[Interview] H. Moser & Cie. CEO Edouard Meylan

The Streamliner with its integrated bracelet was a huge hit for H. Moser & Cie. The main reasons for its success were the extremely iconic design, the original and excellent chronograph function, and the extremely high level of perfection of the bracelet.

The Streamliner will become an H. Moser & Cie. icon

Eduardo Meylan
Born in Switzerland in 1976, he is the CEO of H. Moser & Cie. After earning an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, he became an analyst. After working in Switzerland producing portable watches with tourbillons, he became a director of MELB Holdings, where his father, George-Henry Meylan, is chairman. He has held his current position since 2013. In addition to improving the quality of H. Moser & Cie., he has attracted attention with his fumé dials that emphasize gradation and the provocative "Alp Watch."

"My father worked on the Royal Oak, and he gave me a lot of advice on how to make it, but it still took about seven years to complete the bracelet," says CEO Edouard Meylan.

"I tested various shapes, and even tried making three-link and five-link bracelets. In the end, I chose the single-link design. However, although it only looks single on the front, it actually has two links built in." After completing the bracelet, he considered the movement that would be suitable for this design, and came up with the Agengraph chronograph.

"We added a flyback mechanism to this movement and focused on it being a chronograph. We removed the hour-counting indicator and included only the necessary information. It's the same idea as the perpetual models we make."

　Meylan says it's all about quality, not quantity, and this is exemplified by the extremely unique Globolite hands, a new material made from ceramic mixed with luminescent paint.

"The Agengraph has made it possible to reduce the wobble of the hands, so I thought I could make them longer. I wanted to use the longest possible hands on this model, so lightweight ceramic was the perfect material. Globolight, a material mixed with luminous paint, was used in the indexes of the Heritage, and this time I used it for the hands."

　He mentions it as if it were a matter of course, but the tips of the hands are curved like those of old chronographs. They are probably carved, but I have no idea how they are made. When I asked about the manufacturing process, he said, "That's a secret."

　In addition, H. Moser & Cie.'s marketing strategy also paid off.

"Honestly, we didn't have a big budget, and there was no way we could have appointed a brand ambassador. So five or six years ago, we became the ambassadors ourselves. As a result, it worked well in the US and other places, as we were able to share information and connect with users." Indeed, H. Moser & Cie., which actively interacts with users on Instagram, is becoming one of the most successful examples of online marketing.

"I want the Streamliner to become an icon like the Perpetual and contribute to our company's growth," says Meylan. "We will be adding a Perpetual model in 2021," so its popularity is sure to grow even more.