We Wore the New Moser x Massena LAB Endeavor Chronograph Compax—Here’s What It Was Like
Just after the pandemic, I sat down to lunch with William Massena in Manhattan. He was wearing an early Moser Endeavor Perpetual Calendar in palladium with a blue fumé dial, one of the more brilliantly conceived timepieces of the 21st century. As we chatted, William mentioned a possible collaboration with Moser. Knowing both the Moser and Massena LAB catalogs (the latter built in no small part from collaborations with other brands), I had a hard time imagining what these two brands might come up with together. William and I discussed an innovative dial—one never seen before in watchmaking—but it is, as of now anyways, impossible to make. Barring some wild innovation or ironic play that would surely suit a Moser watch—the brand once made a case from carbonized Swiss cheese and another from “pixilated titanium” creating a QR-code—I remained in the dark.
It was a real head-scratcher. Successful collaborations hinge on inter-brand synergy, something that brings them together in a way that doesn’t feel forced or superficial and, crucially, results in a watch that feels whole, not pieced together. Successful collab watches require locating a genuine connection from which to build the watch.
More from Robb Report
The moment I saw the new Moser x Massena LAB Endeavor Chronograph Compax, I saw that they’d gone traditional over avant-garde and, more importantly, that they had found synergy. Still, finding synergy is one thing; not screwing it up is another. Having now worn the Endeavor Chronograph Compax, I am relieved to report that they did not screw it up.
Historic Chronographs and William Massena
Massena is known for digging into brand archives, singling out obscure yet tasty models from the so-called golden era of Swiss watchmaking (roughly the 1930s through the ‘50s) and bringing them back to life as modern interpretations. Massena especially goes in for chronographs.
By recreating an Angelus pulsometer, for example, Massena managed to put the revived brand back on track toward properly honoring its heritage. With the brand Habring2, Massena paid homage to the legendary Patek Philippe reference 1518, the first chronograph perpetual calendar in a wristwatch case. With the newly revived Abershorn this year, Massena imagined what a regatta chronograph from the 1930s might have been. With his single-branded Uni-Racer, Massena gave us a chance to own a modern interpretation of the very rare Universal Geneve Uni-Compax “Big Eye” chronograph. Now with Moser, Massena reimagines yet another chronograph. His experience in reimagining chronos has added up to a rather singular expertise, which matters because this isn’t as easy as it might seem.
Postmodern Mashups
All of these reimagined chronographs—including the Moser we have in hand here—succeed by mashing up various elements from the past and the present into what I’ve argued elsewhere are postmodern watches. This practice came into its own during the 1980s and ‘90s as Switzerland resurrected its mechanical watchmaking industry by simultaneously emphasizing its history and deploying cutting-edge watchmaking technology. I can’t really come up with a better description of the Endeavor Chronograph Compax: It is a mashup of a few different mid-century Moser chronographs with key elements from its current lineup, all rendered with Moser’s 21st-century watchmaking prowess. When asked if there was a specific chronograph they worked from, Massena told Robb Report, “We took different elements from a few different watches.” This is the postmodern mode.
The word mashup may connote a mess, but we need to look past that. When it comes to watches—or visual art, dance, film, jewelry or anything that gets designed in the postmodern mode—the possibility of an elegant, clean, gorgeous mashup is always there. With watches, some mashups even achieve quiet luxury, with the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5226G being my favorite example. (And then there are total messes, of course, which I do my best to avoid looking at, let alone reviewing.) Despite the boisterous name (and amalgamizing just won’t do), mashing things up is a delicate art form.
Massena is rather good at creating mashups. With the design prowess and technical capabilities of Moser on board, the Endeavor Chronograph Compax is truly an elegant, sophisticated timepiece that, importantly, doesn’t feel like a bunch of disparate parts thrown together. Transcending details and achieving compositional coherence—or, to extend the alliterativeness, horological wholeness—is the pinnacle of watch design. With this new chrono in hand, I can confidently say they transcended the nitty-gritty.
When you consider the disparate elements brought together in this watch, that’s quite an accomplishment. The “Funky Blue” fumé dial is a modern Moser classic, and as far as I know nothing like it existed in chronographs from the 1940s. The vibrant, shimmering dial is toned down with abundant printing: Moser’s old-school logo from 1947, the classic compax layout, numerical fonts reminiscent of the mid-century (note the open 6), and multiple printed scales at the periphery. All of that harkens back to the golden era of Swiss watches while also tempering the glistening effects of the more-often-bare-naked fumé dial. The leaf hands and lack of date window both sing vintage notes, while abundant Super-LumiNova and the 41 mm steel case with its high polished broadcast modern watchmaking.
It’s quite a lot to consider, really, and a lot to put together successfully. But on the wrist, this watch feels inevitable, whole, handsome, natural. Despite the large size, dense dial printing, and fumé paint job, this watch is even somewhat subdued. Coming from me, a quiet luxury junkie, that’s no small compliment. This all could very well have gone the other way, especially given the minimalism and pop colors of many modern Moser watches (Moser’s previous collab with Studio Underd0g, for example, recreated the technicolor guts of a split passion fruit).
The Mechanics
An in-house auto-winding movement (caliber HMC 220) using a chronograph module from acclaimed specialist Dubois Dépraz powers the Endeavor Chronograph Compax. Moser’s prowess as a movement maker—including manufacturing their own hairsprings under the Straumann name—is on display through the sapphire caseback. While the movement represents classic, high-end Swiss watchmaking, displaying the movement is entirely modern. Or perhaps I should say postmodern, as clear casebacks started to be a trend in the late 1980s as mechanical watchmakers asserted movements as an anachronistic art (a.k.a., pastiche, in po-mo lingo), which quartz watches could never be at the time.
Like all Moser movements, this one is gorgeously conceived, constructed and finished. Moser’s take on Geneva stripes—with wide, radiating brushing arcs and alternating sized stripes—is lovely. The anglage is among the best, and the overall architecture of Moser movements (note the sinuous gaps between the beefy bridges) has always been a treat.
The Size
As one who owns and wears mostly small vintage watches in the 34 to 36 mm range, I’m glad I got to wear this watch, because the spec-sheet had soured my expectations. Despite their ubiquity, I don’t usually think a large case (this one measures 41 x 13.3 mm) is reasonable for a vintage-inspired chronograph. Many of those watches just look like cartoon versions to me, their fine elements overinflated for across-the-room visual impact (Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin come to mind). And yet the Endeavor Chronograph Compax watch wears surprisingly well for me, and it’s visually mellow.
Also important is that the modern size doesn’t seem to detract from the vintage feel of the watch. I’ll chalk that up to the abundant printing on the dial, which divides the expanse into useful and attractive zones for the eye to explore. I regularly wear vintage 36 mm chronographs, but I am not sure I’d want the Endeavor Chronograph Compax in a retro size. My small chronos with similarly elaborate timing scales are pretty much illegible anyways.
And with that, I will conclude that Moser and Massena LAB really did an impressive thing here. It’s unexpected, visually, physically, and mechanically successful, and—despite the virtual infinity of retro-inspired postmodern watches available today—unto itself.
Limited to 100 pieces. Priced at $27,600.
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
