Images Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.
Founded by Swiss-born Heinrich Moser, H Moser & Cie has garnered a steady following among haute horology enthusiasts for its luxurious timepieces with sublime finishings and details. This also includes several interesting statement pieces meant to highlight the failings and oversights of the watch industry which some critics have viewed to be elitist and out of touch.
Back in 2016, the Swiss watchmaker made international headlines following the release of the Swiss Alp Watch, a limited edition timepiece created as a rebuke to the smartwatch trend that had captivated the world following the release of the Apple Watch.
The Swiss Alp Watch was designed to resemble the famous smartwatch by Apple.
During this year’s edition of SIHH, the independent luxury watchmaker raised eyebrows yet again following the debut of its Swiss Mad Watch – a quirky timepiece that showcased a 42mm case created using a special polymer made from resin and genuine swiss cheese. According to the watchmakers, this one-off timepiece was created as a response to the recent regulations revealed by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry on the term “Swiss Made”. During the official release, the timepiece was put up for sale for a staggering CHF1,081,291.
The 42mm case of the Swiss Mad Watch features a special polymer made from real swiss cheese and resin. The watch is powered by Moser’s in-house calibre HMC 327.
In May this year, it was revealed that both the Swiss Alp Watch and Swiss Mad Watch have since been sold off by world-leading auction house Christie’s in Geneva, with the latter model going under the hammer for CHF100,000. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Foundation for Swiss Watchmaking Culture (Fondation pour la Culture Horlogère Suisse) to support apprenticeships in the watchmaking professions and to safeguard expertise in the related watchmaking arts and crafts. H Moser & Cie has also revealed plans to auction more models from the Swiss Watch series in the near future, with the next timepiece set to be unveiled during SIHH 2018.
