Three years ago, Jean-Marie Schaller lit a fire under the seat of the watch industry when he proved claims that the original inventor of the chronograph was in fact, not Nicolas Rieussec but Louis Moinet. It may have just been six years apart (Rieussec’s invention built in 1822 as opposed to Moinet’s in 1816) but the news changed the timeline of chronographs as we’ve known it.
Anyone who’s ever activated a chronograph and watched the hand tick and measure time will understand the sheer joy of a chronograph. That passion for chronographs has been the driving force behind Schaller, CEO and founder of the revived Louis Moinet brand. Since 2004, Schaller has been the brains behind several high-end chronographs from Louis Moinet that pay tribute to the master watchmaker’s legacy.
This year, Louis Moinet celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of the chronograph in the Memoris 200th Anniversary timepiece.
“Louis Moinet Memoris 200th Anniversary”
Limited to just 20 pieces worldwide, the Memoris 200th Anniversary is a masterclass of classicist watchmaking that uses the night sky as a platform to showcase the most beloved watch complication. In celebration of the chronograph, the dial for time (in a beautiful bright blue enamel) is reduced in size and placed at six o’clock to give further emphasis on the entire timekeeping mechanism that is present, front and centre, on the watch.
To develop the ornate starry sky that forms the backdrop of the piece, Louis Moinet first used a brass plate coated in translucent blue as the base. Each star on this plate is the result of a new fixed engraver process that involves “attaching a specially-made lathe to a traditional guilloche engine” to get the best of both worlds – human precision and machine power. Because each individual star has been set at different angles and depths, the star-filled sky catches more light.
In order to show the chronograph mechanism in its full glory but retain the function of one, Louis Moinet used a new patented translucent material for the flange and counter bridge. Users can still admire all the intricacies of the movement while observing the marking of time.
The Memoris 200th Anniversary by Louis Moinet marks the first limited edition timepiece to celebrate the chronograph’s birthday. All hands on the stopwatch as Louis Moinet introduces more as time ticks by.
Brought to you by Louis Moinet, a Part of The Carbon Collective.
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