In light of the resounding success of its perpetual calendar – widely recognized as the most legible and ingenious in the market – H. Moser & Cie. embarked on a journey to further explore this complication by introducing a new calendar to their collection. In collaboration with their partner, Agenhor SA, H. Moser & Cie. proudly presents the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition, a masterpiece limited to 100 pieces. This extraordinary timepiece represents a remarkable technical achievement, seamlessly blending the Chinese lunisolar calendar with the Gregorian solar calendar. It gracefully showcases the 12 Chinese zodiac signs in conjunction with moon phases, all while requiring no adjustments for an impressive 12-year span. Beyond its technical prowess, the watch serves as a symbol of the harmonious coexistence of two distinct cultural and measurement systems, uniting the sun and moon, all elegantly presented in a minimalist design for user-friendly functionality.
Throughout history, humankind has been driven to measure and master time, resorting to celestial bodies to determine cycles and devising calendars rooted in the movements of the sun, moon, or both. While the Gregorian calendar strictly relies on the sun, the Chinese calendar primarily follows lunar cycles while considering solar aspects, making it a complex lunisolar calendar. Rich in cultural and traditional symbolism, the Chinese calendar traces its origins to the observation of nature thousands of years ago, enabling the tracking of lunar solar terms and the four seasons, which are integral to Chinese agriculture and traditional culture. It represents an intricate and ancient method of timekeeping, providing insights into thousands of years of Chinese history and its subtleties. With the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition, H. Moser & Cie. pays a heartfelt tribute to the richness of traditional Chinese culture.
The Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition is a true technical marvel, seamlessly displaying the months and days of both the Chinese and Gregorian calendars, the moon phases, and the corresponding zodiac signs for each Chinese year. Due to its lunar basis, Chinese months consist of 29 or 30 days, aligning with lunar phases, which complete their cycle in approximately 29.53 days around Earth. There are 12 lunar months, resulting in an average lunar year of 354.36 days, 10.88 days shorter than a solar year’s 365.25 days. In a purely lunar calendar, months shift concerning the seasons, commencing approximately 11 days earlier each solar year. To maintain alignment with the solar year, lunisolar calendars introduce a 13th “embolismic” month every two to three years, a feature also indicated by the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition. As the Chinese calendar doesn’t follow repeating cycles, creating a perpetual Chinese calendar is mechanically unfeasible. H. Moser & Cie. and Agenhor SA undertook a formidable challenge by crafting a timepiece capable of precisely displaying all the intricate lunisolar calendar data for a 12-year span without any manual adjustments. In contrast to other Chinese calendars on the market that require at least 70 manual corrections over a 12-year cycle, this is the first movement designed to operate seamlessly within the same timeframe, thanks to two parallel cams conveying information on the number and duration of Chinese months. Once this 12-year cycle concludes, the cams can be easily replaced during routine servicing.
Contrasting with the red gold case of the Endeavour, the Midnight Blue fumé dial showcases the H. Moser & Cie. logo in transparent lacquer, akin to a subtle signature. It features crescent-shaped windows, one indicating the Chinese lunisolar months on the left, while the other simultaneously displays Chinese lunisolar days and moon phases on the right. Two retrograde hands with rounded tips gracefully traverse these windows, returning to their starting points after each cycle. At the 12 o’clock position, two windows reveal the Chinese lunisolar year along with the corresponding zodiac animal, as well as the embolismic month number in 13-month years. In standard 12-month years, this window remains black. At 6 o’clock, an off-centered small seconds display sits above the Gregorian calendar window. Limited to just 100 pieces, the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition will be available through H. Moser & Cie.’s global partner network.
Based on H. Moser & Cie.’s HMC 200 automatic in-house movement, the HMC 210 calibre is combined with a module developed by Agenhor SA. As Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., explains: “This synergy between our two partner companies gave rise to the Endeavour Chinese Calendar Limited Edition, which conveys the complexity of the Chinese calendar and encapsulates it in an elegant and refined watch that is easy to use, read and adjust. With its minimalist and elegant aesthetics, it is a contemporary westernised interpretation of the Chinese traditional culture, unlike the other models of its kind available on the market, which are extremely complex in functional display, difficult to read, and have a very oriental design. I am convinced that this piece’s success will transcend borders and cultures simply because it is a beautiful thing.”
For more information, please vist H-Moser.com.