Watch Paparazzi

Royal Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi spotted wearing H. Moser & Cie

At what appears to be a public or cultural event in the UAE, Crown Prince of Ajman Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi was photographed wearing one of the most visually striking watches in independent watchmaking: the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack in 18K white gold. The watch is immediately identifiable by its impossibly dark dial — a material so absorptive that conventional photography struggles to render any surface detail — paired with polished dauphine-style white gold hands and a centrally mounted flying tourbillon visible at 6 o'clock.

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack was introduced in collaboration with Surrey NanoSystems, the British company behind Vantablack — a carbon nanotube coating originally developed for aerospace and defence applications. H. Moser & Cie applied the material to the dial, producing a surface that renders depth perception essentially impossible to the naked eye. The result is a watch that prioritises philosophical provocation as much as horological craft. Powering the piece is the HMC 804 calibre, a hand-wound flying tourbillon movement with a 3-day power reserve, built entirely in-house at Schaffhausen.

The white gold case measures 42mm and carries no brand name or logo on the dial — a recurring motif in Moser's Concept series, which strips away even the maker's signature in pursuit of pure form. The production run of just 50 pieces in white gold makes this one of the more genuinely scarce references in the independent watchmaking space. Retail pricing in the UK was set at approximately £60,000, placing it firmly in the territory of established maisons while representing a far more singular proposition.

Sheikh Ammar's choice of this particular reference is notable. Gulf royalty frequently gravitates toward high-complication dress watches from the grand maisons, but the Vantablack Concept signals an appetite for conceptual horology and the independent watchmaking movement. It is a collector's watch, not a status symbol in the conventional sense.

On the secondary market, examples of the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack rarely surface, and when they do, prices hold firm close to or above retail given the 50-piece limitation and the watch's significant press profile since its launch. For any serious collector, this is a reference that punches well above its production number in terms of cultural weight.