Many watch collections are split into three categories: air, land and sea. These families encompass almost every model and complication, such as the GMT for terrestrial travel, the chrono for aviation instruments and the countdown for sailing. But Louis Moinet doesn’t follow these conventions. Jean-Marie Schaller is surely entitled to take that liberty, given that Louis Moinet is the acknowledged inventor of the chronograph, in 1816. This grants certain privileges, including that of disregarding boundaries, whether physical or virtual, aesthetic or commercial.
Around the world
After spending quite some time travelling through space, Louis Moinet is back on terra firma with a Tour du Monde. Around the world – in 80 days? Actually, no. Louis Moinet prefers to avoid cliché and facile connections. In fact, given that Louis Moinet has invoked Jules Verne a number of times in the past, it’s important now to establish some distance. It cannot be overstated: effective watchmaking is not about meeting clients’ expectations; it’s about surprising and amazing them.
A trusted partner
Rather than “Around the World in 80 Days” Louis Moinet is offering a world tour in eight days and wonders. The choice of cities is not random; they are all favourites of Jean-Marie Schaller, and each provides a canvas for a different artistic craft. For once, the Saint-Blaise workshop is openly advertising the partner that helped to create these 8 pieces, sold as a single set. GVA Cadrans, based in Satigny, is an expert in the majority of dial-making arts: grand feu enamel, miniature painting, chasing, electroforming, luminescence and Neoralithe, which Louis Moinet has also made extensive use of in the past (Metropolis, Time to Race).
Each dial highlights one of its city’s iconic landmarks (the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bangkok’s floating market, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, etc.) or its arts (such as origami for Tokyo).
Art and innovation
While all eight pieces are fascinating in their own right, some have particular features that deserve a closer look. For example, the Eiffel Tower depicted on the Paris dial is hand-sculpted from a real block of steel from the venerable iron lady herself, salvaged when the monument was partially rebuilt for its centenary. It is a little-known fact, but for decades, sections of the Tower have been regularly put up for sale, like the staircase sections seen here in 2020.
The Kuala Lumpur dial features the Petronas Towers on a silicon base, creating a striking effect. The inspiration of the sumptuous and innovative Art-Tech piece, once promised to Only Watch, is clear. Also worth mentioning is the Tokyo origami watch, which is not an illustration of folded paper, but an actual folded metal sheet, an authentic approach that demonstrates genuine respect for this Japanese art.
