Our Head of Escapement Jonas Köppel is far from an Escape Artist– in fact, he can often be found tinkering at home after hours. This time-tamer ensures our watches don’t run wild, and is H.Moser & Cie’’s answer to a cardiologist– caring diligently for the ‘hearts’ of our watches. Despite these serious responsibilities, you’ll rarely find him without a smile on his face.

How long have you been with H.Moser & Cie.?

Nine years! I began, like every new watchmaker, with a lot of pre-assembly, before moving on to the Endeavour Center Seconds and Perpetual Calendar. I really wanted to work at Moser because I wanted to understand every single step in their manufacture–to hold these amazing watches in my own hands. 

You’re known for having an excellent sense of humour–what makes you laugh?

My colleagues always crack me up… [they are teasing him mercilessly as we speak]. And then there are the never-ending conversations about the latest inventions and insoluble problems that continue during our lunch hours–it’s serious stuff, but we usually end up joking around.

What do you do at H.Moser & Cie. (apart from office hilarity)?

As Head of Escapement, I work with two watchmakers on the regulating movements, and we build both the escapement modules and integrated escapements. This ‘heart’ of the watch keeps the movement regulated and stops the time running wild! It has to be incredibly precise to make sure the display is correct.

What qualities do you admire in your colleagues? And what makes a great watchmaker?

Watchmakers need a legendary amount of patience. And intuitive instinct– which you really only get with time and experience. For me, it’s a passion… even after I get home from work. Two years ago, I actually started a small watch brand with a friend!

The Moser watch you most want to shout about?

My favourite Moser watch is the Endeavor Perpetual Calendar (White Gold in Funky Blue, to be precise), maybe because I’ve spent so much time working on it. It really is my dream watch… I think it’s the combination of a complex movement with a very pure and simple display. At first glance, you don’t even see the perpetual calendar. The mechanism is absolutely brilliant–you can adjust the calendar without any risk whatsoever.

If you had to choose one process that brings you the most satisfaction joy?

I love shifting the palettes. There are two little rubies clamped in the anchor, and fixed with shellac. When the glue is hot, you can move the palettes around, into the correct position–it’s a beautifully fine detail which takes a lot of focus, but I really enjoy it. I am always deeply satisfied when a watch operates precisely the way I intended.

Any wild inventions you might bring to life in the future?

I’d love to invent a chronograph–which is a mechanical way of measuring time.  It’s a complicated mechanism for a simple function, but there’s still a lot of room for new invention in this field.