & Cie logo in transparent lacquer, like a secret signature. It features crescent-shaped windows, one indicating the Chinese lunisolar months, on the left-hand side, and the other simultaneously displaying the Chinese lunisolar days and the moon phase on the right-hand side.
Two retrograde hands with rounded tips travel along these windows and return to their starting points once they have completed their course. At 12 o'clock, two windows show the Chinese lunisolar year and the associated animal zodiac, as well as the embolismic month number whenever there is a 13-month year. In a standard 12-month year, this corresponding window will stay black.
An off-centred small seconds display sits atop the Gregorian calendar window at 6 o'clock.
Based on the HMC 200 automatic in-house movement, the HMC 210 calibre is combined with a special module developed by Agenhor SA. Beating at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour, this beautifully finished movement offers a power reserve of 3 days.
Limited to 100 pieces, the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition, reference 1210-0400, is priced at Euro 78,200. h-moser.com
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