H Moser & Cie CEO Talks Time, Legacy, And Daft Punk

Independent Swiss watch manufacturer H Moser & Cie recently launched their first independent boutique in India at the City of Time in Gurgaon. Since its inception in 1828, the brand has carved a distinct identity through its bold aesthetics, pioneering craftsmanship, and independent spirit - some of which can be seen in their concept watches, campaigns, or rarefied timepieces with signature fumé dials.

The boutique in India is H Moser & Cie's sixth standalone one globally, the others being Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Menlo Park and Seoul. The one in Gurugram is designed as an experiential destination, staying true to the brand's values of minimalism, innovation and craftsmanship. There's more good news for horologists: the boutique also hosts the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Boutique Edition, which is limited to only 17 pieces worldwide.

If H. Moser & Cie made a soundtrack, who's scoring it? Daft Punk, says MeylanEdouard Meylan // Instagram

In an exclusive interaction with Esquire India, Edouard Meylan, CEO, H Moser & Cie, talks about being rebellious, the importance of silence in the luxury market and his personal relationship with time.

Let's talk timing. Why India and why now? What are you seeing in the Indian buyer that perhaps others haven't yet understood?

India is a very strategic market for the watch industry in general. It's a fast-growing market - for us, it's in the top 10. We believe that there's a fast-growing community of people who understand traditional watchmaking, and there's a great space for the future. Now, why a boutique? We have limited production, so we cannot be everywhere in India. We need to be very focused - quality over quantity. Hence, that was the point of boutiques. We have the same strategy in China that works very well for us. We're growing very strongly there because we have a few boutiques where you can discover the world of Moser and see the entire collection. It's more of a destination rather than being spread thin in multiple doors where you have half or a quarter of the collection. We would rather have a place where you come when you want to really discover Moser, and then you really have access to most of what we offer.

H. Moser & Cie's first standalone boutique in India

You're designing time, but what's your personal relationship with it? Do you run ahead of time, live in the moment or chase the past?

Definitely not chase the past - I try to live in the moment. I think it's very important, especially when you have the chance, like me, to work in your passion with watchmaking, which I grew up with. And having young kids and a family, I think it's important to live in the moment. But at the same time, for me, it's very important to build something that is long-lasting, and hopefully, this brand will outlive me by a lot and be for the next generation. So, trying to build - I'm not going to say a legacy, that would be a little bit pretentious—but something that can outlive me, and then maybe have my kids or somebody else take over at some point. Hopefully not too soon. That's part of living, embracing the future or looking into the future.

If H. Moser & Cie made a soundtrack, who's scoring it? Philip Glass, Daft Punk or Rachmaninoff?

Daft Punk, for sure.

If time is luxury, what's the one moment in your life that felt truly timeless?

I think the moment when I kind of lost words and perception of time was the birth of my first daughter. I remember looking at her for like 10 minutes until the doctor said, you know, you can hold her. And I was kind of... yeah, it was an incredible moment. Not that the others were not, because I forget. I think I got used to that, and I could react differently. But yeah, I remember that moment where your life changes and you just don't know what to do. Usually I know what to do, but in that moment I had no idea.

The Gurugram boutique is the sixth H. Moser & Cie. boutique globally

You stripped watches of logos and indices. You flirted with satire in your campaigns. What's more rebellious, silence or loudness and luxury today?

I think it's a combination of both. From a product standpoint, I think it's very important. I think quiet luxury is very important. It's a little bit of who we are at Moser - it's treating luxury like art. I think that's where the quiet aspect is very important. Yet, in communication, you need to be bold. You need to express your personality. It's not that, because you're not flashy in what you wear, you cannot have a strong voice. That's what we believe at Moser: if we have something to say, we're happy to say it - a bit like activists.

In a world obsessed with hyper-visibility, how do you make a watch that's essentially silent?

I don't think any of our watches are silent. I think they're subtle, for sure. It’s a tasted luxury - you need a certain taste and understanding of the design behind it, the intrinsic value, the combination of colours, the choice of materials. That is what’s important to us, and that’s what speaks to our customers. I don't think any of our watches are completely silent; they express themselves more subtly.

If traditional watchmaking is a religion in Switzerland, do you see yourself as a priest, a prophet or a heretic?

It's tough to say. I think we embrace tradition. It is really what we do. I grew up in traditional watchmaking, so that's what I'm guided by. Probably as a priest, most likely. It's something that I embrace. I want to share. I want to make sure it's protected. But at the same time, I want to embrace the future and go beyond tradition and bring our own taste into that. This is important to me.