Biography-Heinrich Moser:
Heinrich Moser was born on 12 December 1805 and grew up in a Schaffhausen watchmaking family. Both his grandfather, Johannes Moser (1730-1820), and his father, Erhard Moser (1760-1829), worked as town watchmakers in the town by the Rhine Falls. He learned the traditional watchmaker’s craft from his father between 1820 and 1824, and went on to broaden his knowledge after 1824 in the master watchmakers’ workshops in LeLocle (Switzerland). He had already come to recognize the restrictions imposed by the guild regulations, and he was a vehement opponent of these. At the same time, however, he did not ignore the quality-promoting aspects of these regulations, and he was even responsible for improving them. He rapidly gained respect as a skilled watchmaker, and he was able to start a successful small business to supply spare parts. It only took Moser about eighteen months to develop a reputation as an outstandingly talented specialist, and he received offers of work from Italy and Paris. From 1826, he was able to work for the first time on his own account for a German merchant, for whom he built clocks into cases and pieces of furniture. In November 1827, the prospect of good business drew him to St. Petersburg in Russia, where in 1828 he opened H. Moser & Co. This marked the hour of inception of what would eventually grow into such a successful brand.
Moser’s business flourished, which was certainly attributable to the painstaking care that he took throughout his life to ensure that the watches sold by him were supplied to a high quality standard. Not a single watch was allowed to pass over the shop counter unless it had been inspected personally by him or one of his representatives. In order to maintain this demand on superior quality, he established a watch factory in LeLocle in 1829, which produced watches exclusively for his businesses in Europe and Russia. The building that was home to the company exists to this day.
Heinrich Moser
The range of Moser watches grew to include 70 different calibres. In addition to the movements supplied by his own factory, he also purchased movements from such renowned companies as Urban Jürgensen or Jaeger-LeCoultre. The latter’s company archive lists him as a customer from 1860 onwards. From them he procured up to 64 different calibres, of which 24 complications. The uncompromising quality of his watches gained him access as a supplier to the Imperial Russian Court, various royal houses and the armed forces. Within just a few years, he was selling watches to Japan, China and Persia, but also in the West in Paris and New York. Business continued to thrive, even in times of crisis, and Moser, who was by now a prosperous merchant and watch manufacturer, decided to return to Schaffhausen with his family at the end of 1848.
From this point on, he would see his true life’s work as the transformation of Schaffhausen, a very quiet town in those days, into a lively and attractive industrial location, which also had room for a watch production facility. At the same time, he set about the construction of the magnificent Charlottenfels manor house for his family.
In 1851 he completed the construction of a canal on the Rhine, which supplied the water to drive a turbine with an output of about 80 h.p. This was followed in 1853, in a joint venture with other personalities from Schaffhausen, by the establishment of the “Schweizerische Waggonfabrik bei Schaffhausen” (Swiss Wagonworks at Schaffhausen) and, in the same year, the establishment of the “Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft (SIG) Neuhausen” (Swiss Industrial Company Neuhausen). Moser was a co-founder of the railway line Schaffhausen-Winterthur, also in 1853. Subsequent additional participations, company formations and cofinancing of company formations during this period can also be attributed to his tireless involvement.
In the winter of 1863/64, he embarked on the construction of the largest Swiss dam over the Rhine, with the intention of supplying neighbouring industrial companies with inexpensive energy via a power transmission system. The turbines fed their energy into huge wire cable transmission systems, which then supplied it directly to a very wide range of production halls and workshops. This hydroelectric power station marked the dawn of the industrial age in Schaffhausen.
In spite of the recognition which Moser now enjoyed in Schaffhausen, he was still not untouched by disappointments. He never got over the fact that his only son, Henri Moser (1844-1923), showed no inclination to join his father’s watch company, let alone to succeed him at the helm.
Heinrich Moser died on 23 October 1874. His second wife, Fanny, in accordance with his last will, inherited all his business interests. This made her one of the wealthiest women in Switzerland, although she had no desire to accept responsibility for what had by now become a global watch business. She sold the entire Russian operation to the local Managing Director, Mr Winterhalter, in 1877. The watch factory in LeLocle went to Paul Girard. It was stipulated in the contracts of sale that all successor companies would continue to operate in perpetuity under the registered brand names of H. Moser & Cie. or Heinrich Moser & Co.
Heinrich Moser remains omnipresent to this day in Schaffhausen. The house in which he was born in the old town still exists, as does Charlottenfels. The modern Schaffhausen generating station today stands on the site of the historic dam on the Rhine. A large number of the businesses formed by him or with his help are still operating successfully. The residents of Schaffhausen have themselves honoured their famous fellow citizen with the eponymous Moserstrasse, with a bronze bust in the Mosergarten park that is used as a venue for events and, not least, by opening Charlottenfels to the public.
History of H Moser & Cie watch brand:
In 1826, towards the end of his apprenticeship and a period spent as a journeyman, Heinrich Moser contemplated where and how he might build a successful future for himself. In fact, his aim was to introduce the manufactory method of working based on the principle of the division of labour in his home town of Schaffhausen, and to establish a small watch factory for this purpose. However, the Town Council at the time declined his proposal and awarded the honorary office of town watchmaker to another individual. Moser emigrated to St. Petersburg, in Russia, where he founded the trading company, “H. Moser & Co.”, at the end of 1828. From this company name, Moser also developed the company signature in cursive script, which was almost always supplemented by a medallion. Until about 1918, with rare exceptions, the company name in Cyrillic and/or Latin script, as well as the medallion, remained the standard signature on all the watches marketed by Moser’s watch companies, whether sourced from its own production or from outside suppliers.
In 1829, he established a watch factory in LeLocle, which manufactured the pocket watches for his businesses in the European and Asiatic regions. By 1831, Moser was also able to open a branch in Moscow. Another astute business decision was the establishment of further branches in Nizhniy Novgorod and in Irbit – at the time the most important trade fair venues in Russia. The house of Moser thus had a presence in both of the Russian administrative centres, as well as at central trade fair venues.
Little by little, Heinrich Moser overtook the old-established businesses and its newer competitors. Within just a few years, he was selling watches to Japan and China, Persia and Turkestan, Siberia and Kamchatka. By around 1845, he had become the undisputed market leader in the whole of Russia, dominating the watch trade there. He had even established business links with Paris.
Minute Repeater Moon Phase ca 1870
Moser’s Russian enterprises at the time employed around 50 persons. Among them were German, Swiss, Russian and Swedish watchmakers. The names of the Swiss watchmakers, Johann Jakob Bär, G. Ganther, Johann Winterhalter, Victor Guye, Palk and Schwab, as well as Moser’s son-in-law, Adolf Richard, are known from letters. An Italian, Bianco, is also mentioned. His most capable employee was undoubtedly J. Winterhalter, who subsequently took over Moser’s company in Russia.
Even after Moser returned to Schaffhausen as a successful and wealthy businessman, he remained a passionate watchmaker at heart. He was aware from his training that, as far as pocket watches were concerned, case manufacture and quality often represented a weak point in the watch manufacturing process, and he opened a workshop with around 20 workers in Schaffhausen in 1853, where mainly silver watch cases were made. Three or four years later, he added a second workshop. In 1863, he equipped the workshops with completely new mechanical equipment, mostly to his own design, to facilitate case manufacture.
His only son, Henri Moser (1844-1923), showed little interest in the watch business, much to his father’s displeasure. As a result, they went their separate ways in 1870. On the death of Heinrich Moser in 1874, his second wife, Fanny, inherited all his business interests and the watch factory in LeLocle. She had no desire to accept the responsibility, however, and in 1877 she sold the entire trading business to Johann Winterhalter and the watch factory in LeLocle to Paul Girard. In both transactions, she included conditions in the contracts to ensure that all the successor companies would continue to operate in perpetuity under the brand names of H. Moser & Cie. or Heinrich Moser & Co., in accordance with her husband’s instructions. All of the enterprises passed into other hands in this way. The only son of Heinrich Moser, Henri, had no male offspring, and the name Moser also died out in this family.
In accordance with the contractual undertaking, the company name and the brand name remained unchanged, both in the global trade and in the watch factory at LeLocle. This situation continued until about 1917, when the Russian October revolution completely eliminated the watch market in the country that had been dominated by the Swiss watchmakers. The last of the Swiss Directors of the Moser company – Cornelius Winterhalter from about 1908 to 1918, and from 1910 to 1918 Octave Meylan – travelled back to Switzerland in early 1918, totally expropriated.
Around 1920, the State-owned “Central Watch Repair Workshop” in Moscow was formed from the remains of the Moser watch businesses, and between 1927 and 1930 a start was made on the establishment of its own watch production. Moser watches continued to be regarded as a synonym for work of the highest quality for some considerable time afterwards. As late as 1966, the USSR presented one of its high-ranking military officers with an original Moser pocket watch in 18-carat gold, dating from the period before the expropriation, with a specially engraved dedication. This watch is now owned by Moser Schaffhausen AG as a special contemporaneous exhibit.
Even after the take-over by the Girard family, the facility in LeLocle remained a production location for fine watches. It continued to adhere to Moser’s philosophy of supporting the business on several pillars – pocket watches and wristwatches – and of working closely with the best suppliers. However, the Cyrillic script on the inside of the dust cover that had frequently been used until then was now omitted from the signature.
Information from 1953 points to an expansion in wristwatch production, and reference is made to a water-resistant 12-ligne watch and an 11 ½-ligne automatic watch, among others.
H. Moser & Co. was also mentioned in 1973 as a manufacturer of precision lever escapement watches and special watches, predominantly in 18-carat gold and in cases set with precious stones. In 1979, the watch factory in LeLocle became part of the “Dixi-Mechanique” Group and traded as “Hy Moser & Cie.”.
The original brand of the founder, “H. Moser & Cie.”, was once more registered
internationally by Dr. Jürgen Lange in 2002. Moser Schaffhausen AG was launched jointly with representatives of the Moser family. Today the great-grandson of Heinrich Moser – Roger Nicholas Balsiger – is Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Company has returned to the international watch arena, in the autumn of 2005, to mark the bicentenary of Heinrich Moser’s birth.
The new watches that have been developed by H. Moser & Cie. over the last three years add a hint of understatement to their traditionally classic/elegant appearance, and, entirely in keeping with the tradition of the establishment, utilize mechanical movements designed inhouse and executed to the highest quality standard. It goes without saying that these movements, which incorporate a cornucopia of technical innovations and offer high customer benefit, can only be found in watches from H. Moser & Cie.
Gold Hunter Pocket Watch
The Moser Schaffhausen AG watch factory:
Moser Schaffhausen AG has achieved very positive development in the first four years following its relaunch in Schaffhausen in 2002 by the great-grandson of Heinrich Moser, Roger Nicholas Balsiger, and the horological expert, Dr. Jürgen Lange, with the backing of a small group of investors.
Although the main concern initially was the international registration of the H. Moser & Cie brand and research into the history of the Moser family and its watches, the nature of the work changed radically over time to take account of new watchmaking technologies. It very soon became clear to all concerned that success would be gained not only with new marketing, but above all from traditional watchmaking with innovative approaches and high customer benefit. This can only be achieved by using your own movements, a truly Herculean task for a newly established company. However, two of Heinrich Moser’s guiding principles supported this company strategy.
First principle: You can only build the best watches if you use the best suppliers. A clear rejection of the beliefs advocated so strongly by manufacturers in recent years, that you should try to make as much as possible yourself. Traditional watchmaking is characterized by a plethora of special solutions and centuries-old experience, so that you can only obtain a really out-of-the-ordinary component part by going to the specialists who have already been producing it for several generations. This is precisely what we do. We do not resort to a manufactory in Schaffhausen or Neuhausen, but collaborate intensively with the best practitioners in their field, predominantly in the Swiss Jura.
Second principle: Moser specializes in movements whose component parts, because of their refined engineering, cannot be produced cost-effectively in large volumes. This is precisely what interests connoisseurs of mechanical watches most. A modern wristwatch with a hand-assembled traditional movement and component parts which, because of their intricate manufacturing technology, are no longer available from the volume manufacturers. For example, gold pallets and gold escape wheels; true bevel wheels in the winding train; screwed traditional gold mounts; a temperature-compensated balance spring with an overcoil; a true screw balance with white gold weight compensation screws and steel adjusting screws held in a slotted thread,and traditional adjustment via the adjusting screws on the balance instead of an index system, etc.
Moser was able to assemble a highly motivated team, which unites experience and passion, by attracting to it such seasoned watch designers and prototype watchmakers as Andreas Strehler, Martin Spöring, Rolf Lang and others. Supported on a broad and financially sound footing, this team has achieved an extraordinary feat. The result of this passion can be seen in the first Moser catalogue of the new era.
In September 2005, to mark the bicentenary of Heinrich Moser’s birth, the new watches were presented to the public for the first time at a lavish celebration held against the backdrop of the Rhine Falls. The timepieces met with an enthusiastic response. A technically oriented seminar before an invited audience on the following day emphasized the competence of all the members of the team and had to be extended because of the considerable interest shown. With its internationally oriented stance from the outset, the team was able to appoint its first official sales partners at the unofficial preview of the prototypes at BaselWorld 2005. Since the autumn of 2005, Moser watches are again available all over the world.
In order to be able to satisfy the surprisingly high level of demand for the exclusive Moser watches, with their elegance and their anticipated high potential to appreciate in value, the main emphasis is now being directed at consolidating the company structure and increasing the number of watches produced. If a maximum of 500 watches are manufactured in the fourth business year, around 1,000 watches should be produced in the fifth year. The longer-term target is to produce between 5,000 and a maximum of 7,000 watches each year.
To meet this target, it was also necessary to strengthen the marketing expertise at Moser. In Wirz Werbung AG Zürich, Moser Schaffhausen AG has enlisted a partner last year that has already made a mark for itself through numerous national and international advertising campaigns, in particular in the horological industry. The campaign presented at last year’s BaselWorld 2006 bears eloquent witness to this proficiency.
The interchangeable escapement module: Ever since it first made its appearance, the interchangeable escapement module from Moser has attracted a great deal of attention. It actually incorporates an entire series of accomplishments, of a kind which had long since disappeared from the arena of watchmaking technology. These are features which require extreme attention to detail in their manufacture and are not regarded as viable in large-scale production. However, this is precisely what causes the heart of all Moser enthusiasts to beat faster: a watch that embodies novel solutions, whose manufacture only makes sense in smaller series of between 5 and 10,000 watches per year: a true screw balance with weight compensation screws made from a special white gold alloy in order to combine strength and high weight. Adjusting screws in steel with crossed slots in the screw head to permit very sensitive adjustment. Slots in the screw holes of the balance with a width of only 0.07 mm, so that the adjusting screws are held securely in any desired position. A dragon lever that is precisely adjustable via cams, which guarantees that the pallet fork comes to a full stop and as such replaces the banking pins. The lateral pallets made of solid gold with glass-smooth and hardened working surfaces and, not least, an escape wheel similarly made of hardened solid gold, to ensure that the escapement in its entirety does not need to be lubricated. It will not make any difference, however, if you lubricate it.
The module itself, which represents the aspirations of the Moser watchmakers to enable the time spent in service to be reduced, has also met with a very positive reaction. It has, in fact, been found that a customer whose watch is being overhauled can get his watch back much earlier if the escapement module is replaced by an already cleaned and adjusted unit, and if the work on the dirty escapement assembly can then be undertaken by a second watchmaker at his own pace, without feeling pressurized by the customer. It makes absolutely no difference whether this work is carried out locally in the service workshop of the watchmaker or in Moser’s own workshops. Both are possible and envisaged without any problem. The module as a whole is replaced by removing only two screws. The blocking lever present in all Moser movements thus prevents the spring barrel from running down by blocking the seconds wheel. This also provides additional security in the event that the need to relax the tension in the spring barrel beforehand is overlooked. As a result, the exchange of the escapement module proceeds so straightforwardly that a customer who prefers to get his “own” escapement module back after cleaning also does not pose any problem. He simply continues to wear his watch with a module provided by the watchmaker, which can be exchanged at a later date.
The perpetual calendar from Moser:
The master watchmakers at Moser have completely redeveloped the perpetual calendar, which indicates the correct date depending on the length of each month. This classic complication is combined for the first time with a neat, restrained and elegant dial. The date in the MOSERPERPETUAL 1 is accordingly displayed in an entirely traditional way as a number in a large dial window at 3 o’clock. The perpetual calendar from Moser is the only one in the world to feature a “Flash Calendar” display. This means that the date on the watch jumps directly from the end of one month to the start of the following month, without any intermediate stages. No incorrect date is displayed during the switching phase; for example, from 28 February to 1 March, “28” is followed directly by “1” in the window on the dial. The perpetual calendar can naturally be adjusted both forwards and backwards. The month is indicated with a small centre hand by utilizing the hour indices. The leap year indication, which can be adjusted via a pin pusher, is present on the back of the HMC341 movement.
Double Pull Crown” -The mechanism of the winding crown from H. Moser & Cie:
The watch development engineers at Moser are challenging even quite traditional functional processes of the wristwatch. This also applies to the various functions of the winding crown. The mechanism of the crown in watches from Moser also has three functions, which are selected by different positions. Position 1 is used for winding the watch, Position 2 for setting the date, and the hands can be adjusted in Position 3 – so far entirely traditional. Moser has developed the “Double Pull Crown” mechanism, to permit the various positions of the winding crown to be selected exactly. This ensures that, when the crown is pulled out fully, only Position 2 for setting the date is engaged. Only by releasing the crown briefly, and by then pulling it out fully for a second time, is it possible to access Position 3, which adjusts the hands – irritation eliminated. A final press on the crown returns it to winding position 1. The tiresome searching for the central position of the winding crown for its adjustment function is now a thing of the past in all Moser watches with a date indicator. This is a new function with high exclusivity and considerable customer benefit.
The Straumann Hairspring®:
Two years ago, when the first interchangeable module with a Swiss lever escapement was introduced in the watches of H. Moser & Cie, it attracted considerable attention. The exclusivity of this horological solution is represented by the escape wheel and pallet fork in solid gold, adjusting screws on the balance instead of an index, and a completely novel stop system for the lateral gold pallet fork – the list of special and exclusive features could continue. This year(2008), the passion of the Moser watchmakers goes straight to the heart of the oscillating system: the helical spring. Its consistent oscillation in combination with the balance ensures the even running and the accuracy of the watch. The Moser development engineers have devoted to it the high degree of attention that it deserves. Working closely with its associate company, Precision Engineering AG, and drawing on the know-how of Institut Straumann AG, the original formula and technology of the legendary NIVAROX material have been reviewed over the past five years. It was Prof. Dr. h.c. Reinhard Straumann – the grandfather of our present Board member, Dr. Thomas Straumann – who in 1931 developed a fracture-resistant, self-compensating, corrosion-free andantimagnetic alloy consisting of seven elements, and applied for a patent for this invention. The patent describes the first concrete formulation, which exhibits the desired characteristics and also finds an application in watches as a balance spring material. It is still in use today in slightly modified form in practically all volume-produced movements with a mechanical oscillation system. For many years, production of this material was supervised by Straumann in the interests of quality assurance. These responsibilities were assumed about five years ago by Precision Engineering AG, which has now installed its own production line, from melting of the alloy to the finished escapement system, working jointly with H. Moser & Cie.
All escapement modules from H. Moser & Cie will gradually be equipped only with the Straumann Hairspring®. Starting with the new product for the 2007 exhibition, the “HENRY Double Hairspring” with a Straumann double hairspring escapement, and the already legendary “MOSER PERPETUAL 1”. In tribute to their inventor, the brand names Straumann Spirale®, Spiral Straumann® and Straumann Hairspring® now benefit from international protection.
The exact combination of all the highest-grade materials in the smelting charge, the processing of the raw ingot with a diameter of about 20 cm and a weight of 80 kg into a wire with a diameter of only 0.075 mm – thinner than a human hair – demand technological expertise and the best tools acquired over the generations. Yet only the final homogeneity of the wire and the ultra-precise rolling of the round wire into flat strip can provide the conditions necessary for balance springs that are sufficiently accurate for use in chronometers. The wire for the Straumann Hairspring® springs is thus flat-rolled to an astounding accuracy of 0.0001 mm, equivalent to 0.1 thousandth of a millimetre.
Straumann double hairspring escapement:
Two balance springs to compensate for gravitational error -H. Moser & Cie is again revolutionizing the heart of the mechanical watch: this time, the escapement. The interchangeable Moser escapement module in all watches from H. Moser & Cie created a major sensation throughout the world at the time of its introduction. The use of traditional materials of the highest grade in conjunction with the simplest and most reliable interchangeability appealed to watchmakers and watch enthusiasts alike. The balance springs, which in combination with the balance are responsible for the basic rate of the watch, are of course still manufactured from the self-compensating material Nivarox. This allows the so-called Breguet terminal curve to be bent in the second plane above the balance spring. When correctly dimensioned, this curve ensures that the balance spring does not become distorted as it oscillates, and the centre of gravity remains at the centre of the arbor, so that the gravitational force of the earth is unable to produce any errors. Although theoretically correct, a minutely small residual error always remains in practice, because the terminal curve, which is very intricate to bend, does not actually possess a 100% ability to ensure that the centre of gravity remains at the centre of the arbor – a fact which naturally irritate sthe watchmaker/inventors at Moser. Accordingly, they searched for a compensation process with which to equalize this gravitational error at its point of origin, rather than simply attempting to eliminate the effect of the error, as is the case with a tourbillon, for example. The result is the double hairspring escapement from Moser.
In this escapement, two balance springs of identical construction are arranged in such a way that the centres of gravity of the two springs move outwards on opposing symmetrical paths during oscillation. The cumulative centre of gravity of the two springs thus remains at the centre of the arbor at all times, and as such has no negative influence on the accuracy of the watch.
The prerequisite to manufacturing such a complicated escapement system, of course, is the ability to master the production of the balance springs down to the smallest detail. It is essential to be able to guarantee that both balance springs possess identical characteristic curves and attachments. H. Moser & Cie, working jointly with its associate company, Precision Engineering AG, has developed the Straumann Hairspring® on the basis of the formula drawn up by the original inventor of the Nivarox material, Prof. Dr. h.c. Reinhard Straumann. This has ensured that the material exhibits the necessary homogeneity and the appropriate mechanical properties. What is more, the balance springs are manufactured so consistently that they are even able to ensure uniform compensation for any elasticity in the presence of temperature fluctuations. In this way, the centre of gravity does not wander from the centre even in response to changes in temperature.
This revolutionary escapement was named the STRAUMANN DOUBLE HAIRSPRING escapement in tribute to Prof. Dr. h.c. Reinhard Straumann, who patented the material Nivarox and the associated manufacturing technologies in 1931. As befits Moser, this STRAUMANN DOUBLE HAIRSPRING escapement is also executed as an interchangeable module, which can be easily replaced by releasing only two screws. It naturally also includes an escape wheel and pallet fork in solid gold with the hardened functional surfaces for low-friction and wear-reduced operation that are typical of Moser.
The blocking lever incorporated in all watches in the collection from H. Moser & Cie also ensures that the escapement in this extraordinary escapement module can be removed with the barrel fully wound, but without the watch running down uncontrollably. Extraordinary technology in fascinatingly elegant watches is what makes the collection from H.
The H. Moser & Cie watch brand and its associate companies:
The H. Moser & Cie watch brand and its associate companies, Precision Engineering AG and MSG AG Manufacturing Support Group, were brought together in a newly established holding company at the turn of the year 2007/2008. The founding and principal shareholders of the three companies have embarked on this step jointly in order to maintain their continued independence and to safeguard their future growth strategy.
The remarkable success of the H. Moser & Cie watch brand following its relaunch in 2005 and the equally successful demand for the products of Precision Engineering AG, which specializes in the manufacture of all the escapement components, made the pooling of their capacities an obvious next step. One of the main arguments was the need for independence and for safeguarding the supply of all strategically important parts. The multi-million financial participation was raised exclusively from the existing shareholders. There are now three areas run as centres of excellence within Moser Group AG. Moser Schaffhausen AG is the lead company with the successfully and internationally established premium watch brand of H. Moser & Cie. The brand has been in existence since 1828 and celebrates its 180th anniversary this year. A successful collection of very elegant, timelessly beautiful watches with incomparably complex internal workings was launched in 2005 to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the company, Heinrich Moser from Schaffhausen. The highly authentic nature of the brand deriving from its readily verifiable history, historic collectors’ pieces of the highest quality, the best watchmaking technology in exclusive movements of the new era and, not least, the expertise of all those involved, create a brand potential with enormous promise.
Precision Engineering AG concerns itself, among other things, with the development, manufacture and marketing of all the components required for an escapement assembly. Established in 2001, the company took over the activities in the watchmaking segment of the Straumann Institute in Waldenburg, which specialized in dental implants. After a period of development of around three years, Precision Engineering AG was already one of the top five companies in the world with the necessary in-house expertise to smelt Nivarox, a self-compensating material, which is achieving unparalleled successes in present-day watchmaking technology. The balance springs from Precision Engineering AG are based on the classic formula and the process technology of Reinhard Straumann. In tribute to the inventor, the trade marks Straumann Spirale®, Spiral Straumann® and Straumann Hairspring® have been internationally registered. The product range also includes pallet forks and escape wheels made of solid gold, steel or other materials, along with true screw balances and their weight compensation screws.
MSG AG Manufacturing Support Group is the junior company of the Group. It was
established in order to keep the strategicallyimportant manufacturing technologies and machinery in-house. Here there are ultra-modern erosion machines, 5-axis milling machines working to an accuracy of a thousandth of a millimetre, CNC machining centres, burnishing and hob milling machines, as well as one of the most accurate rolling machines in the world with a rolling tolerance of 0.1 thousandth of a millimetre for manufacturing the balance springs, and a high-vacuum furnace; these are the superlatives of accuracy, precision-finishing and material technology, without which today’s premium-class wristwatch can no longer survive. Large series are not machined here, however. The principal purpose of MSG AG is to be able to produce prototypes and preproduction models more rapidly and more accurately. It now also manufactures a large proportion of the escapement components that are supplied by Precision Engineering AG to the entire watchmaking industry. On no account is the philosophy of working with the best suppliers for series production, adopted by Heinrich Moser in 1828, departed from in all these activities. For only those who have been involved in the manufacture of parts for watches of the highest class for several generations know precisely what is demanded in order to meet the refinements and special features of the individual parts. Moser Group AG together with all its suppliers will accordingly endeavor to balance out capacity bottlenecks, try out new ideas, put technologies to the test and achieve common interests.
Courtesy:Moser Schaffhausen AG,Switzerland
TimeLine-H Moser & Cie
Time line-The Moser watchmaking dynasty:
1730:Johannes Moser, grandfather of Heinrich Moser, is born in Schaffhausen. After an apprenticeship as a watchmaker, he assumes the hereditary and honorary position of town watchmaker. He later becomes a Cantonal Councillor.
1760:Erhard Moser, father of Heinrich Moser, is born in Schaffhausen. He inherits the position of town watchmaker from his father and is himself a member of the Cantonal Council.
1805:Johann Heinrich Moser is born on 12 December. He learns the traditional watchmaker’s craft from his father between 1820 and 1824.
1824:Heinrich Moser’s travels take him to Le Locle (Switzerland) and its master watchmakers’ workshops. He rapidly gains respect as a skilled watchmaker, and he is able to start a successful small business to supply spare parts. It only takes Moser about eighteen months to develop a reputation as an outstandingly talented specialist, and he receives offers of work from Italy and Paris.
1826:Moser works for the first time on his own account by building clocks into cases and pieces of furniture.
1827:The prospect of good business draws Moser to St. Petersburg in Russia. After a hazardous journey by horse and carriage and by ship, his money eventually dwindles away. He starts work as a watchmaker in the local workshops.
1828:The trading company, H. Moser & Co., is founded in St. Petersburg. This marks the hour of inception of what would eventually grow into such a successful brand. Moser’s business flourishes, which can certainly be attributed to the fact that the watches sold by him are supplied only in high quality. Not a single watch is allowed to pass over the shop counter unless it has been inspected personally by him or one of his representatives.
1829:In order to maintain this demand on superior quality, he establishes a watch factory in Le Locle to produce watches exclusively for his businesses in Europe and Russia.
1848 :Moser, by now a wealthy merchant and watch manufacturer, decides to return to Schaffhausen with his family. From this point on, he sees his true life’s work as the transformation of Schaffhausen, a very quiet town in those days, into a lively and attractive industrial location. At the same time, he also builds the magnificent Charlottenfels manor house for his family.
1851:Moser completes the construction of a canal on the Rhine, the water from which drives a turbine with an output of about 80 h.p.
1853:In a joint venture with other Schaffhausen personalities, Moser establishes the “Schweizerische Waggonfabrik bei Schaffhausen” (Swiss Wagonworks at Schaffhausen) and, in the same year, the “Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft (SIG) Neuhausen” (Swiss Industrial Company Neuhausen). Moser is a co-founder of the Schaffhausen-Winterthur railway line, also in 1853. He also opens a workshop for the manufacture of watch cases in Schaffhausen.
1860:The company archive of Jaeger-LeCoultre from this year lists Heinrich Moser as a customer. Over time, he procures up to 64 different calibres, including 24 complications, from them. The uncompromising quality of his watches gains him access as a supplier to the Imperial Russian Court, various royal houses and the armed forces. Within just a few years, he is selling watches to Japan, China and Persia, but also in the Western world e.g. in Paris and New York.
1863/64:Heinrich Moser embarks on the construction of the largest Swiss dam over the Rhine, to supply neighbouring industrial companies with inexpensive energy via a power transmission system. This hydroelectric power station marks the dawn of the industrial age in Schaffhausen.
1868 :Moser supports F. A. Jones in the foundation of his International Watch Company (IWC) by providing premises and energy to drive the machines.
1874:Heinrich Moser dies on 23 October. His last will names his second wife, Fanny, as the heiress of all his business interests.
1877 :Fanny sells the entire Russian operation to the local Managing Director, Mr Winterhalter. The watch factory in Le Locle goes to Paul Girard. The contracts of sale stipulate that all successor companies must continue to operate in perpetuity under the registered brand names of H. Moser & Cie. or Heinrich Moser & Co.
1917:The Russian October revolution completely eliminates the private watch market in the country that is dominated by the Swiss watchmakers. The last of the Swiss Directors of the Moser company travel back to Switzerland in early 1918 totally expropriated. The business in Le Locle is spared from these political upheavals and continues to operate unaffected. An attempt is made to compensate for the loss of the Russian markets through increased exports to other countries.
1920:The State-owned “Central Watch Repair Workshop” in Moscow is formed from the remains of the Moser watch businesses.
1953:Wristwatch production in Le Locle is expanded, and the proportion of pocket watches produced steadily decreases. Some of the watches also bear the name “Henry Moser”, although this is in breach of the 1877 agreements.
1973:H. Moser & Co. is mentioned as a manufacturer of precision lever escapement watches and special watches, predominantly in 18-carat gold and in cases set with precious stones. The quartz watch crisis that is widespread throughout the Swiss watch industry also affects the business in Le Locle.
1979:The watch factory in Le Locle becomes part of the “Dixi-Mechanique” Group and trades as “Hy Moser & Cie.”.
2002:The original brand of the founder, “H. Moser & Cie.”, is registered once more internationally by Dr. Jürgen Lange. Moser Schaffhausen AG is launched jointly with representatives of the Moser family. Today the great-grandson of Heinrich Moser – Roger Nicholas Balsiger – is Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors.
2005:To mark the bicentenary of Heinrich Moser’s birth, the successor company, Moser Schaffhausen AG, is once again launching a range of watches on the international watch arena under the H. Moser & Cie. brand that are faithful to the legacy of the founding father.
2006:H. Moser & Cie introduces its 4 watch ranges, Moser-Perpetual 1, Monard Date, Monard and Mayu, to a broad public for the first time at “BaselWorld 2006”. 2006 The collaboration with the internationally renowned Wirz Werbung AG Zürich is also announced at “BaselWorld 2006”, and the new communications platform is presented.
2006:MONTRE DE L’ANNEE 2006 – 2nd prize for the MOSER-PERPETUAL 1. In the opinion of the professional jury of the special-interest watch magazine, MONTRES PASSION: “The classic case of the Perpetual 1/Flash Calendar from Moser conceals a highly innovative mechanical movement”.
2006:GRAND PRIX D’HORLOGERIE DE GENÈVE – Prix de la Montre Compliquée. In November 2006, H. Moser & Cie wins one of the most highly coveted prizes of the Swiss horological industry. The MOSER-PERPETUAL 1 takes first place in the complicated watches category.
2007 :“BaselWorld 2007” is the venue where H. Moser & Cie introduces the STRAUMANN HAIRSPRING, developed jointly over several years with its associate company Precision Engineering AG, Schaffhausen, to an international specialist audience.
2007:The new HENRY Double Hairspring watch line, a tonneau watch with the revolutionary double hairspring escapement from Moser, is presented at “BaselWorld 2007”.
2007:Palladium, an extremely rare precious metal with a brilliantly radiant white lustre, also embraces the realm of watches from H. Moser & Cie. The MAYU Palladium model is presented to the public.
2008:The H. Moser & Cie brand celebrates its 180th anniversary.
2008:The holding company, MOSER GROUP AG, is founded. All the associate companies are now united under a single roof. Moser Schaffhausen AG, Precision Engineering AG and MSG AG Manufacturing Support Group together assure the independence, major public success and enormous growth of the H. Moser & Cie brand.
2008:The MAYU Black Pearl and MAYU White Pearl with mother-of-pearl dials and elegant stingray leather straps are launched on the market.
2008:The MAYU Palladium receives the Straumann double hairspring escapement with its escape wheel and pallet fork in hardened white gold. An external clue is provided by a newly developed colouring for the dial.
2009:The Moser Group AG continues to invest in the production verticalisation of all its companies. To date, approximately 70 new jobs have been created and the company has moved into its own production premises.
2009:Given the great demand for the highly elegant Fumé dial, both the HENRY and the MONARD are now available in this design with a brilliant white palladium case and the Straumann double hairspring escapement assembly.
2009:The reproduction of the 1875 first edition about the life of Heinrich Moser is issued in an exclusive private edition. The book, which was written just shortly after his death and which is rarely to be found in the original, is now presented in a slipcase together with the translation into other languages and modern typography.
2010: The eight-figure investments made by the Moser Group in expertise, longevity and growth have been largely completed. The Moser Group is now strengthened as it emerges from the international economic crisis.
2010: H. Moser & Cie makes its first appearance as main sponsor of a major equestrian event. The 4-star CSI Basel 2010 achieved a spectacular debut with outstanding international competitors and an exclusive supporting programme.
2010: The MOSER PERPETUAL MOON is introduced. Another superlative watch with a moon phase display, capable of being set to the minute and running without adjustment for more than 1,000 years.
2011
- The PERPETUAL GOLDEN EDITION celebrates its debut. Solid gold fumé dial, gold hands and a movement constructed with solid gold plates and bridges in combination with the interchangeable Straumann double hairspring escapement, ignite a dazzling display of emotions culminating in the world’s first functional diamond end stone in a shock-absorber.
- The PERPETUAL FUMÉ Palladium is the only watch with a perpetual calendar to combine the benefits of the double hairspring escapement and the complexity of an archetypical, elegant Moser watch.
- The CSI in Basel, the world’s best-endowed indoor show jumping competition, is upgraded to a five-star tournament, thanks in large part to the sponsorship of H. Moser & Cie. Moser marks the fact with the launch of the MONARD Marrone. The brown dials, which were received with such great acclaim last year in the MAYU Marrone, are now also available in the larger MONARD model.
Official website: www.h-moser.com
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