Christie’s To Auction H. Moser & Cie. Cheese Swiss Mad Watch and Swiss Alp Watch Prototype (To Promote Swiss Watchmaking)

Since a few months now, you probably heard about the #MakeSwissMadeGreatAgain concept launched by independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. With a certain love for unconventional marketing gimmicks and an ironical way of exposing the reality of the Swiss Made label, the brand made some noise. Yet, behind this, there’s a wish of promoting the real Swiss Watchmaking industry, the one we all love as collectors. Today, in order to preserve Swiss watchmaking traditions, Christie’s and H. Moser & Cie. join forces, with an upcoming auction of the Cheese Swiss Mad Watch and Swiss Alp Watch Prototype (as a start of a long term relation).

This collaboration between H. Moser & Cie. and Christie’s has for unique goal to preserve the traditions of the Swiss Watchmaking industry and to make sure that this expertise, unique in the world, will survive. H. Moser & Cie. has decided to produce a special watch each year, which will be unveiled at SIHH and entrusted to Christie’s to be sold to the highest bidder. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Fondation pour la Culture Horlogère Suisse (Foundation for Swiss Watchmaking Culture). This foundation has two objectives: to support apprenticeships in the watchmaking professions and to safeguard expertise in the related artistic crafts.

For the first step of this collaboration, not one but two watches by Moser will be auctioned at the forthcoming Christie’s May 2017 sale. And we’re talking about statement pieces, not regular production watches. Indeed, the first watch that will be auctioned is the original prototype for the Swiss Alp Watch, made from rhodium-plated brass, inspired by modern Smartwatches, a watch that was a sort of mockery of the current trend for wearable connected devices, yet this watch features inside its case a fully mechanical, 100% Swiss Made movement. 

The second watch to be auctioned at the Christie’s May 2017 sale will be the H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Mad Watch, THE talking piece of the SIHH 2017. This watch is supposed to be the most Swiss watch ever created, not only because it is entirely made in Switzerland but also because it uses Swiss materials, including Swiss cowhide leather and Swiss cheese for the case (added to an innovative composite material, then machined and polished. And no, it doesn’t stink…) Besides the irony behind this watch, the message was clearly to defend the values of the Swiss Watchmaking industry.

Included in the catalogue of rare watches, the Moser Swiss Mad Watch and the Moser Swiss Alp Watch will be displayed in major capitals around the world (Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, New York and Geneva) during the travelling exhibition which precedes the sale. The proceeds of this auction will go to the Fondation pour la Culture Horlogère Suisse, which will manage the distribution of the funds. More details on h-moser.com and christies.com.