Since February of last year, Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. and Alpine Motorsports have been partners in Formula 1. Shortly after signing the agreement, the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine F1 Limited Edition, their first cooperation watch, was unveiled. The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition and the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition are two timepieces that Moser is celebrating the relationship with for the 2025 Formula One season. Both are included in a paired set.
In order to create a watch that is in sync with the team's schedule and keeps everyone on track through a succession of notifications and countdowns on race day, the new Streamliner Alpine "Mechanic's Edition" blends aspects of smartwatches and quartz-powered timepieces, reports GQ.
"They need to keep track of timings when they’re working, so we started brainstorming,” says Edouard Meylan, H. Moser & Cie.’s CEO. “We said we don't want to create a connected watch per se, but maybe we can create a Formula One watch.”
The Mechanic's Edition is one of two new releases that are each limited to 200 copies. Typically, the "Driver's Edition" would be powerful enough to serve as a talking point on its own. The new piece comes with a skeletonized dial and a beautiful metallic blue PVD steel case. It features a high-end automatic flyback chronograph manufactured by independent specialist supplier Agenhor, in whom H. Moser owns a minority ownership. But the Mechanic's Edition, a smartwatch with a hybrid analog-digital display and a number of custom features, will make headlines. Quartz is rarely used by luxury watchmakers, particularly upscale independent companies like H. Moser, and they never enter the smartwatch market.
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The Streamliner Alpine F1 Mechanic's Edition is developed in collaboration with Swiss wristwatch experts Sequent. It replicates other Moser designs with its analog hours-and-minutes dial and "hidden" digital display.
“I wanted people to be a little bit confused,” says Meylan, who intended to reference the brand’s work with VantaBlack dials in recent years. “It was important that it looks like a Moser watch, but has this element of surprise when the dial flicks on.”
The watch was created with a comprehensive alarm system specifically tailored to the requirements of Alpine's engineers and mechanics, and it was already in use at this weekend's race in Barcelona. According to H. Moser, the team has received between 60 and 80 of these timepieces overall. Alerts will remind the team of important times over the weekend, and communications can be sent to specific team members or their teams. This is critical info because, as Meylan points out, there are strict penalties and even fines for working on the car after the allotted windows or missing deadlines.
Although it is uncommon for a Swiss watchmaker to show anything other than unwavering faith in its creations, the new watch will serve as an intriguing gauge of how affluent collectors feel about adopting cutting-edge technologies.
