Christie’s auctioned The Swiss Mad Watch created by H. Moser & Cie. on 15 May

The timepiece further strengthens the brand's long-term commitment to supporting and preserving mechanical watchmaking and related professions.

H. Moser & Cie. created the watch with a case made from Swiss cheese, meaning that the piece is 100 per cent Swiss. It was auctioned alongside the prototype of the Swiss Alp Watch, the proud antithesis of the smartwatch.

Both pieces have achieved iconic status, helping bring greater transparency to the debates surrounding Swiss watchmaking tradition.

"The sale of the Swiss Alp Watch and the Swiss Mad Watch will enable us to lend our support – with complete transparency – to various projects intended to secure the future of Switzerland's watchmaking expertise, both through training and by helping certain artisan crafts which are in danger of disappearing due to a lack of resources", says Georges-Henri Meylan, President of the Foundation.

With the support of Christie’s, a model from the H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Watch series will be sold each year at auction, with the profits donated to the Fondation pour la Culture Horlogère Suisse. The next piece is expected to be unveiled to coincide with SIHH 2018.