Inventor Of The Chronograph, Dreamer Of Time And A Bridge Into The Future, The Legacy Of Louis Moinet Supersedes Its Excellence In Every Way
5 min read
Within the confines of the watchverse, there are a few names that stand apart as trailblazers in their own right and needless to say, Louis Moinet was one of them. Today the brand is known for their innovative timepieces with a deeply rooted history, but before anything else, it's important to understand the man himself.
Louis Moinet, The Watchmaker
Born in 1768 in Bourges, France, Louis Moinet was a gifted student from the very start. A true case of talent meets passion, he would spend his free time with a master-watchmaker to grasp the subject better. Moinet even took private drawing lessons with an Italian painter to perfect the art—evidently seen in his sketches and later his book, Traite d’horologie which describes ingenious watch techniques.
By 1800, he had already trained as a sculptor, painter and architect, and had renewed his contract with the watch-maker he trained under to pursue the practical and theoretical study of watches. He spent long periods in Switzerland, from the Jura mountains to the Joux valley. His contemporaries included the inventor of the tourbillon Abraham Louis Breguet, Louis Berthoud, Antide Janvier, Louis- Frédéric Perrelet, among others who described him as a “gifted artist”, an “eminent scholar” and “a specialist in transcendent horology”.
The Invention Of The Chronograph
Driven by excellence, Louis Moinet was often known for his countless contributions to the world of horology including the Chronograph itself. Started in 1815 and finished in the following year, Moinet called it a Compteur de Tierces (thirds timer). It was later awarded the title “First Chronograph” by the Guinness World Record organisation.
Counted as one of the most precise instruments of the time, its balance beats at 216,000 vibrations an hour (30Hz) vs the modern wrist watch which has only 28,800 v/h or 4Hz. With a purpose of timing the passage of stars, planets and even planetary moons, Moinet divided a second into sixtieths. With start, stop and reset functions that operated with only two pushers, this was way ahead of Nicolas Rieussec’s chronograph that came to life in 1821 that measured intervals by dropping ink on a graduated disc.
Louis Moinet, The Brand
Founded in 2004 by Jean-Marie Schaller with the aim of producing watches in the spirit of Louis Moinet: a blend of art and technology. Specialising strictly in limited editions and distinctively designed one-of-a-kind models, the brands sole focus is to bring back the forgotten work of Louis Moinet to its rightful glory.
While the cynosure of the haute horology label is on innovative movements, they cushion these creations with an array of exotic materials that background these timepieces. Think meteorites, fossils, rare stones, genuine space conquest-flown material amongst others that add to their cosmic allure.
Louis Moinet Creations
From creations like the Super Moon and Mars Mission, both of which are automatic movements featuring rare meteorites from the respective cosmic bodies, to Spacewalker and Skylink that are made in conjunction with famous cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, each timepiece embodies the vast scapes of the universe.
But the house is equally invested in creations closer home, the ACASTA is crafted from a rock that dates back to the earliest ages of the earth’s history and is the result of the forces of erosion and tectonics for four billion years—a journey through time that’s equivalent to 50 million successive human lifetimes. The watch features two tourbillons that rotate in opposite directions and with a 14.9 millimetres carriage diameter each, these are the largest double tourbillons in existence.
While most creations are either limited edition or one-of-a-kind, there is a separate division of timepieces that the house also focuses on which are solely for customers who would like something truly unique. Take the Minute Repeater Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which took three years to create. Complete with a mechanical complication, minute repeater, 60-second chronograph and an artistic dial with a miniature painting on a mother-of-pearl base, this wonder is truly one-of-a-kind. The painterly Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is encased in a high-tech 18K white gold case and surrounded with baguette-cut diamonds.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, the brand has grown from being an independent watchmaker to being sought after solely based on their laser beam focus on commemorating Louis Moinet’s grand vision to life. With a strong artistic bent of mind and a relentless chimaera into the future, the newer creations like Time To Race (GPHG chronograph nominee 2022) which embody the ethos of the house but still allow each piece to be one-of-a-kind with its customisable quality, the sky is truly the limit.
