The new Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT delivers an uncompromisingly modern break with tradition, combining ancestral expertise with incisive styling.
“Playful, unique, technical: the new generation of a revisited icon”
Jean-Marie Schaller
The 20-second retrograde mechanism – an exclusive animation
The large central retrograde hand dominates the dial. Its running 20-second sequences are displayed on a dedicated segment, creating a unique animation.
This first choreography is completed by another subtler animation at 9 o’clock. A counter with a red, black and blue gradient marks the three 20-second sequences composing each minute, complemented by an hours & minutes subdial at 4 o’clock.
Why 20 seconds?
“Some people prefer to watch time pass, others make the most of every second. Whether serving as a measuring instrument or celebrating the magic of the moment, TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT offers a new perception of time. The fact that the 20 seconds are displayed on a sector and not a circle highlights the importance of each passing second and awakens the senses.“
Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO & Creative Director
Technical and aesthetic fusion
Clearly dictated by the decision to highlight a dominant visual concept, Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT presents two distinct graphic zones. The right-hand side is devoted to time indications, with its twenty-second retrograde hand and hours & minutes subdial. The left-hand side displays the mechanism required to drive this watchmaking creation. In particular, the spectacular interaction between the cam and the jewel-tipped rack is clearly visible.
As for the 18-screw balance, its oscillations remind us that the timepiece operates at a rate of 480 vibrations per minute, corresponding to 28,800 per hour.
TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT, the new animated creation
Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT combines power with a modern touch. It unites two major firsts while taking an unprecedented contemporary turn.
1) Highlighted retrograde mechanism
The evolution of the aesthetic concept is based above all on the use of style elements conveying the value of the technical solutions adopted in the service of ergonomics and the quest for purity.
That is exactly why the raised, rhodium-plated, chamfered and snailed bridges have been created. They bear a retrograde reading zone rising towards a curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal. These bridges make it possible to play with space and reveal three different reading levels. The power of the mechanism is revealed in a new light.
2) The case: less volume, more show
Although the diameter of Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT is only 40 mm, it enables better visual appreciation of the mechanism! This is due on the one hand to the design of the upper bridges, the retrograde zone and the hours dial, all of which emerge from the mechanism to bring it closer to the gaze.
On the other hand, the production of the anti-reflective sapphire crystal is designed to complete the show by enabling technical details to be admired from the front as well as from the side, while at the same time slimming the silhouette and guaranteeing optimal ergonomics.
The care devoted to the aerodynamic treatment of the Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT’s design began with the integration of a new, more fluid crown guard. The flanks have been given a facelift, with openworked lugs topped by a subtle satin-finish camber accentuating the integration of the bracelet. The lugs are tipped with Louis Moinet’s emblematic signature, four black zircons featuring chatons held by screws.
The case is made of grade 5 titanium which is extremely light on the wrist at only 18 grams, or of 18-carat gold. The bracelet is perfectly integrated to ensure maximum comfort.
The magic play of light across the finishes underlines the strong character of this model and feature a seamlessly integrated whole composed of a unique mechanism whose functions are enhanced by a highly original exterior.
Exposing an in-house calibre
Among the exclusive features of this model is the calibre itself. Designed and developed by Ateliers Louis Moinet, it comprises over 250 components. Its single-piece construction forgoes the use of an additional module for the complication, which is therefore fully integrated so as to demonstrate the full force of its mechanical beauty.
Through the caseback, Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT with its 48-hour power reserve reveals circular Côtes de Genève, diamond-polished recesses and circular satin-brushed gears with a 5N-coloured finish. The rotor features a reinterpreted version of the Clous de Paris hobnail pattern, with a concentric decoration that lights up the entire timepiece.
Louis Moinet TEMPOGRAPH SPIRIT Technical Specifications
Limited editions
- 18K 5N rose gold – 28 watches
- Grade 5 Titanium – 60 watches
Movement
- Manufacture Louis Moinet Calibre LM85
- Functions: Hours | Minutes | Seconds
- Complication: Retrograde 20 seconds
- Type: Self-winding mechanism | Balance with screws
- Oscillating weight: Bi-material | 6 ball bearings | Adorned with concentric “Clous de Paris” hobnail pattern and “Fleur de Lys”
- Finishes on the upper side:
- Upper bridge: snailed, diamond-polished chamfers
- Circular satin-finished wheels
- Finishes on the underside:
- Circular “Côtes de Genève” hobnail pattern
- Self-winding bridge: diamond-cut chamfers, engraved and gilded Louis Moinet symbols
- Diamond-polished sinks
- Components: 254
- Oscillations: 28,800 vibrations per hour
- Frequency: 4 Hz
- Jewels: 34
- Power reserve
- ; 48 hours
Case
- Materials:
- 18K 5N rose gold, polished and satin-finished | DLC-treated titanium back
- Grade 5 titanium, polished and satin-finished
- Glasses: Box-type sapphire crystal | Glareproofed on both sides
- Diameter: 40.7 mm
- Water resistance: 50 metres
Dial
- Hours/minutes Colours: different choices
- Construction: two-part
- Finish: sunburst
- Hour-markers: polished
- Seconds counter Located at 9 o’clock | Three-colour varnish: red, blue, black
- Retrograde zone: Circular satin-brushed, anthracite
- Hands: Faceted | Red varnished retrograde hand
- Inner bezel ring: Circular satin-brushed
Strap
- Material: Louisiana alligator leather | Alligator lining | Preformed wristband |
- Clasp: Triple-blade folding clasp | 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.