SpotlightFrom Quirky To Exquisite—The H. Moser & Cie. Collection Revealed At SIHH 2019 Has It All

Since 2016, SIHH has earmarked a special section at the fair called the Carré Des Horlogers, or watchmaker’s square. This is reserved for the most prestigious independent watchmakers—some are dedicated to the classical crafts, while there are others challenging the status quo and reinventing the definition of what a timepiece is or can be. 17 such brands are exhibiting this year and a stand-out among them is H. Moser & Cie.

In its current avatar, H. Moser is just over a decade old but has developed quite a solid reputation with collectors owing to its signature dials, minimalist designs and quirky take on the industry in which it operates. If you listen to their CEO, Edouard Meylan, speak at different forums about the philosophy of Moser’s designs, you’re quite likely to catch him use the word ‘sexy’. Well, what can we say—their watches kind of are. Let’s take a look for ourselves.

Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon

This Endeavour Concept release feels like an embodiment of the brand in one timepiece. Fumé dial, fully in-house automatic movement down to the hairspring, no logos and indices. A timepiece basically has two functions—displaying the time and showcasing its creative art. And the design of the Endeavour Concept lets it do just that without distractions of any kind.

The dial is doubtlessly the centrepiece. The sunburst blue, with hints of turquoise, fades to black as you move towards the periphery. Fumé means smoke, and you can tell why the dial is called so. It is most fascinating that a company, which makes just about 1500 pieces every year, has masterfully and peerlessly made such a dial its signature.

The case measures 40mm and the watch is available in white gold or red gold. An haute horology, time-only watch without any logo may be a polarising choice, but it is undeniably a statement. At the same time, there is something to be said about the courage and conviction of a brand that chooses to make them.

Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Cosmic Green

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept puts an interesting spin on the minimalism philosophy by adding a flying tourbillon that contrasts with the austere dial. The ‘Concept’ nomenclature used by Moser signifies doing away with logos and indices on the dial and does not necessarily mean a unique-piece, as we usually associate with the term.

The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept puts an interesting spin on the minimalism philosophy by adding a flying tourbillon that contrasts with the austere dial

The ‘Concept’ nomenclature used by Moser signifies doing away with logos and indices on the dial and does not necessarily mean a unique-piece, as we usually associate with the term

Tourbillons may be a relatively common sight at SIHH owing to the general high-end nature of watchmaking on display, but they remain one of the toughest elements to crack in horology. H. Moser makes their tourbillons in-house and this is really remarkable for an independent brand of their size and age.

Pioneer Tourbillon

We wrote about this limited edition watch prior to SIHH 2019 as part of our previews. It’s exactly the kind of contrarian timepiece you would expect from a brand like Moser, who like to do things differently. Tourbillons in every day, sporty watches are rare. They don’t usually come in 120m water resistant, steel cases, and aren’t usually offered with a rubber strap option.

The case of the Pioneer Tourbillon measures 42.8mm and the dial is blue fumé. Over 90% of watches sold by H. Moser have fumé dials and is an element very closely associated with the brand, so this choice comes as no surprise.

Never-Before-Seen Timepieces

The team at Moser are naturals at injecting shock value in some of their special pieces; they have quite an amusing history of it. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Moser usually has a trick up its sleeve to make a statement or just give you a good laugh at how provocative they can be. But their ability to pull it off stems from how transparent they are about their watchmaking, and how serious they are about making genuinely distinctive, fine watches that are high on horological merit. There are three notable unique pieces this year from Moser’s stable.

The Nature Watch is covered with plants native to Switzerland, having a dial in natural mineral stone and lichen, and a strap made of grass

While it makes a plea for environment conservation, it also indirectly references a topic very close to the brand—the prestige and importance of the ‘Swiss Made’ label

The Nature Watch is covered with plants native to Switzerland, having a dial in natural mineral stone and lichen, and a strap made of grass. There’s the shock value I was talking about. While it makes a plea for environment conservation, it also indirectly references a topic very close to the brand—the prestige and importance of the ‘Swiss Made’ label. The nature watch is not for sale.

The Venturer Tourbillon Sapphire is material innovation at its finest, as the case and dial use nothing but sapphire. The case is transparent, made fully of sapphire, while the dial is set with sapphires in different shades of blue in an attempt to recreate the look of a fumé dial with stones. A tourbillon is marvellous to look at, but in this instance, you really don’t know where to look as the brilliant dial vies equally for your attention.

When the Swiss Alp Watch was introduced, its shape was a satirical take on the Apple Watch. The 2019 Concept Black takes the model to a whole new level as there is no way to read the time on the watch.

The only way to know what time it is, is to activate the minute repeater, the big daddy of watch complications. The gongs will then chime the time, as it were in the old days.

When the Swiss Alp Watch was introduced, its shape was a satirical take on the Apple Watch. The 2019 Concept Black takes the model to a whole new level as there is no way to read the time on the watch. The only way to know what time it is, is to activate the minute repeater, the big daddy of watch complications. The gongs will then chime the time, as it were in the old days. And while Moser was at it, they also put in a tourbillon for good measure. Because that’s just how they do it.

This SIHH wasn’t about new directions or collections for H. Moser. It was about iterating on what they do best while feeding their unpredictable side.

Amish Behl is India’s first Watch Expert, certified by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), Switzerland. He is a watch specialist and collector based in New Delhi, deeply passionate about the art and history of timekeeping. Behl is also the founder of Definitely Curry, a digital publication about modern ‘made in India’.