Dial
Fumé gradient dial
ProbableMoser's signature dial: a lacquer gradient running evenly and concentrically from a bright centre to a near-black periphery, with no visible step, band or transition line. Difficult to execute consistently, and on the Concept watches — which carry no printing whatever — it is the ONLY dial evidence there is.
Part reference
- Brand
- H. Moser & Cie.
- Material
- Lacquered metal dial with a graded finish
Documented variations
Classification
FactoryDocumented as shipped from the factory for this reference and period.PeriodNot original to this watch, but correct for its production period.ServiceFitted by the manufacturer's own service network. Not a defect.AftermarketThird-party part. Affects originality, not authenticity.ModifiedGenuine parts in a configuration the factory did not sell. Affects originality and value, not authenticity.CounterfeitDeceptive reproduction intended to pass as genuine.UnknownEvidence on file does not settle the question.Even, concentric, unstepped gradient
FactoryProbableWhole production
The gradient is centred on the dial, grades continuously with no visible banding, and stays even as the watch is rotated under diffuse light. That last point is the practical test: an uneven gradient reveals itself as the light moves across it, where a static photograph can conceal it.
Stepped, blotchy or off-centre gradient
CounterfeitProbableWhole production
Copies show banding where lacquer was built up in discrete passes, pooling where it was applied unevenly, or a gradient whose bright centre sits off the dial's axis. Since a Concept dial has nothing else printed on it, this is the whole dial check and it carries correspondingly more weight than a single dial observation usually would.
Open questions
Photographic reference for fumé gradient quality
How does a genuine Moser fumé gradient behave under rotation and varied lighting, compared with the copies now in circulation?
Scope An unusual case where still photography is inadequate to the gap: the check depends on how the gradient behaves as light moves across it, so the reference material needed is video rather than images. Worth noting because it also implies the right instruction to a remote seller — ask for a rotating video, not more photographs.
Documented on these references
Whole production
On a Concept watch this is the entire dial check, because nothing is printed on it.
- H. Moser & Cie. StreamlinerFactory
Whole production
Whole production
Provenance of this record
Sources & Evidence
Specialist coverage of H. Moser & Cie., the fumé dials and the modular escapement
Established horological publications
- Accessed
- 2026-08-19
Cited for
Last verified: Not yet reviewed