Very Rad

Classic but cheeky, the refreshed H. Moser & Cie loves ruffling feathers with its take on old-school horology.

- Alvin Wong

Like that uncle at the family party whom the teenagers love to hang with while getting looks of trepidation from their parents, H. Moser & Cie may claim to be ‘old’, but its spirit remains resolutely rebellious and refreshing.

The Schaffhausen-based brand is officially 189 years old, having been established by its eponymous founder in St. Petersburg in 1828. Yet, it is still considered a young whippersnapper, more accurately defined by its modern history as the brand was re-established as recently as 2005 by the Moser family, who in turn in 2012, relinquished control to the family owned MELB Holding, which also runs independent brand Hautlence.

As the company’s trajectory suggests, there is a marked joining of dots between its past and present. At first glance, H. Moser’s offerings, which now go with the tagline ‘Very Rare’ for its limited production quantities and exclusive movements, are decidedly rooted in the past – distinguished by curvaceous round case and tinged with a minimalist approach to dial design.

On close inspection, however, one finds a well of modernistic nuances, from fumé dials in striking hues from cigar to ‘funky blue’, as well as progressive modular construction for its in-house movements, the most famous of which is the super stripped down perpetual calendar calibre that cleverly disguises typically convoluted calendar displays into existing indexes, such as the hour markers that double up as month indicators.