On Louis Moinet’s amazing stories from space

Louis Moinet is a watchmaking brand that bridges time and space in an imaginative manner. Tracing its roots to the legacy of the great Louis Moinet, inventor of the chronograph, the marque tantalises its aficionados with watches that nestle pieces from the far ends of the solar system and beyond. Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO & Creative Director, talks to us about the maison

Q: Can you tell us about your new release, the Sideralis Space Mystery – from its inception till the launch?
A: The project started three years ago. As you may know, one of our friends is the world’s foremost authority on meteorites. Thanks to him, we have had access to the most amazing meteorites; we are the only brand in watchmaking that is bringing genuine pieces from the moon, from Mars, from the oldest-known piece in the Solar System. A few years ago, he proposed a meteorite coming from the cosmos, of unknown origin containing amino acids – the building blocks of life. I acquired this meteorite from him as I thought it was a fantastic story that has not been told yet. Then we had to build a product around the concept. We did this with the Space Mystery watch, a wonder by itself in terms of technology.

It is the first satellite tourbillon – a tourbillon whose gauge is not only rotating on itself but also around the central axis. It has a little planet as a counter-weight and it has a very special and spectacular technology. The colour of its dial is also spectacular; we call it ‘magic blue’. I will not reveal the recipe for making this; it is not patented but very few brands can actually create this colour – a very deep blue and a very deep black – as it has a magical ingredient: a powder not easy to find. We have had a few specialists thinking it is enamel at first look, then looking more closely and trying to figure it out.

We are very happy with the end product; in Baselworld, there are 1,500 exhibitors and it is very difficult to propose a unique product but with Space Mystery we have succeeded. We have a unique technology, a unique dial, the uniqueness of the fully engraved case, and of course, we have the story of the meteorite with amino acids. In total, there are four series of eight pieces. We have chosen the number ‘8’ as it is also the symbol for infinity.

Q: Can we expect more series of fully engraved cases from the brand?
A: A fully engraved case shows how much art has been put into making the watch itself. This has garnered the attention of some very important collectors, some of them from the Middle East. This has also helped us to open some doors by exhibiting the exquisite work of Louis Moinet, so yes, we will bring out more editions. We will not repeat ourselves too often but we do have other ideas as how to combine fully engraved cases with our creations in the future.

Q: Is the same engraver who did the Memoris now doing the Sideralis?
A: We have two engravers and they each have their own styles. We also have a third engraver who has done some engraved dials for us. Engraving is an art form and depending on our requirements, they give their own personal touch.

Q: Why did you decide to upgrade the case of the Tempograph this year?
A: The Tempograph is one of our bestsellers; it has a unique technology with a retrograde 20 second and is also a powerful product because you can see the function of the watch; it is like a micro factory on your wrist – you can see all the gears moving and the balance wheel. We are sold out on some of the editions and we wanted to give it some new blood. When you do things, you do the best you can but when you look at them two-three years down the lane you realise that you can improve some things and that is what we have tried to do.

Q: How is the feedback for the Metropolis line, some editions of which you have launched in SIHH and Baselworld this year?
A: We have watches priced at CHF 200,000 and CHF 300,000 and they have very complex mechanisms. Metropolis starts at CHF 10,000, which is still an expensive price for a watch. It took more than two years to develop it; we chose the name Metropolis because it means ‘urban’, it means a ‘new city’ and a city is a mix of the old and new. When you look at any city in the world, there is an old mosque or a cathedral and then you have trendy, posh places. It is the same for this watch; if you look at the architecture, there is an old movement, a technology that is 200 years old, housed in a case that is hollow. The movement is also hollow at 11 o’clock, especially difficult to make at indexes. They are in three extruding geometrical shapes to reflect the light.

Q: Did you expect the Memoris to be so phenomenally successful not only at its launch three years ago but even today?
A: No, I did not; when we started our brand 12-13 years ago, we were like a blind man managing with a walking stick. We knew that Louis Moinet was one of the most important watchmakers that ever lived, but his story had largely been forgotten so we could only guess and find the right direction. In 2012, we found out that he was the inventor of the chronograph; it is a fact that has been proven and attested by a recent Guinness World record, which was officially announced at the end of 2016. This has given us an anchor, confidence, and a responsibility to a higher degree.

I see the watch market as a pyramid. At the bottom are the brands making mechanical watches; on the upper level, we have brands having interesting stories to tell about mechanical watches. On the top level, you have brands that can claim a major invention, and we have put Louis Moinet in that category where there are very, very few names, such as Breguet with the tourbillon.

We can tell our customers who do know Louis Moinet a very nice story: In Paris, in the year 1810, there were two watchmakers, good friends, who worked together. One was Breguet who invented the tourbillon and the other was Moinet who invented the chronograph. It is like Rolls Royce and Bentley. We are at the highest level and it is a paradox because we have such an important name and legacy in the hands of such a small company like ours. It is a paradox and also a great responsibility. So the answer to your question is yes, of course, Memoris for us is a flagship.

Our mission is to evoke emotions, to make people dream, and to give them pleasure. If you repeat yourself too often you kill the dream, therefore all our watches are limited editions. We have ideas to play further with the concept of the chronograph in the future, but Memoris is a herald and an important piece for collectors because it is endowed with an important name and product.