In the world of luxury watches, it’s rare to find a piece that has been designed with an element of good humoured mischief behind its inspiration, but Schaffhausen based H. Moser & Cie have ‘very rare’ as their tag line, and as well as being manufacturers of distinctively stylish and highly complex wristwatches, are also renowned for having a finger on the pulse of ‘current affairs’ within the watch industry, and its Swiss Alp Watch Cosmic Green Concept is a stunning response to the leading Smart Watch manufacturer.

Cleverly disguising a beautiful hand-manufactured mechanical 100% Swiss movement within an immaculately executed rectangular case of 18Kt white gold, with softly rounded corners and a flat-topped sapphire glass which blends seamlessly into the overall profile, on a fleeting glance the Swiss Alp Watch Cosmic Green Concept might well deceive the eye of the unknowing into thinking this was some marvellous new creation from Cupertino in California. But in one second, that idea is quickly banished. This is a fabulous watch which is ‘smart’ on an entirely different level.

Unphased by the arrival of the wrist-borne connected devices, the fiercely independent and obsessively Swiss company’s response was to turn the tables on the Apple Watch, and the ‘connection’ isn’t hard to see, but then it was never supposed to be; even its name of Moser’s watch is an unsubtle poke and an ingenious play of words.

Glossy, sleek and austere, the Swiss Alp Watch Cosmic Green Concept is beautifully designed in Its 38.2mm x 44mm rectangular case, with loops instead of lugs, while the flat sapphire rises above with rounded sides, resulting in a smooth, angle-less profile.

The Cosmic Green Concept dial is bereft of features and is manufactured in Moser’s signature Fumé effect which graduates from near black around its edge to light green around its centre, and against this virginal background the long, leaf shaped hands appear to float beneath the crystal, convincingly creating the illusion of a smart watch idling on standby. Unthinkable to most brands, H. Moser have no problem resisting the urge to make sure its name is prominently placed on the dial, yet even without so much as a logo, there’s no mistaking the brand’s distinctive dna.

Inside beats Moser’s manufacture calibre HMC 324 rectangular manual winding movement, which is entirely created in house. Viewed through the sapphire caseback, the surface of the movement plates painstakingly hand decorated in Côtes de Genève are revealed, and signed off with the H. Moser crest stamped in gold. The rubies are bedded in mirror-polished chatons, and at its heart is Moser’s own modular, interchangeable regulating organ and balance which is fitted with Straumann hairspring. At a leisurely and graceful frequency of 18’000 vib/h it has a power reserve of four days, or 96 hours, with an indicator on the underside of the movement.

The Swiss Alp Watch Cosmic Green Concept is presented on a beige soft kudu leather strap with a white gold folding clasp.