IN MILAN, where fashion, design and mechanical ingenuity have long shared the same streets, H. Moser & Cie. has found a new home. This month, the independent Swiss watchmaker opened its first Italian boutique at Via Montenapoleone 10, in partnership with ROCCA, bringing its particular take on contemporary Haute Horlogerie to the city’s most celebrated luxury address. Intimate rather than imposing, the space reflects Moser’s character: clean-lined, blue-accented and quietly unconventional.
The opening coincides with another new chapter for the brand: the launch of the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Ceramic Alpine Limited Edition, the third watch to emerge from Moser’s collaboration with Alpine Motorsports. Limited to 100 pieces, it brings together an anthracite-grey ceramic case, a fully skeletonised movement, blue-finished bridges and main plate, and an integrated blue Alcantara strap.
The result is a watch that makes the connection between Haute Horlogerie and motorsport feel less like a marketing exercise than a meeting of shared obsessions: materials, precision, mechanics and performance.
Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Ceramic Alpine Limited Edition
For Moser and Alpine, the collaboration was never intended simply to place a logo on a dial. Instead, it has evolved through a dialogue between technical expertise and performance, with each new model exploring a different facet of that relationship. This latest iteration turns its attention to materials, using ceramic for its lightness, strength and resistance, while leaving the mechanics deliberately exposed.
Who better, then, to discuss what happens when the worlds of racing and watchmaking overlap than Pierre Gasly? An Alpine Formula 1 driver and longtime participant in the Moser collaboration, Gasly has gone beyond wearing the watches: he has visited the manufacture, explored how they are made and developed a collector’s appreciation for the craft. Here, he talks speed, precision, creativity, and what it means to find time away from the cockpit.
Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Ceramic Alpine Limited Edition
There’s no shortage of watch brands in Formula 1. Why Moser? What does Moser understand about F1 that another luxury watch brand doesn’t?
I would say it’s really lucky that it’s quite niche as a brand, and the fact that they don’t have millions of different models gives us the possibility to really enter their world. It is an amazing collaboration in terms of how we are able to work with them and actually impact the models that we launch together. Even personally, for me, I’ve done so much work on this collaboration, which is not only showing the watch on the track, but I actually had the chance to go to the manufacturer and see closely how they use their tools and understand how you actually make a watch from start to finish. It really changed my appreciation of the final product.
You’re surrounded by technology where everything is measured in milliseconds. What attracts you to something as traditional and mechanical as a watch?
I think there are definitely a lot of parallels in terms of the engineering, the materials and the precision. I was surprised because I know what an F1 factory looks like, but going to the manufacturer and seeing all the different departments. You know, a car starts in one department, then goes into design, and then into production, et cetera, and a watch follows a similar track. Obviously, it’s a smaller product at the end than a race car, but the process and the way that things are worked on are very similar. I would say what I like about the watch world is more the aesthetic. On a car, the only thing I care about is its performance. Even if you did something horrible visually on it, if it makes me faster, I’ll be happy. Whereas in the watch industry, you need to mix all of these things together, especially the technical components, but you get to play more with creativity.
Pierre Gasly with the Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Ceramic Alpine Limited Edition
This new Moser uses ceramic, a fully skeletonised movement and Alpine-inspired blue components – materials and engineering choices that are very much about performance as well as aesthetics. As an F1 driver, what do you see in this watch that feels genuinely connected to the world you work in?
The whole point of the watch is to have a nice connection with our team. We couldn’t make a red watch that would be… [laughs] I’m a big fan of the skeleton model. I think as well, our world, with all the engineering and mechanics, if you open up an F1 car, you definitely understand the similarities with the skeleton watches. I love the tourbillon mechanism too because, to me, it brings life to the watch. It’s just very hypnotising with the movements – I find it fascinating to understand how the watch works. And, of course, the blue Alcantara strap is personally something I have seen for the first time, as it’s pretty unusual in watchmaking but it’s very common in motorsport. So, I feel like the watch ticks many boxes.
Moser has a deliberately rebellious attitude towards traditional Swiss watchmaking. Is that something that appeals to you personally?
Yeah, I like that. I enjoy the playful attitude and mindset. Our world is very professional, and it’s good to have that free space where it can just explore and go wild. Obviously, in F1, it’s not always the case, but you’re not always given the choice to do so. But at least with Moser, they come with a very open book and say, ‘Okay, what do you guys want to do? How can we do it?’ Obviously, at the end of the day, it’s not my sole decision to be like, ‘Okay, this is how Alpine’s watch is going to be exactly.’ But I must say, I like the attitude in the market and how it’s quite niche. I love the fact that they’re working as a family; I’m a family guy too. I think that was one of the first things we connected well on when I met them three years ago. I really, really like the way it’s handled. Now, working three years with them, it’s just so cool because, as I say, it’s quite niche, but then when you meet people that know their brand and actually wear their watches, it’s such a nice community. Not everyone wears a Moser, which is what makes it even cooler.
Moser & Cie Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton Ceramic Alpine Limited Edition
Has becoming more involved with Moser changed your own taste in watches, or were you already a collector?
Yeah, my collection as well. They’re really opening a lot of doors for me. And, on top of that, my knowledge about watches, as well as my taste, in comparison to when I started collecting watches – you initially get influenced by what you see. They’ve opened my mind to other possibilities and what you should be looking for in a watch. Obviously, being an F1 driver definitely helped me to acquire a few watches, which I wasn’t really able to do before. I am enjoying the process of acquiring different pieces and something I like to connect emotions and moments in my life to – each one has a story.
You’re someone whose entire career is built around controlling time to the smallest possible fraction. What does ‘time’ mean to you when you’re not in the car?
That’s a good question. Whenever it comes to something professional, which is important – and I repeat the word important – I’m always on time. But as you said, our engineering meetings before and after a race, our sessions, everything is timed to the minute. So I must say that it has become a constant stress, and I think my way of dealing with it is just being quite laid-back when I don’t need to stress about it.
by Imogen Clark