BRANDED CONTENT
This watchmaker's modern take on classical watches delights its customers
Innovation is the name of the game at H. Moser & Cie, whether in horology or in its relationship with Cortina Watch
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Cortina Watch CEO Jeremy Lim and Pacific Time MD Sharon Lim, flanked by brothers Bertrand (left) and Edouard Meylan (right) from H. Moser and Cie.
PHOTO: CORTINA WATCH
Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie might have been around since 1828 but under the leadership of CEO Edouard Meylan, it has been anything but conventional.
Take what Mr Meylan did during the pandemic, for instance. He used a mobile phone and the Zoom tele-conferencing platform to take Cortina Watch’s clients on a virtual tour of the Moser manufacture, showing them how each component of every watch was cut, shaped, finished and assembled by hand.
The personal, highly intimate guided tour helped the customers escape virtually – if for a short while – and enabled Mr Meylan to share with them his joy and passion for Moser.
This unconventional approach extends to the designs of the watches too, with Mr Meylan unafraid to make bold statements with Moser’s timepieces.
The limited-edition Swiss Alp Watch, for example, is a tongue-in-cheek, paradoxical take on a popular smartwatch and while it mimics its look, it is equipped with a mechanical movement.
And even among its regular collections, the Streamliner is unique in its own ways: It boasts a smooth cushion-shaped case, complemented by an integrated steel bracelet with finely-finished links.
The Streamliner’s aesthetics pays homage to the curved shell-like designs of trains, bikes and cars from the 30s and 40s – a look not common among watches today.
With Cortina Watch as their retail partner in Asia, the two brands are reaching a new generation of watch collectors looking for experiential watchmaking.
Says Mr Jeremy Lim, CEO of Cortina Watch, “Moser’s unique position as a boutique, high-watchmaking brand with a modern take on watch design occupies a niche within the industry. There are no other brands like it. This is in part due to Edouard and (brother) Bertrand Meylan’s bold vision for Moser.
“They have been able to adopt modern culture and lifestyle trends and apply it to classic watchmaking, creating a fervour for their timepieces. We’re excited to work with them, to see what’s next.”
Built on a strong foundation
The Meylan family has had firm roots in the watchmaking industry. Mr Edouard Meylan’s father, Georges-Henri, worked at Jaeger-LeCoultre before leading Audemars Piguet from 1997 to 2009.
After leaving Audemars Piguet, Mr Georges-Henri Meylan established the MELB Holding Group in 2012 and acquired H. Moser & Cie, which had gone through a relaunch in 2005 with the backing of the Moser family.
The Meylans saw great potential in the brand, especially since it is one of the few watch manufactures in the world that produces its own hairsprings – a highly complex task – including its unique Straumann double hairspring.
When Mr Edouard Meylan took over as the Swiss watchmaker’s CEO in 2013, he embarked on a complete transformation of the brand, starting with finding the right retail partners to help him revitalise it. Having already had a relationship with the Lims from the 90s, the Meylans immediately reached out to Cortina Watch.
Celebrating good times
To further cement their growing partnership, Cortina Watch and H. Moser & Cie have developed a 10-piece limited-edition timepiece for the retailer’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton features a large flying tourbillon as well as the cylindrical hairspring, a component that only a few watchmakers can produce today.
The automatic skeleton movement, the HMC 811 calibre with arched bridges, is completely visible from the front and back, with a gradient funky blue sunburst fumé dial.
The domed sapphire crystal enhances and magnifies the incredible workmanship the Moser manufacture has invested in – testament to the pride behind an unconventional company in a rather more traditional industry.
Click here for more stories related to Cortina Watch's golden jubilee. To see tributes from its brand partners, go to the Cortina Watch 50th anniversary commemorative website.
