SH Wirtschaft | Schaffhausen

It is a remarkably effective proposition. In just over a decade, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer has grown from near obscurity to almost CHF 100 million in annual revenue. Once associated with conservative collectors, the brand has reinvented itself as one of the industry’s most disruptive forces.

What other luxury houses attempt to engineer over generations, Meylan and his team of 100 have achieved in 13 years. Not by following the rules, but by questioning them.“ Being different has to be consistent,” Meylan says. “Creativity is the only way to make a real statement.”

That philosophy extends well beyond product design. When H. Moser & Cie. commits to a theme, it does so with conviction, humor and a willingness to provoke. The result has been global media attention without the backing of massive advertising budgets. For Meylan, the conclusion is straightforward. Listen too closely to others, and you end up indistinguishable from them.

Designing Against the Mainstream

In an industry obsessed with visibility, Moser chooses restraint. Where traditional luxury watches showcase oversized logos, Moser removes them entirely. Where competitors open flagship boutiques on the world’s most prestigious shopping streets, Meylan welcomes clients in a discreet building on the edge of a forest in Neuhausen.

Swiss heritage is another well-worn trope in luxury watchmaking. Meylan approaches it with irony. In one now-famous video manifesto, a Moser watch suggests inserting an alphorn into the hole of a piece of Swiss cheese. Meylan himself plays the lead role.

He speaks quickly, precisely, with a subtle French accent. The rhythm mirrors the movement of a Streamliner watch, calibrated, controlled and unmistakably confident. In many ways, he personifies the Moser customer: elegant, understated, intelligent and disarmingly humorous.

The Luxury of Not Needing Approval

Success has afforded the brand a rare privilege. It does not need to please everyone. “It’s completely fine if someone doesn’t like our watches,” Meylan says, delivering the line with an ease that feels genuine rather than rehearsed. Paradoxically, that confidence only increases demand. Collectors routinely wait up to three years for delivery. With annual production capped at around 4,000 pieces, scarcity is built into the business model.

Precision applies to pricing as well. The average Moser watch sells for roughly CHF 40,000. At the top end sits a model priced at CHF 1.5 million, adorned with close to a hundred diamonds. Few buyers seem to question the logic.

From Craftsmanship to Code

Among male collectors, few releases have generated as much attention as the concept watch limited to 50 pieces and known simply as 01100111 01100101 01101110 01100101 01110011 01101001 01110011. For those less fluent in binary, it is called the Endeavour Centre Genesis. The watch features a 3D-printed titanium crown and bezel, designed as reconstructed pixels and precisely matched to a glass-bead-blasted stainless-steel case. An engraved QR code in the sapphire crystal unlocks access to Moser’s digital ecosystem, including blockchain-based services and NFTs.

The second generation is now being introduced. It lives up to the brand’s promise of being “very rare” and goes one step further. It is available exclusively by personal invitation from one of the original 50 owners.

This is how Moser defines community. Not as a slogan, but as a network that now spans continents. Roughly 30 percent of sales come from the Americas, 25 percent from Europe, 35 percent from Asia and 10 percent from the Middle East. Schaffhausen may be home, but the brand’s reach is unmistakably global.

The Smallest Among the Giants

“We are now the smallest among the very big,” Meylan says, without a trace of irony. This April, H. Moser & Cie. will take its place among the historic maisons at Watches and Wonders in Geneva for the first time. The neighbors include Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, IWC and A. Lange & Söhne.

“It’s like FC Schaffhausen playing in the Champions League,” Meylan says.

With the global luxury market within reach, the question arises naturally. Why stay in Schaffhausen?

“Anything else would make no sense,” he replies. He speaks of the people, the brand’s origins under founder Heinrich Moser, the man behind the Moserdamm, and the proximity to long-standing sparring partner IWC. Leaving, he says, would mean losing the brand’s soul. Then the rebel reappears. Being based in Biel, Le Locle or Geneva, alongside every other watchmaker, holds little appeal. Anyone can do that.

Recently, with the support of regional economic development authorities, H. Moser & Cie. secured its future location in Neuhausen. The company will occupy 6,000 square meters on the historic SIG site, overlooking the Rhine Falls. The address sits directly next to Moserplatz, a coincidence that feels deliberate. “At the new location, we have the opportunity to tell a great story,” Meylan says. “And it has to be,” like everything the CEO commits to, “really good.”