H. MOSER & CIE.A 'Very Rare' Arrival In India

With just 4,000 watches made a year and a global following of independent-minded collectors, Moser's charmingly candid CEO Edouard Meylan is now betting on India—with a new boutique, a skeletonised Streamliner, and a long-term view on doing things differently

- Sharan Sanil

In a luxury landscape increasingly crowded by marketing gimmicks and mass-customised 'exclusivity', H. Moser & Cie. stands defiantly apart. This fiercely independent Swiss manufacture has built a cult following by doing things on its own terms: from minimalist dials devoid of logos, to openly provocative limited editions, to self-reliant production via its sister company Precision Engineering AG.

It's Haute Horlogerie with an irreverent wink, and under the leadership of CEO Edouard Meylan since 2013, Moser has evolved into one of the most boldly opinionated voices in the watch world.

Recently, the brand opened its first standalone boutique in India-only the sixth such location worldwide-in collaboration with retail partner Ethos, at the City of Time complex in Gurugram. For a maison that's long favoured tight control over distribution, this expansion is as strategic as it is symbolic. "This boutique is more than a showcase. It is an invitation," Meylan said at the launch. And in many ways, it feels like the right moment: Indian collectors today are younger, bolder, and more receptive than ever to independent horology that doesn't play it safe.

Meylan himself is no stranger to disruption. A micro-engineer by training, he cut his teeth in both management consulting and the tech space (having founded the luxury mobile company Celsius X VI II), before returning to the world of watches with an ambition to challenge the industry from within. We caught up with him during his visit to India to talk about the brand's vision, the Indian collector's evolving taste, Moser's connection to the F1 hype machine, and what it means to build something "very rare" in a world of excess. Excerpts:

How was the launch? How has it been coming to India with Ethos, and why launch in Gurugram in 2025?