“You hit the nail on the head,” Saquon told me, not at all taken aback with my comparison of elite pro-athletes and H. Moser & Cie’s watches.
After all, Barkley is known for his spectacular hurdles, proving that you can be technically brilliant and still playful. “The best way I can attribute that to is when we go out there and we play football, one of the biggest things our coach says to me is to let your personality show… I try to apply my life to that.” And apparently, he applies it to his watch designing as well.
The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Aventurine, Saquon Barkley Edition, is glamorously dimensional and remuneratively spec-forward. The New York-born, Pennsylvania-raised NFL star says he’s always enjoyed how skeleton watches showcase the inner workings. His H. Moser watch certainly exhibits a purity of form. There’s a lot there, but nothing that doesn’t need to be. For example, the cylindrical tourbillon is a visual testament to master craftsmanship, while the shimmery aventurine subdial embodies attention to aesthetics, materials, and taste.
“Obviously H. Moser is clean-cut, but they do have fun, they do bring some splash to you,” Saquon mused. “It’s a different type of splash. It’s not loud. It’s not hey look at me.”
He opened up about how his personal style evolved as he got older, something all guys can relate to. Now a father of three, he forgoes big neck chains and conspicuous hype watches, so it makes sense he’d connect with a Swiss watchmaker that often omits its own logo on many models.
“If you know, you know. That’s my favorite thing about H. Moser,” said Barkley, who first wore the brand to the Met Gala.
As well as being a go-to watchmaker for those seeking the opposite, more sophisticated end of logo-mania, H. Moser is known for creating horological showstoppers. Meanwhile, Saquon is so electric to watch on the gridiron that his iconic reverse hurdle isn’t just featured in video games. It’s on the cover of Madden NFL 26. So of course, we ended our conversation where it started. I asked Saquon, even as his sartorial tastes mature, how important is it for him to still have a good time with style?
Ever thoughtful, he connected watchmaking, style, and football into a concise thesis. “You gotta go out there, you gotta be detailed, but at the end of the day, you’re going to play your best when you’re having fun.”