Photo: Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

We're generally a fan of  all things Swiss—cheese, chocolate, watches and gold bars—but we're not really sure what to feel about Swiss cheese watches (yes, you read that right).

In a bid to make the most stereotypically Swiss watch ever, luxury watchmakers H. Moser & Cie. have made the world’s first watch with a real cheese casing.

It all started when the brand announced in late 2016 that they would be removing ‘Swiss Made’ from their watches, in protest of the Swiss government’s ‘lax laws’ about what constitutes a product being made in Switzerland.

With only 60 percent of a product required to be made in the country—and that newly created figure includes research and development costs—CEO of H. Moser & Cie. Edouard Meylan feels the ‘Swiss Made’ brand has lost its integrity.

Photo: Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

With patriotic resolve, H. Moser & Cie. reacted to these new laws by changing their stance to ‘Swiss Mad’ for a one-off piece.

A red lacquer dial with white markings invokes the Swiss flag; the Swiss cowhide strap is locally sourced; the signature H. Moser & Cie 327 caliber is made in-house; and to finish it off, the casing is made of one of Switzerland’s most famous materials, from the Swiss sub-Alpine Jura mountains: Vacherin Mot d’Or cheese.

Treated and combined with resin, the cheese doesn’t smell or go off—which is lucky when you see the price tag.

Parodying 'Star Wars' and Donald Trump, H. Moser & Cie. highlight 'Swiss-ness' in their tongue-in-cheek video.

Proving that a watch can indeed be 100 percent Swiss-made, the timepiece was auctioned by Christie’s in Geneva and sold for 100,000 CHF (or, US$100,421.78).

H. Moser & Cie. are so committed to Swiss watchmaking, they actually won’t see a penny: all the proceeds are being donated to Fondation pour la Culture Horlogère Suisse (Foundation for Swiss Watchmaking Culture), in an effort to protect and prolong the craft of traditional mechanical watchmaking.

The proceeds from the cheese watch and others in the initiative will support apprenticeships and education.

Photo: Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

“I am delighted to be able to help preserve our Swiss watchmaking tradition through the Foundation,” says Georges-Henri Meylan, president of the Foundation.

“The sale of 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.”

The next sale will coincide with SIHH 2018: perhaps we can expect a Swiss chocolate watch then?

See also: You Can Now Buy A Kingsman's Spy Watch 

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