We've Always Looked at India as a Huge Potential Market: Nicholas Hofmann of H. Moser & Cie.

The storied legacy of H. Moser & Cie. can be traced back to the 1800s. Needless to say, its future-forward thinking and fully integrated manufacture have helped the brand carve a niche for itself over the years. While precision and technical finesse are at the heart of Moser’s timepieces, its disruptive marketing strategies, among other things, can be considered the backbone of its global success. 

GMT India caught up with the International Sales Director of H. Moser & Cie., Nicholas Hofmann, during his recent visit to New Delhi. Completing 15 years with the brand this year, Hofmann spilled the beans about the recent Moser launches, collaborations as well as growth opportunities in the Indian market. Edited excerpts from the interview:

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GMT India: You’ve been associated with H. Moser & Cie. for almost 15 years now. What would you say have been some of the highlights?

Nicholas Hofmann (NH): That’s quite a long time! It’s been an incredible journey — a lot of highlights in 15 years. I vividly remember the first highest-value piece we had sold — quite a highlight at the time. Now it has become more of a norm, opening up some points of sales. Our participation in Watches and Wonders in 2016 put us on the watchmaking map, so that was monumental for the company. The Streamliner was definitely a highlight; the first boutique in Hong Kong and the Alpine collaboration have all been incredible feats as well. On a personal level, people who are not from the watch industry recognising Moser as a brand name has been a massive accomplishment. 

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GMT India: The brand’s timepieces stand out in terms of visual and technical excellence. How would you describe the essence of the

brand that sets it apart from others?

NH: I believe a combination of different elements — like having a full-fledged manufacture while being vertically integrated — is definitely a huge asset. We explore new movements and have precision engineering; we have the hairsprings with which we can control the heartbeat of the movement, whether it's the cylindrical tourbillon or any other timepiece. But, at the same time, we also have fun with the products themselves. This year, we launched the Pioneer Centre Seconds citrus green, which is provocative, very daring to a certain extent. On the other hand, we’ve been quite bold with the fumé blue, green or red dials that were considered extravagant 10 years ago when we released them. We’ve always tried to push the boundaries and do something unexpected. Whether it's a new material like Vantablack or a hammered enamel dial, we’re always looking for what exists and then how we can Moser-ise it. Lastly, there’s also a distinct tone of voice — we like to have fun with watches. 

GMT India: The Streamliner Centre Seconds Matrix Green made an exciting comeback this year. Could you tell us more about that decision by the brand to bring back the hugely popular model? How does it differ from the initial model?

NH: We released the Streamliner Centre Seconds Matrix Green at Geneva Watch Days 2020. It was an immediate hit. It was unbelievable — in the summer of 2021, we already had to stop taking orders because the response was phenomenal. The number of enquiries, and the demand and the orders that we had received were exceptional and so we had to put it on standby. It's such an iconic watch for Moser — the original Matrix green models in 2020 had the white logo and then we switched to transparent logos in 2021. Then, we wanted all dials to have transparent logos, without having two parallel models being delivered at the same time. So, we stopped the production and introduced a salmon dial version for a year. The idea was to reintroduce the Matrix Green model with the invisible logo, but running on a facelifted movement as well. The new models are also in line with the contemporary Streamliner, featuring the anthracite finishing on the movement, with a slightly skeletonised escapement. 

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GMT India: Who is the ideal H. Moser & Cie. customer? How would you describe your target audience?

NH: I would say it's not necessarily a gender or an age. It's a client who is looking for something, probably a client who is sufficiently self-confident to listen to themselves and not influenced by what they should be wearing or owning. One profile that comes up a lot involves entrepreneurs because that's exactly the profile of an entrepreneur — they have that vision and belief. I think our clients are people who are looking for something which has a human touch, where there is authenticity. 

GMT India: The two recently launched Streamliner Alpine Limited Editions in blue and pink highlight the brand’s association with the Alpine F1 team. Could you tell us more about these timepieces and the partnership with Alpine Sports?

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NH: We announced the collaboration with Alpine BWT at the beginning of the year; we're the first global partners, which is already a huge honour for us. Both got along extremely well. Both of us position ourselves in the market in a similar way despite Alpine being a French company and in the automobile industry. Both Moser and Alpine are kind of “underdogs". 

Each brand has a very strong client base, so there was an understanding of what was needed. Alpine wanted to increase their positioning in terms of the luxury segment. They want to be surrounded with luxury brands. For us, we had always wanted to be more visible, and we had been looking at how to and where to invest in, and that’s when this came along. We also wanted a full activation, we didn’t just want to put the logo on the car. The three pillars to make this partnership successful firstly included visibility — we had to be as visible as possible. I think we've got a good presence on the car, on the helmet, the gloves, and even the uniform. 

The second pillar is product development — you need a strong product, something which has that racing DNA. Formula One is the best environment for new technology and new materials. So, we came up with the Skeleton Cylindrical, which was, maybe, kind of an easier way of doing it because we already had the movement and we put it in the Streamliner, adding the Alpine Blue colour and then the Pink Livery BWT. So, to reiterate, the intention is to gain visibility and create a lot of buzz. 

The third pillar is about bringing guests to different car experiences, whether it's Formula One or driving on ice — it’s a way to create an immersive client experience. 

‍GMT India: Out of the four lines (Streamliner, Pioneer, Endeavour, and Heritage), which one continues to draw the most attention? What makes it special?

NH: Definitely, it’s the Streamliner that brings the most attention. We managed to design and create a product that was once again unexpected, a product that was totally different. It wasn't a Gerald Genta-inspired integrated bracelet. And, to be perfectly honest, it took some time for some hardcore Moser collectors to fully appreciate it because it was something that was unexpected. It has definitely been a very, very strong product with the iconic bracelet — almost reptilian, when it comes to the design. It even earned the name, Green Dragon. It's one of the factors that has pushed us to where we are today. 

The Pioneer is also a strong piece, maybe less in terms of visibility, but it's the entry price point for the Moser world. It attracts a different kind, maybe younger clients as well, who want something cool, something to do with haute horlogerie, but don't necessarily want the same watch as their father or grandfather wore.

GMT India: The brand is a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), indicating its dedication to adopting sustainable and ethical practices. Could you tell us more about the brand’s approach to sustainability?

NH: There's a growing seriousness not only about sustainability, but also about how one operates internally. Whether it's the well-being of the staff, of the team or of the products you use or how they are being sourced, such aspects are becoming more and more important. We started working with the RJC in 2019. We had the Moser Nature Watch too. And it helped us rethink the internal processes as well as the health and safety aspects within the company. For a small company, we've come a long way and I think we will continue to improve. We're still very proud to not have the ‘Swiss Made’ sign on our watches, not because we don't make them in Switzerland but because we believe that the ‘Swiss Made’ is not strong enough. We still have the majority of our suppliers based in Switzerland because we owe it to the generations who have contributed to building this watch industry's reputation. 

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GMT India: Are there any plans to open an exclusive H. Moser & Cie. boutique in the country?

NH: We've been working with Ethos since 2019. My first visit to India was in 2006, so we've always looked at India as a huge potential market, just by the sheer population. It's one of the fastest growing markets as well. There is a huge opportunity — take the trade agreements between Switzerland and India, which are kicking in and will be fully implemented by 2026-2027. It’s time to change gears; our partnership with Ethos has been quite successful, and we will be opening an exclusive boutique this year in New Delhi. 

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