THE WATCHMAKER JOHANN HEINRICH MOSER
Johann
Heinrich Moser was born and grew up in Schaffhausen in the traditions
and experience of a watch making dynasty that had become established
over the generations. Son and grandson of watchmakers he learned the
traditional watchmaker’s craft from his father, Erhard Moser and from
his grandfather Johannes Moser.
In
1824, he left Schaffhouse to set up in Locle where he perfected his
knowledge in the presence of the greatest watchmakers of the time. Two
years later, he tried to return and set up business in his home town,
but the Municipal Council rejected his request to be given the honorary
post of watchmaker to the town in favour of someone else.
Heinrich
Moser & Co. came into being in 1828 and in 1829, Johann Heinrich
Moser founded his watch making business in Locle to manufacture pocket
watches.
As an
ambitious and visionary watchmaker, Johann Heinrich Moser decided to
set up in business in Russia. Tsarist Russia at the time was regarded
as an excellent labour and sales market and as a sound trading base for
watches.
After
several employed positions as a watchmaker, he founded his own company
in St. Petersburg at the end of 1828. This marked the hour of
inception of the greatly successful brand, Hy Moser & Cie. Alongside
precision watches and watches designed as pieces of jewelers, Johann
Heinrich Moser also offered a range of simple watches.
As he
built up his trading network, he came to realize that a successful
wholesaler should also be a manufacturer. Johann Heinrich Moser
accordingly established a watch factory in Le Locle in 1829, which
produced watches exclusively for his businesses. This allowed him to
guarantee the high quality of his products. Eventually, he was made an
honorary citizen of Le Locle in acknowledgement of his services to the
town in the Swiss Jura.
Johann
Heinrich Moser’s constant quest for quality was crowned by success. In
1831, he opened a subsidiary in Moscow, and became supplier to the
Tsars, the Royal Families, the Imperial Court and the Russian Army.
Within just a few years, he was selling watches to Persia,
China, Japan and Turkestan. Johann Heinrich Moser also developed sales
of his watches in Siberia and Kamchatka as well as New York and Paris,
where his brother George Moser was working as a watchmaker. Only 15
years after starting his company, Johann Heinrich Moser was the
undisputed market leader in the Russian watch trade. In 1845, the Johann
Heinrich Moser companies in Russia employed around fifty people.
Having
become a prosperous watchmaker, Johann Heinrich Moser decided to return
and settle definitively in his home town of Schaffhouse at the end of
1848 where he had the Charlottenfels castle built. He became one of the
key figures in the town, participating actively in its development.
COMPANY AND BRAND NAME “HY MOSER & Co”
The 1st
internationally active company founded by Johann Heinrich Moser was
the St. Petersburg trading company, Hy Moser & Co. From this
name, he developed the company signature in Latin and in Cyrillic
script, which was almost always accompanied by a medallion. Until about
1918, these symbols were the standard signature on all watches supplied
by Heinrich Moser’s watch company. In 1829, Johann Heinrich Moser
opened a watch factory in Locle, which also bore the name “Hy Moser
& Co.”.
The Russian operation had to be abandoned in 1917 in the aftermath of the October Revolution.
In
about 1920, Moscow founded the “Central watch repair workshop” on the
ashes of the Moser watchmaking factories of old Tzarist Russia.
For the seventy-year period of the “Soviet Union” Henry Moser watches
would remain synonymous with work of a superior quality for the leaders
of the eastern bloc. As proof of this, in 1966, the USSR presented one
of its high-ranking military staff a Moser pocket watch in 18-carat
gold, dating from before 1917 (this collector’s piece has now been
bought back by Moser Schaffhausen AG).
The
name of Henry Moser also died out in this branch of the family in 1923
with the death of Heinrich Moser’s only son, who had no male offspring.
In
2002, Dr. Jürgen Lange and the great-grandson of Johann Heinrich Moser,
Roger Nicholas Balsiger, jointly with private investors, founded the
watch company Moser Schaffhausen AG. Dr. Lange also registered the
original brand H. Moser & Cie again internationally.It was a time of
renaissance for the Moser Schaffhausen AG and the reintegration of the
Henry Moser lineage.
Watches
of "Henry Moser" were so popular and demanded that there were their
fakes. Therefore, in trading price-lists of these firms, among the list
of addresses of shops, types of watches and the prices for them, there
were so-called "CAUTIONS". For example, in the Trading price-list of
factory of Moser for March, 1906 it is written, that " for elimination
of cases of abusing by some dealers by the name of our firm we consider
necessary to recommend wishing to get watches of our factory to pay
special attention on that - whether it is placed on offered watches per
brands available on them and inscriptions in French before a surname
"MOSER & Ce" letters "Hy" as only with such brands and inscriptions
watches are really products sew factories". These cautions are useful
and to modern collectors of watches.Today, Roger Nicholas Balsiger,
great grandson of Johann Heinrich Moser, heads the company’s
administrative council as its honorary president. In the autumn of 2005,
for the 200th anniversary of its founder, the company reappeared on
the international watchmaking scene.
TIME LINE
1730
- Johannes Moser, grandfather of Johann Heinrich Moser, was born in
Schaffhausen, Switzerland. After an apprenticeship as a clockmaker, he
assumes the honorary position of town watchmaker. He later becomes a
magistrate in the local court.
1760
- Erhard Moser, father of Johann Heinrich Moser, was born in
Schaffhausen, Switzerland. He succeeds his father in the position of
town clockmaker, and he is a member of the Cantonal Council and Town
Commissioner.
1805
- Heinrich Moser was born on 12 December. He learns the traditional
watchmaker’s craft from his father between 1820 and 1824.
1824
- Johann Heinrich Moser continues his training in Le Locle,
Switzerland in the master watchmakers’ workshops in Le Locle. He rapidly
gains respect as a skilled watchmaker, and he starts a small business
to supply spare parts. After about eighteen months, Johann Heinrich
Moser receives offers of work from Italy and Paris.
1826 - Johann Heinrich Moser works on his own account for the first time by building clocks into cases and pieces of furniture.
1827
- The prospects of good business draw Johann Heinrich Moser to St.
Petersburg. After an adventurous journey, he starts work as a watchmaker
in the local workshops.
1828
- Johann Heinrich Moser opens the trading company H. Moser & Co. in
St. Petersburg, Russia. His watches are characterized by their high
quality. Not a single watch is allowed to pass over the shop counter
until it has been inspected personally by him or by one of his
representatives. The business is very successful.
1829
- In order to maintain this claim to superior quality, Moser
establishes a watch factory in Switzerland, Le Locle to produce watches
exclusively for his businesses.
1848
- Johann Heinrich Moser returns to Switzerland in Schaffhausen as a
prosperous merchant and watch manufacturer. He sees his new challenge as
the transformation of the quiet town of Schaffhausen into a lively and
attractive industrial location. At the same time, he builds the
magnificent Charlottenfels country manor house for his family.
1851 - Johann Heinrich Moser completes the construction of a canal on the Rhine, which supplies the water to drive a turbine.
1853
- In a joint venture with other Schaffhausen personalities, Heinrich
Moser establishes Schweizerische Waggonfabrik bei Schaffhausen (Swiss
Wagonworks at Schaffhausen) and Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft
(SIG) Neuhausen (Swiss Industrial Company Neuhausen). Heinrich Moser is a
co-founder of the Schaffhausen-Winterthur railway line. Moser opens a
workshop for the manufacture of watch cases in Schaffhausen.
1860
- Johann Heinrich Moser becomes a customer of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Over
time, he sources up to 64 different calibres, including 24
complications.
1863
- Johann Heinrich Moser embarks on the construction of the largest
Swiss dam on the Rhine, to supply neighbouring industrial companies with
inexpensive energy via a power transmission system. This hydroelectric
power station marks the start of the industrial age in Schaffhausen,
Switzerland.
1868
- Johann Heinrich Moser supports Ariosto Jones in the foundation of the
International Watch Company (IWC), by providing premises and energy to
drive the machines.
1874 -
Johann Heinrich Moser dies on 23 October. His will names his second
wife, Fanny Moser, as the heiress of all his business interests.
1877 -
Fanny Moser sells the entire Russian trading operation as well as the
watch factory in Le Locle to the respective general managers. The
contracts of sale stipulate that all successor companies must continue
to operate in perpetuity under the company names “H. Moser & Cie” or
“Heinrich Moser & Co.”.
1917 -
The Russian October Revolution completely eradicates the watch market
in the country that is dominated by the Swiss watchmakers. The last of
the Swiss Directors of the Heinrich Moser company return to Switzerland
totally expropriated in early 1918. The business in Le Locle attempts
to compensate for the loss of the Russian markets through increased
exports to other countries.
1920 -
The State-owned “Central Watch Repair Workshop” in Russia, Moscow is
formed from the remains of the Heinrich Moser watch businesses.
1953 -
Wristwatch production in Le Locle, Switzerland is expanded, and the
proportion of pocket watches produced decreases steadily. Some of the
watches also bear the name “Henry Moser”, in spite of this being in
breach of the 1877 agreements.
1973 -
H. Moser & Co. is mentioned as a manufacturer of precision lever
escapement watches and special watches, predominantly in 18-carat gold
and in cases set with precious stones. The quartz watch crisis that is
widespread in the Switzerland watch industry also affects the business
in Le Locle.
1979 -
The watch factory in Le Locle, Switzerland becomes part of the Dixi
Mechanique Group and trades as “Hy Moser & Cie.”.
2002 -
The original brand of the founder, H. Moser & Cie, is once more
registered internationally by Dr. Jürgen Lange. The Moser Schaffhausen
AG watch company is launched jointly with representatives of Heinrich
Moser’s family as a successor company. The great-grandson of Johann
Heinrich Moser, Roger Nicholas Balsiger, is today Honorary Chairman of
the Board of Directors.
2005
- To mark the bicentenary of Johann Heinrich Moser’s birth, the
successor company Moser Schaffhausen AG, under the H. Moser & Cie
brand, is once again launching a range of watches that are faithful to
the legacy of the founding father on the international watch arena.
   
DESCRIPTION of WATCH
For appreciation, a rare antique Swiss collectables, mechanical wristwatch Henry Moser (with manual winding), made by IWC “International Watch Company” Schaffhausen for Russia Empire 1910-1915. The dial has been professionally restored and updated; so now you can see it in beautiful condition. Inside of this watch - beautiful gold plated movement.
This watch
has a metal chrome case with two rear cover- external and internal.The
presence of the inner lid-this is a good protection for mechanism from
dust and to provide added protection from shock and moisture.Also
surface of this lid fully engraved inscription
Г. Мозеръ и Ко. – Hy. Moser & Cie and serial number № 590701. The number dates this watch in period: 1910-1915. Dome glass is plastic (Plexiglas). Mechanism
has been recently serviced by professional watchmakers for guarantee a
watch will wind and sets time smoothly while keeping time. This beautiful wristwatch comes to our time in good status and was very well saved - if considering age of this watch. This wristwatch is in good demand; therefore the price increases every year.
Sizes of watch:
Diameter of the case with crown: 58 mm
Diameter of the case: 53 mm
Lug to lug : 55mm
Thickness: 13 mm
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