Watchmaking’s infant terrible is back with another unexpected drop poised to get both sneakerheads and watch collectors equally hyped. H. Moser & Cie. has teamed up with Reebok to revive the spirit of the renowned Reebok Pump high-top, the inflatable basketball sneaker that dominated courts in the ’90s and is now enjoying a revival. Only this time, instead of tightening a shoe around your foot, the famous pump mechanism winds a mechanical watch.
But it’s not just hot air. The Swiss watchmaker had to reengineer its automatic HMC 500 small-seconds movement, converting it into a manual-winding open-worked and skeletonized caliber so the watch can effectively be “pumped” with energy. Instead of a traditional winding crown, an anodized-aluminum pusher at eight o’clock delivers power straight to the barrel spring with every press. Visually, the payoff is immediate: Each pump activates the power-reserve indicator, positioned at eight o’clock on the dial. One pump is equivalent to one hour of power reserve. At three o’clock, the traditional crown remains—but only for setting the time. Housed in the sleek, minimalist 40 mm case of its award-winning Streamliner, the piece pairs genuine mechanical ingenuity with a retro refit of one of sneaker culture’s most recognizable innovations. An added bonus? Clients will receive a pair of exclusive Reebok Pumps created for the occasion.
It’s an exercise in stepping outside the bounds of traditional watchmaking. “The Streamliner Pump captures that energy: a mechanical object that invites interaction, curiosity, and a bit of mischief,” says C.E.O. of H. Moser & Cie. Edouard Meylan. “In a world obsessed with performance and precision, we like to remind people that innovation can also come from surprise… and from pressing a button just to see what happens.”
Retired N.B.A. player Dee Brown wearing Reebok Pump Omni Lite Retro basketball shoes.
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Figuratively speaking, pushing buttons is something of a house specialty. In 2016, its Swiss Alp model took a lighthearted jab at the tech industry, introducing a high-end mechanical timekeeper resembling the Apple Watch. The following year, the Swiss Mad watch—sporting a case made from a composite infused with real Swiss cheese and a red fumé dial echoing the Swiss flag—mocked the loose standards behind the Swiss Made label, which require only half a watch’s components originate in the country.
The Streamliner Pump is merely following in its predecessors’ footsteps. “At H. Moser & Cie., we take watchmaking seriously, but we refuse to take ourselves too seriously,” Meylan says. That irreverent spirit has earned the brand a devoted following—even in the circles at which it occasionally takes aim. Case in point: Tech titan Mark Zuckerberg has been spotted wearing the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton. With the Streamliner Pump, the house may just score a whole new fan base—one squeeze at a time. $39,900, limited to 250 each in a black- or white-lacquer dial (in a forged-quartz case)
