Louis Moinet, a little-known watchmaker who is said to have influenced Abraham-Louis Breguet, who was active in Paris in the 18th and early 19th centuries. His work, which was well-versed in not only horological theory but also various fields of art and craft, garnered immense support from the ruling class of the time. The watch maison that bears his name today, Louis Moinet, is also a successor to this "Master of Art," committed to perfection and extremely limited production.
This sporty chronograph was conceived as Louis Moinet's first non-limited edition model. It features a titanium cylinder case with an integrated bracelet. The dial design is an adaptation of the "Contour de Thiers" pattern, and the movement was newly developed to match the layout. Manual winding (Cal. LM1816). 34 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 48 hours. Ti case (diameter 40.6mm, thickness 14.7mm). Water resistant to 3 bar. Price: 6,930,000 yen (tax included).
Photographs by Masanori Yoshie
Text by Hiroyuki Suzuki
Text by Hiroyuki Suzuki
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
The philosophy of watchmaker Louis Moinet
More than 20 years after its founding in 2004, Louis Moinet has finally produced a non-limited edition. The "1816" is a sporty chronograph with a cylindrical case made of titanium in the Directeur style, paired with an integrated bracelet. The design of the newly developed movement is classic. However, what makes this model instantly recognizable as a "Louis Moinet chronograph" is the look of the dial, which features a thirds counter. This unconventional subdial arrangement is modeled after the "Contour de Thiers," which made watchmaker Louis Moinet famous.
The Contour de Thiers, which began production in 1815 and was completed the following year, is now recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's first chronograph. In addition to its ultra-high beat of 216,000 vibrations per hour, which allows it to measure to 1/60th of a second, it has a power reserve of approximately 30 hours, generated by a barrel equipped with a chain-pulling constant force device. It has no hour or minute hands, and is designed solely for the purpose of approximately 30 hours of continuous measurement. According to a letter written by Louis Moinet himself, the watch's intended use was for astronomical observation, which is why a running time of more than 24 hours was necessary.
The Contour de Thiers was recognized by Guinness as the world's first high-frequency stopwatch due to its ultra-high frequency, but its independent reset pusher is even more significant. Until the discovery of the Contour de Thiers, the origins of the chronograph were thought to be Nicolas Rieussec's ink-measuring device (1822) and Adolphe Nicole's chronograph (1862), both of which featured a reset mechanism. This conventional wisdom was overturned. Even I don't fully understand how the Contour de Thiers was used. The central hand is a 1/60th of a second counter, with one revolution taking up one second. The 24-hour counter is located at 6 o'clock, while the subdials at 1 and 11 o'clock, both marked with 60 markers, function as second and minute counters, respectively. Its original purpose was to accurately measure the distance between the crosshairs of an astronomical telescope, but since the chronograph only operates while the pusher is pressed (there is no stop mechanism and it stops when you release your hand), it must have required extremely precise operation and patience. Nevertheless, the fact that Louis Moinet was a pioneer in the field of measuring instruments will never be shaken.
A pedigree patronized by royalty and nobility
Unique pieces and bespoke
In the days of Louis Moinet, when the concept of series production did not yet exist, all of the watches they made were essentially one-off or bespoke. Today, Louis Moinet still places a particular emphasis on unique pieces and bespoke pieces. Let's take a look at some examples.
The Napoleon Clock, housed at the Music Box Museum in the old town of Utrecht in the Netherlands, features an automaton that ticks every hour on the hour. It was begun in 1804 to commemorate the coronation at Notre Dame and completed in 1806. This is the inspiration behind the recently announced new collection, "1806."
Four symbols are engraved on the back of every modern Louis Moinet watch. The fleur-de-lis, also known as fleur-de-lis, represents the originality inherited from 19th-century watchmaker Louis Moinet, while the two keys represent the brand's unwavering creativity in the field of watchmaking. The lion motif symbolizes artistic design, and the final star represents rarity. Artistic originality, the solid technology that supports it, and rarity are the very essence of Louis Moinet, reborn in the modern era.
This full-calendar alarm clock, originally owned by Joachim Murat (later King Gioacchino I of Naples), a right-hand man of Napoleon Bonaparte, features four independent dials and a chiming mechanism on the back. It is currently kept at the Atelier Louis Moinet in Saint-Blaise.
The star motif is engraved on limited editions and other limited production models (as an aside, the non-limited 1816 also has a star engraved on it, so the actual production numbers are probably not that high), but sometimes a crescent moon motif is engraved instead. This moon symbol is a special motif that is only engraved on unique pieces and bespoke models.
This quarter repeater pocket watch was produced by Louis Moinet, who also produced many chiming clocks and regulator clocks. The mainspring, which had been improved to stabilize torque, was poetically described in the letter as "turning red like a half-ripe cherry when fired in a kiln."
Considering the scale of the industry alone, it's safe to say that today's Swiss luxury watches are a highly industrialized genre. In contrast, Louis Moinet's annual production capacity is extremely small, at around 500 pieces, most of which are limited editions of around 10 to 20 pieces. Its customer base also includes many members of the establishment, including royalty, making it a watch enjoyed secretly by a handful of wealthy individuals. It's also an unusual brand, producing not only one-of-a-kind pieces, but also a very high proportion of its annual production being bespoke. The foundation of Louis Moinet's absolute rarity is its desire to satisfy the self-esteem of these wealthy individuals.
Watchmaker Louis Moinet established his workshop in Paris during the 18th and early 19th centuries, a contemporary of Abraham-Louis Breguet and others. After serving as a professor of fine arts at the Louvre Academy of Fine Arts at the young age of 27, he developed an interest in watchmaking and became a mentor to Breguet. He also served as president of the Paris Chronometer Society and, in his later years, even wrote a book on watchmaking theory. At the time, the basic technology for mechanical timepieces such as clocks and pocket watches had already been perfected, and a division of labor among artisans in various fields had been established. However, they were still all handmade crafts, far from the industrial products we see today. Watches themselves were rare, so only the ruling class could afford them, and it was not uncommon for them to be lavishly decorated. Watches made during this period were themselves rare works of art. Louis Moinet, who had close ties to the Academy of Fine Arts, seems to have had a particular fondness for majestic table clocks.
Louis Moinet's clients included French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, his right-hand man Joachim Bonaparte Murat, who later became King of Naples, Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and known as one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, and King George IV of Great Britain. Clocks left by Louis Moinet are also housed in the collections of the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Hermitage Museum in Russia.
Today, Louis Moinet is also a brand that collaborates with artisans in a variety of fields to create watches. CEO Jean-Marie Schaller also serves as creative director, and has a long-standing collaboration with Concept on movement development. An entire building of the Montage Atelier in Les Bleureux, in the Jura region, is dedicated to assembly, and the brand has built strong partnerships with skilled enamellers and fine engravers. More unusual examples include meteorite hunters and specialized cutters, who support Louis Moinet's unique creativity. If there were no limits on budget or delivery time, there might be no watch that Louis Moinet couldn't make to order.
Particularly popular features of the company's bespoke pieces are the full baguette gem setting and the lavish hand engraving that covers the entire case. The booklet detailing the creation of each bespoke model is also signed by the master engraver alongside the master watchmaker.
The watchmaking philosophy developed by watchmaker Louis Moinet is still passed down to the present day.
Bespoke
The Islamic Collection, a set of five watches, was produced in 2018 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's first president and known as the "Sage of the Arab World." This highlight watch features a minute repeater ebauche from 1918, the year of his birth. The mosque depicted on the MOP dial is a three-dimensional miniature lacquer piece.
This bespoke version of the Sideralis features two extra-large 14.9mm diameter tourbillon carriages arranged in parallel and rotating in reverse. The main plate has been omitted to create a mystery watch-like visual effect. The case is set with a total of 465 jewels, including 18.39 carats of baguette-cut diamonds, and the hour and minute dials are set with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
This bespoke model is based on the top-of-the-line Memories model, the Red Eclipse. The hand engraving on the entire case has been changed from the original geometric pattern to a more classical wave leaf pattern. The pattern was created specifically for this watch. At the same time, the color of the hour and minute dial has been changed to midnight blue Grand Feu.
Unique Piece
This unique Astronev piece features two flying tourbillons, placed at different heights, that rotate in opposite directions. Instead of the dial of the standard model, it features a blue-dyed Gibeon meteorite.
The Savannah Tourbillon Tiger features a micro-painted tiger jigsaw puzzle on the dial.
The Cosmopolis was recognized by Guinness in 2023 as the watch made with the most meteorites. This marks the brand's third Guinness World Record, following the Contour de Thiers watches, created by watchmaker Louis Moinet, which were recognized as the world's first chronograph and the world's first high-frequency stopwatch in 2016.
