H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade
The H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is a one-of-a-kind conceptual piece and represents one last curtain call for the firm’s unique interpretation of the smartwatch. Indeed, the model bids farewell to a highly innovative marketing concept and, personally speaking, I will be sad to see it go. However, based on the brand’s track record, I suspect that something equally novel will emerge very soon from this esteemed Manufacture.
As any marketing professional will attest, budget is always an issue. A double page spread in a glossy magazine often proves expensive. Likewise, holding a customer or press event can also be very costly. And then there is the issue of brand ambassadors, the most famous names invariably command huge fees. Each of these aforementioned scenarios places a marketing budget under immense strain.
In the world of independent watch brands, a lack of funds prevents many independent watch brands from achieving the success they truly deserve. Unusually, H. Moser & Cie, a modestly sized independent firm based in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, has always had a knack of attracting a disproportionate amount of column inches.
Since MELB Holding acquired H. Moser & Cie in 2012, the Swiss brand has been highly creative, gaining brand awareness with ingenious, sometimes disruptive, concepts. For example, the company created the Swiss Mad Watch, a unique piece featuring a case made of Swiss cheese. The watch sold despite its price tag exceeding CHF 1M, albeit it was for charity.
Then there was the video of Edouard Meylan, the company’s CEO, attired in lederhosen talking about chocolate growing on trees, Swiss banking and its alleged connections to money laundering and, most pertinently, the meaning of ‘Real Swiss’ watches. It may have been contentious and could have prompted a vengeful reaction from a larger brand, but seemingly the company came away unscathed.
Oh and who can forget the ‘Swiss Icons Watch’ a tongue in cheek concept model encompassing stylistic elements from a collection of brands. The sandwich dial, the crown protector, the bezel and the branding resembled identical components found on different timepieces from watchmaking’s establishment, all presented in a hybrid form.
In 2016, the first H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch was unveiled. It resembled a famous smartwatch, however, there were no electronics in sight. Indeed, the traditional leaf-shaped hands and an exquisite hand-wound movement reminded the public of the intrinsic value typical of a mechanical timepiece. Furthermore, it prompted would-be buyers to think about the intrinsic obsolescence of a smartwatch and the comparative longevity of a mechanical watch.
Even today, I don’t know whether the first Swiss Alp Watch was intended to be a genuine commercial product at the outset or a clever marketing idea. However, like many people, I was smitten with its appearance and was delighted to see the timepiece become a worthy member of the brand’s product portfolio.
Now, the luxury marque has unveiled the H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade, a one-of-a-kind conceptual piece. The obligatory leaf-shaped hands sit above a Vantablack® dial. Incidentally, Vantablack® is the blackest shade of black, ‘known to be the blackest material produced artificially’. The rectangular-shaped steel case is dressed in black DLC coating and the small seconds eschews a conventional hand, employing a number of apertures which take their turn to reveal a shaded disc rotating beneath the dial’s epidermis.
I think it’s sad that the Swiss Alp Watch will soon disappear from view. It broke new ground and prompted debate. Moreover, it illustrated when a family-owned business thinks outside the box it can achieve brand awareness with a comparatively limited budget.
My only question is whether the brand can conceive another disruptive marketing campaign that also delivers another remarkable watch. Based on Moser’s track record, I suspect it will.
The brand’s press release (February 2021)
Marking the end of an inspiring concept, the Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade will be the climax to the Swiss Alp Watch saga that has left enthusiasts spellbound since 2016. Launched in response to the emergence of connected watches and in order to express the need for a nearly two-hundred-year-old brand like H. Moser & Cie. to remain faithful to its values of tradition and mechanical Haute Horlogerie while exploring modern movements, the Swiss Alp Watch will take its final bow in the form of a singular creation. A one-of-a-kind conceptual piece, the Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade pays tribute to the codes of connected watches, incorporating refined Vantablack® technology with traditional, fine mechanical watchmaking.
Now, more than ever, is the time to reconnect. To ourselves, to those close to us, to what matters. Current events serve as a daily reminder that the virtual world will never outshine reality, that electronic devices will never replace people, and that technology must remain a means and not an end. On the strength of its convictions, H. Moser & Cie. wanted to mark the end of the Swiss Alp Watch collection with an extra special model: Similar to previous models from this line, the Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is inspired by the modern design of smartwatches, yet it is completely mechanical. With its 100% Swiss Manufacture movement and a minimum power reserve of 100 hours, it is developed to last and is perfectly equipped for the next generation. Instead of downloading information, the Schaffhausen manufacture thinks it’s time we recharged ourselves. A watch must remain an expression of emotion, make you dream and perform its main purpose: To display the time.
For this model, H. Moser & Cie. wanted to combine different elements that have contributed to its success over the past few years. An aesthetic inspired by smartwatches, it features a Vantablack® dial in its Concept version, with no logo or indices. Known to be the blackest material produced artificially, Vantablack® and the blackened hour and minute hands perfectly evoke the standby appearance of the watch. This notion is further reinforced by the offset small second at 6 o’clock, redesigned for the occasion as a shaded disc made up of openings. Evoking the constant passing of time, this symbol serves as a reminder that the here and now is all that matters. “This idea was conceived by a customer and friend of the brand, a true enthusiast and fan of the Swiss Alp Watch collection. He came to visit us with an extremely precise design and we immediately wanted to create this model, perfectly in line with our philosophy, with a touch of humour and a hint of provocation”, explains Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie.
Acting as an ode to minimalism and understatement, in an ultra-contemporary, pared down and timeless manner, H. Moser & Cie. creates a striking contrast between aesthetic simplicity and the complexity of the materials chosen. Through its steel case with black DLC coating, the Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade radiates all the power of its perfectly black appearance. The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is a concept watch, a symbol of the end of the Swiss Alp Watch collection, production of which will cease.
H. Moser & Cie.’s own and unique take on Haute Horlogerie.
Further reading