Celebrating Henrich Moser’s Legacy
After construction was completed in 1866, the Moser Dam
continued to operate for nearly a century.
Heinrich Moser, founder of H. Moser & Cie., was not just an ingenious watchmaker, but also an astute businessman, tireless entrepreneur and a true industrial pioneer. On his return to Switzerland, he transformed the small, peaceful town of Schaffhausen into a cutting-edge industrial location, and in 1866 created Switzerland’s most important hydro-mechanical dam, which supplied a new industrial district with energy. The H. Moser & Cie. Manufacture continues the pioneering and visionary spirit of its founder in all respects, cultivating its entrepreneurial spirit and developing innovative products and ingenious solutions for major watchmaking challenges, such as the perpetual calendar or the interchangeable escapement module. On April 9th, the date this dam was finished, H. Moser & Cie. is paying homage to Heinrich Moser and celebrating the 150th anniversary of his dam, an avant-garde construction that remained in operation until 1959.
Henrich Moser
In 1828, Heinrich Moser founded his eponymous company in Saint Petersburg. This visionary, who came from a family of watchmakers, started with one ambition: to create exceptional watches by showcasing high-quality craftsmanship and premium components. This formula proved successful and, with his initiative, he developed the traditional form of watchmaking as practiced by his family for generations and modernized it, creating a production facility, as well as an international service and retailer network. Heinrich Moser was an innovator whose business model is implemented on a global level by the large watchmaking groups of today.
In late 1848, Heinrich Moser returned to Schaffhausen as a successful watchmaker and entrepreneur. A true industrial pioneer, he committed himself to transforming his home city, a sleepy town in days of old, into a cutting-edge industrial location, thanks to partnerships in hydro-mechanical power, train wagon production, railway line and Swiss watchmaking industries. And so he was the man behind Switzerland’s largest hydro-mechanical dam in this era, which provided industries in the town with energy and which took three winters to build, under the direction of Heinrich Moser himself. H. Moser & Cie. celebrates the 150th anniversary of this construction and masterpiece, which remained in operation until 1959, when it was replaced by a hydropower plant.
Charlottenfels Manor, Henrich Moser’s family
home and today the Moser Museum.
Heinrich Moser’s faith in industrialization and the importance that he placed in managing the entire watch production process were respected by his successors. The Schaffhausen region, much beloved by Heinrich, is today home to the museum dedicated to Heinrich Moser and the H. Moser & Cie. Manufacture, both of which are open to the general public. Loyal to its family roots and driven by the same entrepreneurial spirit as its illustrious founder, the manufacture cultivates the values of Heinrich Moser: ingenuity, the search for excellence, taking initiative, and just a touch of provocation, which makes all the difference.