H. Moser & Cie Le Locle find out age
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Short story by H. Moser & Cie
- Company founder: Heinrich Moser (1805 – 1874), born in Schaffhausen (Switzerland).
- Founded: 1828 in St. Petersburg / Le Locle.
- Moser supplied the Russian high nobility with the finest watches (pocket watches and marine watches).
- Later, the company produced in Le Locle (Neuchâtel) using Swiss Ébauches – and sold them under the name “H. Moser & Cie” .
- After Moser's death, successors used the name; production continued until approximately 1979 .
- Founded in 2005 in Neuhausen am Rheinfall (Switzerland) → modern manufacturing facility.
The signature “H. Moser & Cie” could therefore date from 1830 to 1970 or from 2005 to the present day .
Typical eras and their distinguishing features
| epoch | feature | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1830 – 1880 (Early Period) | Engraving: “H. Moser & Cie – St. Petersbourg / Le Locle” | Pocket watches in gold or silver, enamel dial, key winding |
| 1880 – 1910 | Engraving: “H. Moser & Cie – Schaffhausen / Le Locle” | Late pocket watches with crown winding, 15–17 jewels |
| 1910 – 1940 | Cases usually in 0.800 / 0.900 silver; Arabic numerals. | Precision pocket watches, some with Swiss lever escapement |
| 1940 – 1970 | Moser & Cie (without "H.") or "H. Moser – Swiss Made" | Early wristwatches, automatic calibers by A. Schild / FHF |
| from 2005 | “H. Moser & Cie” , Neuhausen am Rheinfall | In-house movements (e.g., caliber HMC 321, HMC 200, etc.) – luxury watches |
Serial numbers and dates (historical watches)
The serial number (often engraved on the movement or the case back) can indicate a year range for pocket watches. The values below refer to original production in the 19th/early 20th century:
| Serial number (approx.) | Production time | remark |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 5 000 | 1828 – 1850 | Key-operated elevator works, mostly St. Petersburg signature |
| 5,000 – 12,000 | 1850 – 1875 | Transition to crown winding, gold and silver cases |
| 12,000 – 25,000 | 1875 – 1900 | Late Classical pocket watches, movement engraving “Le Locle” |
| 25,000 – 40,000 | 1900 – 1920 | High-quality chronometer movements, 15–17 jewels |
| 40,000 – 60,000 | 1920 – 1950 | Late Moser pocket watches, often with a typical bridge shape |
| > 60,000 | after 1950 | Early wristwatches “Moser & Cie. Swiss” |
4. How to determine the year of manufacture without a serial number list
| feature | Time |
|---|---|
| Key-operated winding mechanism (no crown) | before 1860 |
| Crown winding mechanism, enamel dial | 1870–1900 |
| Compensating balance wheel, 15 jewels | 1890–1915 |
| Gold-plated circuit boards & blued screws | typical 1900–1920 |
| Engraving “Swiss Made” | after 1910 |
| Shock protection (Incabloc) | after 1935 |
| Automatic movement | after 1955 |
The watch factory H. Moser & Cie in Le Locle
Heinrich Moser doesn't just want Swiss Moser wanted to sell watches in Russia, specifically his Swiss watches. In 1829, he opened a watch factory in Le Locle under the name Henri Moser au Locle . He appointed his former associate Droz as factory manager. The company's pocket watches were apparently so popular in Russia that they were frequently counterfeited. Moser warned against these forgeries in newspaper advertisements at the time.
After his death, his second wife, Fanny, née von Sulzer-Warth from Winterthur, continued to run the company. In 1878, she sold the Russian trading business and the watch factory in Le Locle to the respective managing directors of the companies – the trading company was taken over by Johannes Winterthaler , the Swiss watch factory went to Paul Girard – with the stipulation that all successor companies were to continue to operate under the company name "H. Moser & Cie" or "Heinrich Moser & Co."
After 1918 , the Russian companies were expropriated, and the last Swiss employees and managers of the Moser company returned to Switzerland at the beginning of 1918. The state-run "Central Watch Repair Workshop" was formed in 1920 from the Moser watch shops in Moscow.
In Le Locle, attempts were made to compensate for the loss of the Russian market by increasing exports to other countries. From 1953 onward, wristwatch production dominated the company, with pocket watch manufacturing being increasingly displaced. Since 1955 , the Swiss company has produced only wristwatches. Some watches were also signed "Henry Moser," although this violated the 1877 agreements. In 1979, the watch factory became part of the Dixi-Méchanique Group. The signature was Hy Moser & Cie (Hy = abbreviation for Henry, Henry = the English version of Heinrich ). The building at 12-14 Rue Alexis-Marie-Piaget, built in 1905 (rear of the building), was acquired by Stolz Frères SA (show this location) . The street or path in front of the main entrance can only be reached from the rear or via stairs down from Rue Alexis-Marie-Piaget. The Angelus brand name can still be seen on the side of the building and above the roof (2014).
Source: Watchwiki, Wikipedia, KI
