Rebel Without A Pause
From fighting for survival 10 years ago, H Moser & Cie has rallied to become one of the most talked-about niche independent watch brands.
WRIT LARGE UNDERNEATH H Moser & Cie’s coat of arms and iconic cursive logo are the words ‘very rare’, a motto that expresses the exclusive nature of the independent watch brand’s releases. While that may be so, ‘very rare’ has also come to convey H Moser & Cie’s seemingly unlikely but remarkable overcoming of odds to become one of the most exciting names in contemporary watchmaking in the past decade.
Today, H Moser & Cie is, by all accounts, in the pink of health. The brand is enjoying the most remarkable growth spurt in its history. In the past 10 years, its watch production has increased fivefold and, in tandem, its turnover has jumped eightfold.
Not too long ago, however, it was a different story. Despite H Moser & Cie’s illustrious legacy – the company was founded in 1828 by Swiss watchmaker Heinrich Moser – the brand was floundering in the 2000s. By the time it was acquired by its current owner,
MELB Holding in 2012, the company was in serious need of reinvigoration.
That said, H Moser & Cie has always had what it takes to get up and running. Based in Le Locle, Switzerland’s watchmaking hub, the company has the capacity to manufacture its watches entirely in-house. It isn’t short on mechanical prowess either. The brand’s minimalist perpetual calendar complication, for instance, was unique and desired by aficionados. The onus, then, was on MELB Holding and H Moser & Cie’s CEO, Edouard Meylan, to restore the brand to its eminence.
Perfect Ten
In 10 years, the company has steadily transformed itself into a well-oiled manufacture. The H Moser & Cie of today is recognised as a brand that injects an edgy spirit into its classically inspired timepieces. The Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue from 2015, powered by its famous perpetual calendar movement and anchored by an electric blue gradient dial, heralded the changes to come. Subsequently, a slew of concept watches demonstrated the brand’s new-found irreverence.
As the new releases stacked up, so did H Moser & Cie’s reputation. The Streamliner sports collection featuring integrated bracelets, released in 2020, proved to be a commercial and critical success. At this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – the watch industry’s most prestigious awards show – H Moser & Cie received the Tourbillon Award for its Cylindrical Tourbillon watch, garnering further acclaim and adding to its gravitas.
“The idea was to draw on what had already been done well – and there were lots of good things – and to further improve this by adding a bit of our own personality,” explains Meylan.
With the momentum now clearly swinging H Moser & Cie’s way, the brand is well on its way to racking up even more awards and converts in the foreseeable future.