【F】 Hands-On With The Möels & Co 528 S2 Vistamare

You’re excused if you’ve never heard of Möels & Co, a young British brand focusing on carefully designed modern watches. I hadn’t heard of the company either until attending last month’s World Time UK show at London’s Heathrow Airport. Yet, among all the watches from the many small brands exhibiting, the new 528 S2 was one of the standouts. Then, when founder and designer Betina Menescal sent an unexpected email asking if I’d like to go hands-on with a prototype of the new model, I was more than happy to take a closer look.

Despite a relatively quiet overall watch market, the microbrand scene is abuzz with newcomers and well-known brands alike. Yes, costs have affected these small makers, but that hasn’t deterred a continuous onslaught of new releases. Some are great, some are just okay, and some are forgettable. Among the field of lookalike pieces, a distinctive offering like the new 528 S2 from Möels & Co is an eye-catcher. Sure, the styling is unusual and won’t suit everyone, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Möels & Co 528 S2 Vistamare

The 528 S2 name indicates that it is, in fact, a Series 2 model. A similar watch debuted in the past with an automatic movement, a thicker case, and different details. This new piece comes exclusively with a TV-shaped 42mm by 32mm rectangular 316L stainless steel case. Pleasingly, the watch has a slim 8.7mm profile, which includes a curved sapphire crystal with six layers of internal antireflective coating. Despite this crystal having corners, the watch’s water resistance rating is a reasonable 50 meters.

Five dial colors using the Astra layout

Möels & Co has bestowed this dial layout with the Astra name. This refers to the star or ray-like lines emanating from the center pinion. No, you’re not imagining something. The diamond-cut hands are off-center on the expansive dial. It’s a bit of a mind-melding illusion at first, but it oddly balances the wide case shape.

Regarding the dial colors, there are five options. Each has an aluminum base and is manually painted with one of four metallic tones or one glossy choice. The metallic ones are salmon, blue-green, silver, and a mix of black and silver. The lone glossy piece is black and also stands as the only model with a luminous handset. For this hands-on experience, I chose the blue-green model, known as Vistamare. In the sunshine, the dial shines and switches between intense blues and greens depending on the angle and lighting. As a note, because this was a prototype, the hands were not perfectly aligned.

A manual-winding La Joux-Perret D101

The Möels & Co 528 S2 uses the La-Joux Perret D101, a manual-winding movement with 18 jewels that has become the recent darling of the industry. It’s visible via an offset display window and is adorned with Côtes de Genève decoration on its uppermost plates. It has a frequency of 21,600vph and a power reserve of 50 hours. Naturally, the time-only caliber is operated using a nicely designed, ridged crown. I applaud the use of this movement over an automatic one. It fits the aesthetic and helps reduce thickness.

The 528 S2 on the wrist

There’s no doubt that the 528 S2 has a special look on the wrist. Its wide, retro-influenced case fits well due to the moderate lug-to-lug measurement. Of course, it takes some getting used to unless you’re a collector of, say, 1970s Omega Constellations. That said, I found it comfortable and delightfully different from the norm.

Another nice detail is that Möels & Co has selected Delugs as its strap supplier. For this model, 20mm black, brown, or blue Epsom leather straps are available with a stainless steel pin buckle. To create a more modern look, a white Delugs FKM rubber strap with a leaf-spring buckle is another option. Whereas the Epsom supports a dressy vibe, the white rubber is sportier. I ended up spending more time with the leather, but both work well with the overall design.

Final thoughts on the Möels & Co 528 S2

The 528 S2 is a rather audacious dress watch, but I appreciate it for taking a very different direction aesthetically. For certain, some may find it a bit too off the wall, but it’s okay when a watch is somewhat divisive. Regarding pricing, the 528 S2 is now available for pre-order on the brand’s site at a special price of £1,350. At some point, the regular price will rise to £1,650. While the watch feels like quality, the pricing puts it in tough territory. Then again, with the success of watches like the Dennison ALD, the Anoma A1, and various other non-round retro-modern designs, perhaps the timing is perfect for these pieces. Let us know your thoughts, and feel free to follow Möels & Co on social media to try one on at an upcoming watch event.

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