Smart movements from Moser

With roots in Switzerland and Russia, the maison of H. Moser & Cie. has enjoyed a legacy dating back to 1828. Carrying prestigious watches such as the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar, the Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time and the Pioneer Centre Seconds, in their catalogue, the Moser brand continues to astonish watchmakers

It is rare that the world of watches and humour collide; so when H. Moser & Cie. took a light-hearted jab at the Apple Smartwatch through its Swiss Alp Watch, which critics described as “a tongue-in-cheek response to the Smartwatch era”,the worlds of horology, technology and fashion took notice. “Day & Night” magazine caught up with Edouard Meylan, CEO of the brand, for an exclusive interview, where he explains how the concept of the watch evolved.

Where did the idea of the Swiss Alp Watch come from and how was the watch received?
The idea came from the movement – we have had square movements earlier in the Henry Collection and it didn’t work out so well, so I wanted to use those movements that I had in my inventory. I like the idea of Moser play on being provocative, but also combining the modern and the traditional. While a lot of people criticise the design of the Smartwatches, I actually find it interesting. So, instead of distancing the Smartwatch from the mechanical watches, I decided to combine the two. Then, we made a fun movie and built a story around it.

Where did the idea of a fun movie come from?
I always wanted to make a movie; if you look at all the launches we have had, we have always had a movie. I like humour and, for inspiration, we started looking at all the movies, all the Apple movies. So, then we decided to have some fun and make a parody. We were looking for someone to do the voiceover and finally, I ended up doing it. It was fun; I enjoyed doing it and it created a huge buzz.

Did you expect the buzz to be this big?
I wanted the buzz, but did not expect it to be this big. It suddenly became too big; people started saying that Moser is taking on Apple. But that is not true; we are not trying to take on Apple. We are just playing on the theme of two categories that can work together instead of fighting each other. It was scary and then the commercial aspect came in; we sold all the 50 pieces that we produced very quickly, within a few hours. While we were thinking, “Wow, this is such a great success”, people were saying that we would get sued, but nothing happened. It just created a huge commercial success and even more important, a huge brand awareness.

Are you releasing a new version of the Alp Watch in Basel?
No, we are only producing the original edition, but we are exploring the possibility of a new edition.

Will you be present next year at both the SIHH and Baselworld as you were this year?
No, most probably not; we plan to participate in SIHH and launch our Jumping Hour complication there. It is such an amazing fair and we would like to focus on that. For exclusive brands like us, focus is very important.

How was the reception for the Funky Blue dial that you introduced last year?
It has become extremely popular and the hero of our collection. We now have the Funky Blue Concept, the Funky Blue Perpetual Calendar, and the Funky Blue Excel. Our signature Fumé was important, but now we have this as well. It is a successful watch because people like it, but also because it is so striking that it has become part of the brand’s identity.

Why do you think the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Collection sold so well in Basel?
I think it sold so well because we played on something – i.e., overexposure, fight against corruption and over-communication – at the right time. People are beginning to feel that they have been fooled by the marketing teams and the brands; Moser is the opposite of that; it is all about the product, without anything else. The Concept kind of symbolised that and a lot of people understood this. It just came at the right time and it made sense for the brand, because a logo is about marketing, but Moser is about the product and it made sense to a lot of people.

How is Moser faring in the current economic situation which has hit the luxury sector quite hard?
Last year, Moser grew by 35 to 36 percent; I am confident that this year we will continue to grow and we are planning to invest even more as there are tonnes of opportunity. The market is difficult and people are cutting down on investments, but we want to grow further and faster as we think the concept is right. The brand is strong and dynamic, and we are opening lots of points of sales (POS). We had a great beginning this year, except for the Chinese New Year, which was a bit soft in certain markets. That is the only negative part; apart from that, it has been great. We did the Swiss Alp Watch and we had great communications, which built up our brand awareness. There are still millions of people buying watches, so the fact that Moser increased brand awareness so quickly compensates for the market going down.

Have you also increased production?
Yes, this year we are planning a 25 percent increase in production, i.e., around 1,250 watches. We produced 1,000 watches last year; the objective is 1,250 this year. We are launching the Automatic a little bit later. We also have some very successful, high-end watches, such as the Dual Time Tourbillon and the Heritage. These are complicated and expensive watches that we cannot produce in reduced capacity. The plan right now is for 1,250 but we will decide the actual numbers on reviewing our orders. We might concentrate on our bigger pieces as the palaces in the Middle East seem to like the more striking products such as the  Perpetual Calendar Heritage Limited Edition, which is a piece of art, and which we can do only one watch a month. Maybe, I will put two watchmakers on it and make two watches a month rather than doing another five Perpetual Calendars or another 20 Small Seconds.

How are your Asia and Swiss markets?
They are doing well; the Americas are growing fast and a lot of collectors in the Middle East are growing more aware of the brand. Earlier we were relying on tourists, but the combination of a slightly bigger size watch, personality and dynamic communications is appealing to a certain crowd in the Middle East. I think this year could be a very good year.