Sophmore efforts are hard. As Elvis Costello once said, “You have 20 years to write your first album, and you have six months to write your second one.” Those timeframes aren’t quite as tight in watchmaking, but when a brand like Möels & Co. jumps out with an absolutely stellar first watch like the 528, we naturally expect big things from the next. Such was my train of thought when I unpacked a pair of Möels 369 prototypes for this review.
If you recall, the 528 is a delightfully offbeat piece with a 45mm TV-style case and an asymmetric 1950s modernist dial. In comparison, the 39mm 369 appears almost conventional until you look closer at its tonneau body, cushion-shaped bezel, and 14mm lug gap. It is an athletic 46.5mm long and 12.5mm thick. With its flat sides, brushed surfaces, fat lugs, and just a hint of polish on the outer edges of the bezel and barrel, the 369 broadcasts strong sports watch signals. Möels backs that up with a screw-down crown, 200m water resistance rating, and a double-domed AR-coated sapphire crystal. It may not have the equipment to be a dive watch, and it’s too pretty for me to classify as a tool watch, but it’s tough enough to mix it up with either one.
I applaud the low-profile bun crown. It is large enough for you to get a good fingertip grip on its coin edge, yet not so large that it disrupts the case’s flow. Its roundness makes perfect sense with the soft lines present elsewhere.
On my 6.75″ wrist, the 369’s proportions pay off handsomely, providing just the right amount of sporty swagger without occupying too much of that precious real estate. Möels bills 39mm as a unisex size, and while I can see why, I’d caution buyers that case width is only a rough estimate of how a watch might look on your wrist. In general, the more squared the watch case, the larger it will appear. I thought the 369 was larger than most watches marketed to women, an opinion shared by my wife, who said it was outside of her comfort zone.
The 369’s most striking feature is its dial. Marked with diamond-cut skeleton hands, it is divided into 12 sections like a pie, ringed by a railroad index, and marked with tall blocks that skirt the outermost edge. The blocks’ bodies occupy the space of an hour, while the gaps between them (filled with a 60-increment index marked by fives) indicate the tops of the hours — exactly opposite of a typical hour marker.
Breaking up this effect with a logo splashed across the top of the dial would have been criminal. Instead, the brand’s name is incorporated into the 6 o’clock spoke. One might have expected it to be at 9 or 3 o’clock, but in my entirely subjective test of turning the watch in a circle on my desk, 6 is the least obtrusive position.
Möels offers the 369 in nine color schemes. I sampled the Velvet Noir (dark grey and red) and Tortuga Bay (green and white). The aluminum dial’s vertical brushing creates a remarkable color shift as the light changes. The difference was not very pronounced on the Velvet Noir, which alternated between black and graphite; however, it produced a wide range on Tortuga Bay, moving from grass green to pale lime to chartreuse and finally a vivid acid green in direct sunlight. It’s a wild ride.
Variants with white hands and markers get bright Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova on all three hands and the Stonehenge ring of markers. The others, like the Velvet Noir, do not.
Around the back, you will find the 369’s sapphire exhibition window. It does not exhibit the movement, and I am perfectly happy with that. Too many watches show off units that provide beautiful function but only pedestrian form. The Möels’s Swiss Sellita SW200-1b is a robust automatic with 26 jewels, 28.8k bph, and a 38-hour power reserve. It’s a great movement but we don’t need to see it. Instead, it is hidden under a perforated and signed grille that provides just the slightest glimpse of the gilt rotor’s travel.
The prototypes came on custom straps made by Udol Leather. They fit the 14mm gap, flare to 22.5mm to meet the outer edges of the lugs, and then taper to 188mm at the buckle. I was impressed by their buttery softness and vibrant color. The straps are a £120 option.
You may be wondering why I am commenting on an optional strap instead of the one that comes with the watch. Well, it just so happens that the Möels 369 will ship with a steel bracelet. It looks amazing and completes the integrated sports watch look, but was unavailable in time for this review. Möels will also supply a 20mm strap adapter. Whichever you ultimately use, it will attach with a dual-sided screw bar.
The Möels 369 is now available for preorder for £800 (about $1000 US) and will be £1,150 GBP ($1,440 US) at full price. Buyers will get the 369 with bracelet, strap adapter, and a Heisse & Söhne leather travel pouch. Delivery is expected at the end of August.
Overall, I’d say the 369 is a worthy successor to the 528. It is arguably more versatile and better suited to daily wear while not giving up an iota of the Möels & Co. character and charm.
If you want to get yours before the prices increase, head to moelsandco.com now.
