At this year's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), H. Moser & Cie picked up the Tourbillon Watch Prize for the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton, adding to its tally of wins at the prestigious watch industry awards. These include the double wins in 2020 for the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser & Cie x MB&F (Audacity Prize), and the Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic (Chronograph Watch Prize). And these are just the most recent achievements for the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker, which was established in 1828, 40 years before its neighbour, IWC started up. In fact, H. Moser & Cie was making watches some 11 years before the brand that would become Patek Philippe was founded, and close to 50 years before Audemars Piguet got its start. Despite this, it may surprise you to learn that in 2012, the firm was staring down the barrel of bankruptcy.
If you are a regular reader of this magazine, or just a person familiar with H. Moser & Cie CEO Edouard Meylan, then you know that we speak with him quite a lot. Obviously, the brand's story did not end in 2012! Anyway, it will not surprise you to learn that we did catch up with Edouard during Watches & Wonders Geneva. As fate would have it, he swung by Singapore a couple of times after so that earlier chat has been largely supplanted with this story. This year also happens to be the 10th anniversary of a remarkable turnaround in H. Moser & Cie's fortunes, and we thought we would spend a little time going over that before leaping into our conversation.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BUOYANT HEAVYWEIGHTS
The ubiquitous use of titanium and carbon fibre does not satisfy a growing number of watch lovers; the indisputable rise of quiet design vexes them. The recent release of hefty and heavy timepieces, especially in the dive watch segment, proves that some just like it big
YEN FOR PRECISION
While we typically think of watchmaking as a Swiss matter, this ignores the powerful contributions of Japanese industry and know-how. We begin this deep dive with a look at the biggest names in the game
LEGENDARY DEPTHS
From pioneering chronographs to revolutionizing dive watches, Longines has always been at the forefront of horological advancements. Explore how the Swiss brand's journey through water-resistance shaped the future of dive watches-and made a splash in the process
LEAPING AHEAD
IWC updates the perpetual calendars in its Portugieser range with four new models
HOLDING THE HIGH GROUND
Chanel's 2024 collection represents a rare moment where haute couture and haute horlogerie coexist perfectly
SARTORIAL TIMING
Parmigiani Fleurier encourages us to take a second, and perhaps third, look at the new Toric collection of watches
LEFT HAND DRIVE
The DOXA SUB 300T Aristera is a tribute to the brand's heritage in dive watches, combining the original design with a left-handed twist for 2024, offering the standout features that made DOXA renowned while breaking new ground in functionality
LIVING HISTORY
A. Lange & Söhne has spent the better part of this year celebrating the 25th anniversary of the seminal Datograph. With the Datograph Handwerkskunst, the watch is elevated to the highest level
THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
Since its inception, Rolex has never wavered in its pledge to create the world's finest watches for anyone, anywhere
SWEET SPOT
The Longines Legend Diver is just the right amount of watch for a contemporary sports model that could also pull dress watch duties