Ed Meylan And The Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel

Imagine this. You’re lying in bed, about to log on to a live presentation with one of your favourite watch brands.

You have a cup of tea and some chocolate at the ready, and you’re excited to indulge your inner nerd with some in-depth conversation about technical horology. An innocent enough scenario you might think, little did I know my very identity as a married man was about to be threatened.

As Ed Meylan, the CEO of H. Moser & Cie. appears on screen and starts talking, you notice your wife’s ears perk up. Her eyes drift over from her book with the interest of a child looking at an ice cream shop out of a car window.

Ed’s French accent, confidence, and traditional good looks were no match for my martial bond that night. As the conversation went from independence to watchmaking and future releases, my wife slowly leaned over and took up the post on my pillow. All of a sudden she had taken a keen interest in watches. Funny that.

Fast forward a few years, I’m still a happily married man and Ed has become one of the watch industry's most dynamic and approachable CEOs. H. Moser & Cie. has gone from strength to strength and has expanded its range from the very classic to the modern and progressive. From the elegant Premier to the retro future-inspired Streamliner, Moser is a brand that has reinvented itself over and over again since the Meylan family took over in 2012. They don’t look like they’re slowing down either.

The Streamliner has been at the top of my grail list since it was first released in early 2020. As with Ed, the Streamliner Small Seconds With Enamel Dial (my pick) is extremely handsome. It’s very rare that I fall this hard for a watch, and I want to tell you why.

What is the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner?

When the Streamliner collection was first released in 2020, it came at a time when the integrated sports watch market was over-saturated. We had the established players like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe dominating, and the rest of the market scrambling to gobble up the crumbs of the Royal Oak and Nautilus pie. My eyes had genta-fatigue.

Inspired by automotive design from the 1920s, the streamliner looks like something George Jetson wears on the weekend when he plays holo-golf. It featured an automatic split-second Chronograph movement developed by Agenhor (in whom Moser now owns a minority stake), had a dial side automatic rotor and a grey fumè dial. It was a bold entrance to the integrated bracelet market and one that proved you could appeal to the traditionalists, and be original at the same time. Not an easy task.

Two years and a few different iterations later we come to my favourite of the Streamliner collection. With its blue enamel fume dial, micro-rotor movement and a bang-on perfect size of 39mm, the Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel is as good as it gets.

Nature Inspired Design

As with all Streamliners, the bracelet is a master class in nature-inspired design. Each link fits snuggly into the next with highly polished bevels only visible when the bracelet is articulating, flashing light right at you when it moves. The integration between the end link and case is tight but not invisible, and the polishing extends around its flanks like a river flowing through a valley. The case is what I would affectionately call a ‘squircle’ and is organic but precise.

Grand Feu Fumè

Aqua Blue "Grand Feu" enamel covers a ‘hammered’ texture gold dial to create a blue so deep you could fall into it. What makes this dial particularly special is its colour gradient, the Fumè pattern has been created using different tones of enamel. Fine silica and metal oxide powders are mixed, applied to the dial and fired twelve times at over 800°C - this melts the enamel and bonds it with the surface, creating a deep, glossy liquid effect. It’s an extremely time-consuming process and one with a high failure rate. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to lay the correct amount of powder down, and fire at the exact temperature over and over again to make the gradient right.

Actually, I can imagine it, it would be almost impossible.

A Pin-up Worthy Micro-Rotor Movement

I love it when watchmakers create movements in a traditional style but with contemporary thinking. This movement looks bang up to date but doesn’t forget its highly classical roots. The HMC 500 that powers the Streamliner Small Seconds is the smallest movement Moser has made in recent history, and it could be the most beautiful.

It’s partially skeletonised, which by the way, more companies should be doing. You get the best of both worlds, the drama and technicality of open working and the traditional finishing on the rest of the bridges, in this case, Mosers own striping. It’s the watchmaking equivalent of a pinup girl flashing her ankles. You know what’s under there but you don’t need to see it all.

As for the technical details, I’ll let Ed take over from here. For full effect, read this in a sexy french accent.

"Our starting objective was to have a movement that was slim yet high-performance. We then spent a great deal of time working to optimise the dimensions, which is why we decided to integrate a micro-rotor for the first time in our history. Made from solid platinum, this micro-rotor is mounted on a ball bearing, equipped with a bi-directional pawl winding system, and offers sufficient barrel torque to provide a power reserve of 74 hours. We have had to develop new smaller, slimmer components and mechanisms which could then be integrated into the available volume. The escapement was also miniaturised, whilst ensuring its performance remained unchanged, a technical feat made possible thanks to the expertise of our sister company, Precision Engineering AG. Because of the volume, the torque and the winding system, this was no easy task, but the result is a movement that will serve as a base for our small cases, and will enable us to introduce new complications, by combining it with modules developed in-house or in collaboration with our partner Agenhor"

Bel homme!

Ed Meylan, My Wife’s Favourite Watch CEO

It’s a running joke in my house how much my wife appreciates Moser’s CEO. My banter usually elicits an eye roll and a playful punch on the shoulder. The truth is though, I appreciate him just as much as she does, just for slightly different reasons. Ed’s ability to innovate, his commitment to freshness and his willingness to interact with people are all things I admire greatly.

H. Moser & Cie. isn’t a great brand because of its watches, it’s technology or craftsmanship. It’s great because it’s approachable. Ed knows that to appeal to the next generation of watch enthusiasts he has to come to us where we are, and that’s exactly what he does. Whenever I comment on one of his Instagram posts it always gets a like, and he will often respond if messaged, thanking you for your support. It sounds like a small thing, but that’s how you make lifelong fans.

I may not have the means to buy the Streamliner Small Seconds right now, but you better believe I’ll do everything in my power to own it one day. And that’s not all because of the watch itself, but also because I feel like I’m part of the Meylan family.

When I do eventually pull the trigger, my wife certainly won't take much convincing.

Cya in the next one. x

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