Louis Moinet Time to Race – the predestined world of the chronograph – Of all complications, the chronograph remains the most useful in the modern world. In the sporting field, the chronograph is the absolute judge. It determines which driver has completed the fastest lap. TIME TO RACE propels itself into the world of gentlemen drivers and also embodies the beauty of sport, the unique spirit expressing the merging of man and machine.
Each collector can choose his own one-of-a-kind creation
Louis Moinet TIME TO RACE is not a limited series, but a set of one-of-a-kind creation. Collectors will indeed be able to personalise their model by selecting a one or two-digit “lucky number” that will appear on the front of the timepiece, along with a dedicated colour code: Rosso Corsa, Racing Green or French blue.
No two watches will thus be alike. These colours have been specifically selected because they embody the most legendary cars in motorsports. To ensure clearer vehicle identification, national colours were assigned in motor racing until the end of the 1960s. This tradition remains present today in the collective imagination, as the tradition has endured. Thus, a red car brings to mind Italy, a green one England and a blue one France…
A strong creation – a new show
The dial side reveals the sumptuous chronograph mechanism, fully visible and highlighted in a whole new way, with the strongly domed crystal reveals it even more fully. A side view also reveals a previously unknown sight…
The racing spirit
The aerodynamic quest embodied in the design of Louis Moinet TIME TO RACE has defined a style reflecting a resolutely competitive spirit.
Its glareproofed sapphire crystal features an imposing curvature serving to enable uncompromising appreciation of the column-wheel mechanism. This ingenious and original design has given rise to a new type of inner bezel ring, dissociated from the crystal. It also makes it possible to combine two different readings of short-time measurements: a tachymeter scale and a 60-second display.
The creation of this bi-material inner bezel ring is complex and owes its brilliance to the intensity of the colour present in its first quarter, made from an avant-garde material. Its bold character is further emphasised by a luminous transfer of the measurement indications designed to enable readability in the dark.
Finally, the inner bezel ring frames a woven carbon fibre mainplate highlighting the 147 components of the chronograph mechanism. It also provides the reading contrast that is so useful during chronograph operations, indicated by the large coloured hand and one of the two smoke-coloured counters.
The hours and minutes are read off a subdial at 6 o’clock. This central design element bears the wearer’s “Lucky Number”, painted in black on a white background with a glossy polished finish, and surrounded by a metal ring reminiscent of the bores used in racing cars.
Its case weighs only 18 grams, cut from grade 5 titanium, then polished and satin-brushed. It evokes the quest for minimum weight that means more comfort and a more seamless fit on the wrist, further enhanced by a strap specially designed to be a perfect extension of the case.
The lines of the case are fluid and taut. The sides feature a new crown base. The lugs are openworked and feature a subtle satin-brushed camber that highlights the integration of the bracelet. They are tipped with the emblematic Louis Moinet signature in the shape of four black zircons with chatons held by screws.
A powerful mechanism
The chronograph offers the most interaction with its wearer. Louis Moinet TIME TO RACE dramatically increases this pleasure, as it is 100% visual. All it takes is one smooth press on the single pusher to make a unique choreography unfolds before your eyes. The various elements – levers, clutch, hammers, column wheel, springs and wheels – are set into motion and interact with the ultimate goal of activating the chronograph and measuring time.
The modern and spectacular design of Louis Moinet TIME TO RACE requires the production of 147 components for the upper part dedicated to the chronograph and 164 components for the lower part corresponding to the self-winding movement.
Entirely respectful of Louis Moinet‘s tradition, the new style direction is defined by its meticulous lines. A chronograph with a decidedly contemporary character, its design is inspired by the world’s first chronograph produced by Louis Moinet in 1816, inventor of the chronograph and high frequency (Guinness World Records™).
Louis Moinet Time to Race Technical Specifications
Exclusively single-piece editions
Each single-piece edition associates a particular number with one of the three colours offered:
- Rosso Corsa
- Racing Green
- Bleu de France
Movement
- Manufacture Louis Moinet – Calibre LM96
- Functions: Hours | Minutes | Seconds | 60-second & 30-minute chronograph counters
- Complication: Single-pusher column-wheel chronograph
- Type: Self-winding mechanism | balance with screws
- Oscillating weight: Bi-material | 6 ball bearings | Adorned with concentric “Clous de Paris” hobnail pattern, “Fleur de Lys”
- Finishes on the upper side:
- Mainplate: carbon fibre
- Steel parts: straight-grained and chamfered
- Gear trains: circular satin-finished
- Finishes on the underside:
- “Côtes de Genève” hobnail pattern, polished edges
- Diamond-polished sinks
- Components: 311
- Oscillations: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Frequency: 4 Hz
- Jewels: 30
- Power reserve: 48 hours
- Water-resistance: 50 metres
Case
- Material Grade 5 titanium | Polished and satin-brushed
- Glasses Box-type sapphire crystal | Glareproofed on both sides
- Single pusher “Clous de Paris” hobnail pattern
- Diameter 40.7 mm
Dial
- Hours/minutes: Colour: white background and black shiny-polished numerals
- Outer ring: rhodium-plated, circular satin-finished
- Hands: rhodium-plated & faceted
- Counters: Translucent material with white luminescent transfer
- Hands: Satin black PVD | Coloured Super-LumiNovaTM
- Inner bezel ring: Dual display: tachymeter scale and 60 seconds | White luminescent transfer | Bi-material with a circular satin finish
Strap
- Material: Preformed rubber
- Clasp: Triple-blade folding clasp | Steel with black PVD finish | Fine adjustment |Curved “Fleur de Lys”
ABOUT LOUIS MOINET
Jean-Marie Schaller created Les Ateliers Louis Moinet in St-Blaise (NE) in 2004. The fully independent firm was established to honour the memory of Louis Moinet (1768-1853): master watchmaker, inventor of the chronograph and high frequency (216,000 vibrations per hour) (certified by two Guinness World Records™). Louis Moinet was a watchmaker, artist and astronomer. He is the author of the Traité d’Horlogerie, a watchmaking treatise published in 1848 that remained a definitive work of reference for a century.
Today, Ateliers Louis Moinet is perpetuating this legacy. The firm’s mechanical timepieces are produced as one-of-a-kind models or limited editions only and comprise two categories: “Cosmic Art” and “Mechanical Wonders”. Louis Moinet creations often make use of unusual and rare components, such as extraterrestrial meteorites or prehistorical materials. The brand’s core values are creativity, exclusivity, art and design. This uniquely creative mechanical approach combined with bespoke fine watchmaking has enabled Louis Moinet to win some of the most coveted honours around the world, including a UNESCO Award of Merit, six Red Dot Design Awards (including one Best of the Best Award), a Horological Creativity Contribution Award, gold and bronze medals in the International Chronometry Competition, ten Good Design Awards, five Middle East Watch of the Year Awards, two Robb Report “Best of the Best” Awards, three German Design Awards, a Moscow Grand Prix Award, and a “Chronograph of the year” distinction from Begin Magazine, Japan.