The many enthusiasts who enjoy the twin passions of cars and watches might be excused for doing a double take at the recently announced partnership between Alpine Motorsports and H. Moser & Cie. Watch brand names are a common enough sight at F1 events these days, but for the small Swiss German company, Formula 1 is an impressively big stage. The partnership goes even beyond, encompassing Alpine’s efforts in World Endurance Championship racing, its Alpine Academy and Rac(h)er programs.
In many ways Alpine’s beginnings as a small but plucky competitor in motorsports is the perfect complement to Moser. Founded by veteran racer Jean Rédélé in the mid-1950s, the brand produced racing and sports models throughout the 1960s until being purchased by Renault in 1973. The brand name was gradually absorbed by Renault through the 1990s but did not reappear until 2017 when the company issued a new model, long in development, the A110. On the modern racing scene, the Alpine name may be relatively unfamiliar to some due to its long absence, but it is no small fry. Since 2021 it is the identity for Renault’s longstanding and well-funded motorsports efforts, and the partnership is a considerable coup for Moser.
“What interests me in collaborations is to explore new territories, to enjoy a journey with others and to share different perspectives” says Edouard Meylan, H. Moser & Cie’s CEO. “I grew up with my father racing Alpine cars and I always perceived them as underdogs of rally racing, pushing boundaries by stripping cars to their minimum to optimize weight or exploring new materials.” That Moser will make an excellent and innovative partner will be obvious to anyone who is familiar with the brand. The fact that this was also apparent to the management at Alpine shows that the quality and creativity of independent watchmakers is becoming fully evident.