What We Know
Last year, I wrote about Moser’s interesting play in its ongoing partnership with Formula 1 team Alpine Motorsports, when it introduced a pair of Streamliners, including its first ana-digi effort in the Streamliner Mechanics Edition. Developed with Sequent, a Swiss watch brand focused on producing its own self-charging smartwatches, Moser revealed this (not self-charging) new Streamliner as a connected watch for the Alpine mechanics team. For the general public, Moser released a 500-piece run of the Mechanics Edition watch.
That edition was evidently successful enough for Moser to follow up with two new references of this ana-digi Streamliner, in a collection called the Off-Grid. And yes, the irony is not lost on me that any of Moser’s mechanical creations are, in principle, way more “off-grid” than a watch you need to recharge. Moser leans into that kind of stuff, and it wouldn’t be surprising to me if this was at least partially tongue-in-cheek. But I digress. The Streamliner silhouette on these new Off-Grid watches, with a diameter of 42.6mm and height of 14.4mm, certainly should feel familiar at this point. The diameter seems intimidating, but there is a very compact lug-to-lug fit here, given that there are no lugs to really speak of; rather, the strap attaches directly to the case (see how it looks on my 6.5″ wrist).
There are two versions here, both in steel—one with a blue PVD coating and one with black. The blue PVD version, which feels much more in the spirit of the first version from last year, comes with a “Blackor” fumé dial, and the black PVD-coated version gets a fiery red dial. Both feature Super-LumiNova on the small handset and three-dimensional Super-LumiNova ceramic indexes, and the H. Moser & Cie logo is rendered in a hidden transparent lacquer for close-up viewing only.
As in the previous Mechanics Edition, the “digi” aspect appears as a small, black-and-white digital display at the 6 o’clock position. What stands out in this Off-Grid iteration is the sort-of-skeletonized front, which leans into its non-mechanical innards and reveals them through windows created by the dial frame’s architectural lines.
There are pushers on both sides of the case. The ones you’ll find yourself using more often are on the right, with three pushers that allow you to navigate the menus and various features shown on the digital screen. That includes all of its “complications,” which include a GMT display with a country selector, a split-seconds chronograph, a perpetual calendar (I would sure hope so), a moonphase, sunrise/sunset times, a timer, and a vibrating alarm. The pusher on the left activates travel mode, which allows you to select a country and have the watch display a dictionary of 10 words in 21 different languages. Understandably absent from this edition is the original’s F1 mode, which had countdown functionality and notifications for team alerts. I am under the impression that Off-Grid has no connected notifications at all, even though it connects to your phone.
The Off-Grid editions are water-resistant to 12 ATM (120 meters). Power reserve/battery life is, as you can imagine, not the easiest thing to rate, as usage is so different between users, so I’ll paste the exact quoted specs here: “12 months in time display-only mode, or 6 months with combined use including time display, 30 days of alarm function use and 1 hour of chronograph use (with activation of the digital display at 6 o’clock).” Basically, much longer than an Apple Watch but no match for your solar G-SHOCK. Charging is done via the included cable.
The Moser Off-Grid watches are priced at $4,900 each and are limited to 1,000 pieces for each color. The pair will be open to existing Moser clients until the 23rd, and to the public between September 24th and October 5th, when the ordering window closes, or earlier if the watch sells out.
What We Think
This year’s introduction of these models is quite interesting to me. Moser sending a message that the ana-digi Streamliner wasn’t just a one-off immediately conjures up connections to M.A.D.Editions or Grøne Oldenzaal, with this Off-Grid possibly standing in as Moser’s attempt at a (relatively) entry-level product for the brand. Credit where credit’s due—of all the people to attempt a watch like this, Moser’s the right choice. And I think the watch actually looks quite nice, with the electronic internals incorporated well in the dial design. The pushers (or buttons, really) feel solid in the hand even if they miss the satisfying clack you might find in a mechanical chronograph, and you’re very much getting a nice level of fit and finish.
But at almost five thousand dollars, and with a whopping thousand pieces in each color, this is an ambitious offering. I mostly picture die-hard Moser collectors taking this on a trip as their “worry-free” watch, though some certainly will be drawn to how intriguing this ana-digi implementation is without any previous affinity towards the brand. What you are getting, however, is an unabashedly Moser design and hardware, which counts for something for that specific buyer, and I’m never going to blame someone who values design language over almost every other metric in a luxury watch. I do hope to meet some Off-Grid owners someday and see what drew them to picking one up for the collection.
The Basics
Brand: H. Moser & Cie.
Model: Off-Grid
Reference Number: 6DI0-1202 (Blue PVD); 6DI0-1205 (Black PVD)
Diameter: 42.6mm
Thickness: 14.4mm
Case Material: Steel
Dial Color: Blackor or Red Fumé dial
Indexes: 3D Super-LumiNova Ceramic Indices
Lume: Yes
Water Resistance: 12 ATM
Strap/Bracelet: Integrated black or white rubber strap
The Movement
Caliber: D10 developed with Sequent for H. Moser & Cie.
Functions: Hours, minutes, GMT, Split-Seconds Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar & Moonphase, Sunrise/Sunset Times, Vibrating Alarm, Timer, Off-Grid mode
Power Reserve: 12 months in time display-only mode, or 6 months with combined use including time display, 30 days of alarm function use, and 1 hour of chronograph use (with activation of the digital display at 6 o’clock).
Winding: None. Charging via included cable.
Additional Details: Android and iOS compatible
Pricing & Availability
Price: $4,900
Availability: Existing Moser clients until Sept. 23rd, then to the public through October 5th.
Limited Edition: Yes, 1000 pieces each.
For more, click here.
