Elite Traveler May-June 2015

ELIZABETH DOERR LIMITED TIME

Although not fully appreciated in his lifetime, Louis Moinet was an inventor, sculptor, painter and horologist of note. In short, he was a real renaissance man. And contrary to popular myth, he invented the world’s first chronograph, today the most popular watch complication of all

1816 and sat untouched for decades in a safe belonging to a European royal family as part of a collection of timepieces, was invented for astronomical use. It should have been called a chronoscope – using the Greek word skopein, meaning “to see,” rather than graphein – since it didn’t leave ink on the dial like Rieussec’s 1821 invention. It was able to measure 1/60th of a second, indicated by the central hand on the pocket watch-style timepiece, and ran at an astounding frequency of 30 Hz (216,000 vph) – a feat that wouldn’t be achieved again for a century. Now, timed to fall between the 10th anniversary of the modern boutique brand and the bicentennial of Moinet’s original piece, Louis Moinet introduces a timepiece paying homage to the 1816 compteur de tierces. Called the Memoris, its emphasis is on the chronograph. Jean-Marie Schaller, founder and creative director of the modern brand, sees the chronograph as the primary function of the timepiece. “We made the chronograph the starting point of our design, it is the central component to which we then added a time function, rather than the other way around,” he says. The Memoris is unique, visually and mechanically. The timing function dominates the interestingly arranged mechanics, with pride of place given to the column wheel at 12 o’clock and the skeletonized totalizers at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock respectively. These mechanics contain elements the modern chronograph needs: a traditional column wheel integrated into the base movement and clutch components for reliability. As a nod to recent stopwatches, the start, stop, and reset are controlled by a single pusher, just north of the crown on the right side of the case. Louis Moinet’s Caliber LM54, which boasts 302 individual components, is automatic. And 60 additional components were created to allow the chronograph to be visible from the

Louis Moinet may not be a household name today. It wasn’t much better when he was alive (1768-1853), overshadowed as he was by Abraham-Louis Breguet. Nonetheless, Moinet was a renaissance man. And he invented something, the existence of which, though mentioned in his own 1848 encyclopedia of horology, Nouveau Traité Générale Astronomique et Civil d’Horlogerie Théorique et Pratique , couldn’t be proven until 2013. Moinet invented the first chronograph, a feat previously attributed to Nicolas Rieussec. The word chronograph is rooted in the Greek words chronos (time) and graphein (to write). Its invention has allowed us to time all kinds of events throughout history, sporting and otherwise. The Moinet stopwatch, originally called a “compteur de tierces” as chronograph didn’t exist, resembles a modern chronograph more closely than Rieussec’s boxlike invention. Moinet’s timer, which dates from

Louis Moinet Memoris: 60 will be made in rose gold, 60 in white gold $55,000

front of the watch: a true novelty as its position on top of a plate separates it from the energy-supplying elements. Engineers added a winding system that allows the rotor to wind the movement in both directions of oscillation, supplying more energy. The Memoris comes in a 46 mmwhite- or rose-gold case, and owns its vintage roots thanks to steampunkish bezel screws as well as the old-fashioned chronograph pusher. The time display located on the subdial at 6 o’clock is simply marked “1806” (the year Moinet began working on his compteur de tierces), while the two blued hands for hours and minutes point to elegant Roman numerals. The chronograph’s blued second hand is decorated with a little star, which stands out against the finely polished steel and brass movement components. The Louis Moinet Memoris is available in a limited edition of just 120 pieces and will retail for approximately $55,000.

The back view of the Louis Moinet Memoris