H. Moser & Cie. Launches The Swiss Mad Watch, The Most Swiss Watch Ever (With A Swiss Cheese Case… Yes!) & The Venturer Swiss Mad

Please read Swiss Mad, not Swiss Made. Recently, the high-end, yet irreverent, watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. reported to us their wish to get rid of the “Swiss Made” inscription on the dial of their watches, as well as the upcoming launch of the most Swiss Watch ever created. Yes, as few might know, “Swiss Made” doesn’t mean 100% made in Switzerland. And this is something Edouard Meylan (the brand’s CEO) sees as a betrayal towards customers. Well, now that we know the announcement, it is time to see what all that noise really means. The answer sits in two watches, including a concept piece, the Swiss Mad Watch, a 100% Swiss Made watch, from Swiss Materials (including a Swiss cheese case and a Swiss cow strap…) and the Venturer Swiss Mad, a more traditional commercial piece, yet 100% Swiss Made too. And if you want to know, yes it is bold, yes it irreverent, yes it is a gimmick, yes it is kind of stupid, but, (oh yes!) it is a superb move to shake up that sleeping industry.

8 years ago

Introducing: The H. Moser Swiss Mad Watch, With A Case Made Of Real Swiss Cheese (Plus A Limited Edition Venturer That’s Lactose Free)

We told you a few weeks ago that H. Moser would be removing the “Swiss Made” label from its watches in 2017 in protest of what it views as lax regulations on the designation that work in favor of companies outsourcing work from the country. At the time, Moser also said it would be releasing “the most Swiss watch ever created” too, showing what real Swiss Made could mean. We knew it would be something interesting, but we could never have predicted this (though Arthur sort of did a while back): a watch with a case made of actual Swiss cheese. I’m not kidding. Not one bit.

8 years ago

Making The Escapement, Remontoir, And Timing For Derek Pratt’s Reconstruction Of John Harrison‘s H4, The World’s First Precision Marine Chronometer (Part 3 of 3)

This is part 3 of a three-part series about Derek Pratt’s reconstruction of John Harrison’s Longitude Prize-winning H4, which was the world’s first precision marine chronometer. This article was first published in ‘The Horological Journal’ (HJ) in April 2015, who we thank for graciously granting permission to republish on Quill & Pad.

8 years ago

Armani Exchange AX Connected Watch

While there seems to be some doubts as to the overall viability (and longevity) of the smart watch segment, that is not stopping brands from rolling out new watches. While the fully-electronic watches (such as the latest Android Wear models recently announced) get most of the attention, there is another type of watch, the so-called “hybrid” smartwatch. We saw this with the Frederique Constant Horological Smart Watch, and it offers a long-life quartz movement (no charging!) along with a bluetooth radio to allow some notifications and the like on your wrist. The most recent announcement for this type of watch brought the Armani Exchange Connected to light.

8 years ago

Updates for the Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire Timepieces

Despite our somewhat different focus when it comes to watches, we have a lot of respect for Bart and Tim Grönefeld, also known as the horological brothers, and their amazing timepieces. Just before SIHH 2017 kicks off, they introduce us a couple of new variations of their Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire. A stainless steel version of his […]

8 years ago

Meet The All New HODINKEE Community Features, Including User Profiles, Commenting Tools, And Collection Sharing

We’re always working hard to make the HODINKEE experience better for you in every way. Whether that’s designing limited edition collaborations for the HODINKEE Shop, getting exclusive interviews with top executives, or custom designing the HODINKEE App for iPad, there’s always something in the works. Today we have something very exciting to present to you, and we’re calling it HODINKEE Community. Allow us to explain.

8 years ago

The Hublot & Ferrari Partnership Five Years In

Some watchmaker-and-carmaker collaborations are a great success; others fail miserably; most, of course, fall somewhere in the middle. Many of the variables, the partners obviously can’t control — timing and luck, for example — but others, they can govern and refine. The now five-year-strong Hublot and Ferrari alliance proves a success story to learn from.

8 years ago