The 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.