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Edouard Meylan on H. Moser & Cie, MELB and the Business Behind the Watches

Edouard Meylan discusses MELB’s two watch brands, H. Moser & Cie’s production strategy and the business figures and plans he shared in July 2024.
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In a July 2024 interview, H. Moser & Cie CEO Edouard Meylan described a family holding built around two watch brands, a gradual move toward in-house movement production, and a strategy to expand H. Moser while repositioning Hautlence. His figures and plans below are statements made at that time, not independently verified current operating data.

What is MELB, and where do its watch brands fit?

Meylan described MELB as a family holding founded in 2006 and chaired by his father, Georges-Henri Meylan. Its activities span three areas: luxury, real estate, and investment in technology companies and startups. In the luxury business, MELB owns H. Moser & Cie and Hautlence. “We are an independent family structure, with independent brands,” Meylan said.

The interview presents the watch brands as distinct businesses rather than a single label with multiple collections. H. Moser & Cie is the dominant operation; Hautlence is smaller and was being repositioned. Meylan said the split between them was about 95% to 5% of the watch business in 2024.

Brand Role and identity described in the interview Reported share of MELB watch business
H. Moser & Cie The larger business, associated by Meylan with history and complications such as the perpetual calendar. About 95%, according to Meylan in July 2024.
Hautlence A smaller brand Meylan characterized as bolder, with a separate repositioning effort. About 5%, according to Meylan in July 2024.

These proportions are interview estimates, not audited brand accounts.

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How did H. Moser & Cie grow under Meylan?

Meylan said he took over management of H. Moser & Cie in 2012. He reported that the brand grew 50% in 2023 and 25% in the first quarter of 2024. Those figures are his reported growth rates for those periods; the interview does not specify the calculation basis or provide audited results.

An editor’s note accompanying the interview relayed a Morgan Stanley 2024 estimate of approximately CHF 93 million in sales and about 3,500 units for H. Moser & Cie, placing it 38th among the 50 largest Swiss watch brands in that report. That estimate is reported second-hand in the interview article rather than drawn here from Morgan Stanley’s original report.

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What does “integrated production” mean for the watches?

Meylan described MELB’s gradual effort to bring more watchmaking capabilities into the group. He said it held a stake of less than 50% in Geneva-based Agenhor, which specializes in movement design, and integrated Schaffhausen-based Precision Engineering in 2012. Precision Engineering focuses on escapements, including hairsprings.

According to Meylan, H. Moser & Cie had developed more than twenty movements since 2005 and made several movement components in-house. He named plates, balance springs, springs, anchors, and escape wheels. Cases and bracelets remained external, so his description of extensive integration did not mean the entire watch was produced within the group. “We have integrated everything over the years, except for the exterior (cases, bracelets, etc…),” he said.

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Meylan put the H. Moser & Cie workforce at around 100 people at the time of the July 2024 interview. The interview does not establish whether that staffing level or production arrangement has since changed.

What is Hautlence’s place in the group?

MELB acquired Hautlence in 2012, eight years after the brand was created. Meylan said the company later repositioned it, paused activity during the pandemic-era disruption, and established a dedicated Hautlence unit at H. Moser & Cie’s Schaffhausen premises. He described the brand as beginning to move again and said it had reached break-even at the time of the interview.

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In Meylan’s account, the two brands occupy different creative positions: H. Moser & Cie draws on its historical identity and complications, while Hautlence is the bolder proposition. The interview describes strategic and operational proximity, but does not quantify shared production, cost savings, or other synergies.

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Where did H. Moser & Cie sell, and through which channels?

Meylan gave the following regional distribution mix for H. Moser & Cie in 2024:

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Region Share reported by Meylan
United States 30%
Asia 35%
Europe 25%
Middle East and Africa 10%

He also said direct sales represented 10% of production when expressed in sales terms, alongside retail and e-commerce. These are figures from the interview, not a published audited channel breakdown. Meylan mentioned H. Moser & Cie House concepts in Hong Kong and New York, and said his brother Bertrand managed sales across 75% of markets.

What did Meylan say about customers and the Alpine partnership?

Meylan characterized H. Moser & Cie customers as entrepreneurial and independent, with product taking precedence over brand recognition. “Our customers generally have an entrepreneurial profile, they are independent personalities who do not seek recognition,” he said. This is his description of the clientele, not the result of a cited customer survey.

He said Renault CEO Luca de Meo was a fan of H. Moser & Cie and contacted the company, leading to the Alpine partnership. Meylan credited the connection with Formula 1 and the Alpine Renault community for raising visibility and changing perceptions of the brand. He also said the partnership encouraged the company to develop bolder, less classic collection ideas. The interview provides his account of the partnership’s effects, not measured audience or sales impact.

What plans did Meylan outline for MELB?

Meylan said MELB was concentrating on its two brands, especially H. Moser & Cie. He set a target of CHF 200 million in turnover within three to four years of the July 2024 interview, said the group would develop its own retail, and suggested that major investments might arise in 2028. These were forward-looking intentions at the time, not confirmed outcomes. “In the immediate future, we are focusing on our two brands, and H. Moser & Cie in particular,” he said.

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