Yahoo Lifestyle H. Moser & Cie Opens Its First U.S. Boutique in Silicon Valley
H. Moser & Cie has finally opened its first boutique in the U.S. The forward-thinking independent watchmaker is setting up shop in Silicon Valley in Menlo Park, California. Its boutique is said to be one of many high-end watchmakers, luxury retailers, and restaurants that will open boutiques in The Villa Menlo Park at 500 El Camino Real in the Bay Area, which is being orchestrated and managed by Stephen Silver Jewelry. The Moser flagship follows the opening of an MB&F LAB and safe and watch winder maker, Buben & Zorweg, at the location last month, as well as the opening of Stephen Silver’s own jewelry boutique with a multi-brand timepiece salon. (Ulysse Nardin and Greubel Forsey will be next to open stores at the luxury shopping destination.)
The tech crowd has long had an appreciation for Moser watches. Even when the watchmaker poked fun at the crowd when it released its Swiss Alp watch, a cheeky troll of the Apple Watch in which the case was designed just like the new age timepiece but instead held a mechanical watch movement inside. To celebrate the new opening, this time Moser went the opposite direction with a boutique-only limited-edition 18-karat gold 40 mm Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton, where the timepiece’s mechanical intricacies are on full display from front to back. Even the barrel is hollowed for a full view of the spring, which allows the owner to check that the movement has been wound correctly. Likewise, the solid gold is skeletonized, not just for lightness but to offer an even more complete view of the inner workings of the timepiece. A one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock is powered by the calibre HMC 814, an automatic movement equipped with a Straumann® double hairspring—Moser is one of the few Swiss houses able to produce hairsprings in-house through its company Precision Engineering AG.
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The boutique is equally pared down. Staying true to the brand’s minimalist DNA, the space is entirely white except for panels of blue on the wall where the company’s watches are suspended. Its lounge area, however, is decked entirely in cobalt blue carpet, banquets, and walls with white mid-century modern tables. It stands in stark contrast to The Villa Menlo Park’s Spanish Colonial facade. But, then again, Moser has always gone against the grain, and that may be just one reason why it’s so beloved by the tech community.
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