At SIHH in 2017, the rival show to Baselworld that has morphed into today’s Watches and Wonders, H. Moser & Cie wanted to be noticed among the blockbuster brands of Richemont.
Edouard Meylan, who took control of the historic brand in 2013, knew that independent watchmaking was a battle in those days and believed that guerrilla marketing was the way to get noticed.
His solution was the Swiss Mad Watch, a hideous red-dialled watch with a mucky beige case made from a combination of Swiss cheese and resin that sets into a solid polymer.
It worked. Nobody in their right mind would want an ugly watch made with cheese, but Moser was the talk of the 2017 show.
HMC is a far more sophisticated and successful company today and its marketing tactics centre more around highlighting the quality of design and engineering for its core Streamliner, Pioneer and Endeavour collections.
But Mr Meylan still likes to make a statement, and today his company reveals a fresh version of its Pioneer Centre Seconds with a traffic-stopping citrus green fumé dial that fades from lime green at the periphery to more of a lemon yellow at the centre.
The marketing behind the launch reads like a rapper’s lyrics: “A killer lime green dial, a totally lit rubber strap,” H. Moser’s PR team begins.
“Designed for those who don’t want to be down with the crowd, it knocks conformity down. A total vibe. A legit feel good watch. The Pioneer Centre Seconds Concept Citrus Green is not simply an ultracool accessory, it’s your ride or die. Get in the game: life is too short for meh watches! YOLO!”
You get the idea, this is more a lifestyle choice than a timekeeper.
If you care about the specs, it is a 42.8mm steel watch standing 14.2mm tall with its domed sapphire crystal and see-through case back exposing the HMC 201 automatic calibre’s anthracite finish with Moser double stripes and partially skeletonised bridges.
It can be bought on a steel bracelet or alligator leather, rubber or textile strap.
Also new for 2024 is a Pioneer Centre Seconds with “Cosmic Green” fumé dial.
A more conservative approach sees a much darker green dial in a 40mm steel watch with applied faceted indices.
In common with the citrus green piece, the watch is powered by the HMC 201 automatic movement with three day power reserve.
Both watches can be “reserved” from today on the Moser website for CHF 14,500.
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