ReviewNow Loading: The H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade

The unapologetically mechanical jab to an industry leader’s famous smartwatch has reached the final stage of its evolution as the aptly named Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade marks the end of the run for the Swiss Alp Watch series.

First launched back in 2016, a year after Apple released the first Apple Watch, the Swiss Alp Watch has always been a tongue-in-cheek response to the inevitable taking-over by smartwatches. The concept has been a canvas for various statements; 14 in total—from faceless tourbillons that chime the time, to watches fully set with sapphires and diamonds.

The irreverent saga ends with the mischievous watchmaker gracefully bowing out with a watch that not only mimics the form of the Apple Watch, but also a faithful recreation of the loading wheel found on Apple’s macOS, iOS, and watchOS products.

Perpetually Loading

‘No updates required, no lousy autonomy, no unnecessary features, no annoying notifications, just the only reminder you ever really need: To disconnect from all the noise and cherish each and every moment,’ says Moser while describing the Final Upgrade. Their words are in perfect synchrony with the aesthetic of the timepiece, which features a familiar rectangular case measuring 38.2mm by 44mm. The watch is constructed in steel with a black DLC coating. The most interesting pastiche, however, is the dial. Significantly darker than the ‘true-blacks’ of any OLED screen, the dial of this watch is made from Vantablack, the blackest substance known to mankind. When you look at Vantablack for the first time, it’s a bit disorienting as your mind struggles to perceive something that absorbs 99.965 percent of visible light. But when you stare into this abyss, the abyss tells you the time, thanks to its leaf-shaped reflective black hands. The defining element of this Swiss Alp is, of course, the small seconds indicator at six o’clock that mimics the Apple booting wheel. The seconds are shown by five-second increments as a white shaded disc rotates behind the marker apertures.

The watch is constructed in steel with a black DLC coating and measures 38.2mm by 44mm

₹31,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

Significantly darker than the ‘true-blacks’ of any OLED screen, the dial of this watch is made from Vantablack, the blackest substance known to mankind

₹31,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

The defining element of this Swiss Alp is, of course, the small seconds indicator at six o’clock that mimics the Apple booting wheel

₹31,00,000

Check Our Selling Price

01

The idea for the sub-dial design actually came from a customer and Edouard Meylan, the CEO of H. Moser, loved the idea. He said it was “perfectly in line with our philosophy—with a touch of humour and a hint of provocation.”

The End Of An Era

Turning the watch reveals the calibre HMC 324, a stunning hand-wound movement specifically designed for rectangular watches. The movement operates at 21,600vph and boasts a four-day power reserve. But we’re sad to report it’s not all good news this time around. The end of the Swiss Alp series also marks the end of production for the HMC 324. That makes the Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade a final hurrah in two parts.

Limited to a mere 50 pieces, the watch is obviously an interesting watch collector’s desire. And for all the jabs it takes at a digital smartwatch, there’s no denying the impressive mechanical mastery of it. In 2016, Meylan risked the reputation of his brand for a very expensive joke for a very few people. But it worked in his favour and the reactions Moser got out of it were priceless.

Limited to a mere 50 pieces, the watch is an interesting watch collector’s desire

During an interview with The Watch Guide in 2019, Meylan had stated, “Anything that is even a little provocative will have many criticising it, and many people will say that it’s genius. You need that, you need this tension if you want to stand out. You need to be on the edge—hopefully on the good side of the edge. And in that particular case, I think we did it right, and I think it was a strong statement, without attacking anyone. Some people said that we were attacking Apple. On the contrary, we were saying that there are beautiful designs out there. This is a different category, and let’s get inspired by it. We are not competing with each other. We believe for H. Moser—and other established traditional brands—that the best we can do is to continue to do what we know best and to try to do it even better, without closing our eyes about other categories, and maybe get inspired by them. And the response from the vast majority from our industry was extremely positive. People said that it was the best answer to all the criticism and speculation about the future of the Swiss watch industry. When it comes brands from the connected [or smartwatch] world, I know they’ve heard of us, and they were asking who H. Moser & Cie. were, but they never went any further than that, and there was never any reason to go any further than that.”

A New Horizon

Although we’re sad to see the Alp watch go, we’re sure the very whimsical H. Moser & Cie. will be back with something more hilarious to ruffle feathers again. As Meylan said, “The Swiss Alp Watch for me was for a particular time in the life of Moser. It’s part of this philosophy of being ‘very rare’, and we’ve decided that we’ll stop this collection. I think it’s time for something else. I want to make sure that anyone who owns a Swiss Alp Watch is proud to have it, because there are only about a few hundreds of them around the world.”