INDEPENDENCE, AMPLIFIED

H. Moser & Cie's move to the main hall at Watches & Wonders signals a new chapter: bigger scale, new manufacture, and collaborations that keep its irreverent spirit intact.

- ANANDHI GOPINATH

At Watches & Wonders this year, there will be a new name in the main hall. H. Moser & Cie, long a darling of the Carré des Horlogers, is stepping up to join the grandes maisons under the bright lights of Palexpo. For anyone who has followed the brand's trajectory over the past decade, this move—the ultimate one for an indie brand in the watch fair space—feels somewhat inevitable.

When I speak with Edouard Meylan, Moser's CEO, his usual mix of candour and wit is intact. “We'd been applying for years,” he says, “but the criteria were strict. You had to be an established maison with a certain presence. Eventually the organisers came to me and said, you're number one on the waiting list, but you have to decide now. I was in Barcelona at the time. I didn't even ask the board. I just said yes.”

It was a bold decision, though boldness is nothing new to Moser. Founded in 1828, revived in the 21st century, and sharpened under Meylan’s stewardship since 2012, the brand has made a habit of doing things its own way. Back then, Moser was producing around 400 watches a year; today, output is closer to 4,000. By 2028, they plan to inaugurate a brand-new manufacture, cementing their place in the firmament of independent watchmaking.

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