Moser proves less is more

Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., on how the surge for independent watchmaking marks a cultural reset in luxury

- Mitrajit Bhattacharya

Independent watchmaking isn’t a niche anymore—it’s the new centre of gravity in haute horlogerie. Few understand this shift better than Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., the Swiss brand that is fiercely independent, proudly Swiss, and just the right amount of provocative. It stands for an uncompromising commitment to the craft of watchmaking. To understand this philosophy, you have to look back to 2017, when Moser protested the newly revised Swiss Made rules by removing the label from its watches altogether and introducing the satirical Swiss Mad Watch, a timepiece with a case made from real Swiss cheese. The brand argued that the updated legislation was too lax, and the cheeky watch was designed to be a statement piece—undeniably 100% Swiss without relying on a controversial label. Even before this, Moser had already chosen to remove its logo from the dial, shifting the focus entirely to craftsmanship and materials, including the brand's signature fumé, minimalist dials. I caught up with Moser’s CEO Edouard Meylan at the recently concluded Dubai Watch Week 2025 (DWW) and dove into a free-flowing discussion on Indian collectors waking up to independent watchmaking brands like Moser, the opening of their Gurugram boutique earlier year—the brand's seven