Knowledge about Wyoming isn’t one of my strong points – if the state is mentioned I do think of geology, but more along the lines of the much-photographed rocks and boulders, and also oil, gas and coal deposits.

It turns out that it is also famous for nephrite jade, which became Wyoming’s state gemstone in 1967. Generally found the central and southwestern parts of the state, its presence there was first described in the Granite Mountains area of central Wyoming in 1936. This lead, not unexpectedly, to the jade equivalent of a (two decade-long) gold rush as prospectors descended in the central and southwestern areas of the state. Most of the better quality jade has been from the Granite Mountains area. They call the hunt for mineral, crystal, metal and fossil ‘rockhounding’, and if you want to read more about gemstone deposits in Wyoming, hit this government link.

The (usual) absence of a logo on the dial means that the jade used on the dial of the Streamliner Tourbillon Wyoming Jade is interrupted only by the one minute flying tourbillon with skeletonised bridge at 6 o’clock.

You may already be familiar with how stone becomes a dial, but to recap – the first step is obviously selecting the jade. It is then cut using CNC equipment to pieces that are between 1 and 1.2mm thick. These are then individually cut into the dial shape and glued onto metal plates, after which there is more CNC milling and refining. The final step is hand polishing, before varnish is applied to the back and the dial glued onto a brass base.

The 40mm sized case of the new Wyoming Jade is 18kt red gold, with a water resistance of 120m. The screw-down crown has the Moser ‘M’ engraved into it. The use of 18kt red gold extends to the hour and minute hands and indices, with Globelight inserts in the hands.

Through the open case back can be seen the automatic Calibre HMC 804 which beats at 21,600 VPH. With an 18kt red gold rotor, itn has a power reserve of 72 hours.

Limited to 100 pieces, the new Streamliner Tourbillon Wyoming Jade comes on an 18kt red gold integrated bracelet with folding clasp with three blades and has an RRP of CHF 109,000.

[Photo credit: H.Moser & Cie]

Categories: H. Moser & Cie, Limited Editions, Watch Profile, watches