Louis Moinet is an independent brand that flourishes. Their last pieces are exceptional concepts celebrating humanity’s desire to grow and evolve, to conquer new limits. The Louis Moinet Skylink and the Louis Moinet Tempograph Chrome receive a special recognition – the German Desing Awards.
These two German Design Awards were awarded today for Tempograph Chrome and Skylink. “It’s a source of great satisfaction for us in several ways,” explains Louis Moinet’s CEO Jean-Marie Schaller. “For one thing, it’s a recognition of our design work by a multidisciplinary panel, and that’s very important for our Ateliers, located, as Louis Moinet himself was, at the intersection between several disciplines: art, watchmaking, and astronomy. In addition, the Awards recognise the coherent path of our design work. Tempograph is one of the Ateliers’ historic creations, while Skylink is a 2018 creation. We take care to ensure design continuity in our pieces, and this is one of the factors that persuaded the Grand Jury. Lastly, we’re thrilled to have been this convincing for Germany, a nation that’s very demanding in terms of both design and Fine Watchmaking, as well as itself being at the cutting edge in both of these two disciplines; Louis Moinet has been won them over!”
Skylink – humankind’s first space-borne reconciliation
Skylink celebrates the cosmonaut that changed the face of the globe, in 1975 at a time when the world was in the throes of the Cold War. The two superpowers were opposed in every way, not least in a frenetic space race. At 7.20pm on July 17, 1975, two spaceships were docked in space; only the hatch of Soyuz 19 separated Alexey Leonov from Apollo. In opening the hatchway, he also opened up a new world of peace and cooperation; his first interstellar handshake with Commander Thomas Stafford was an unforgettable moment.
Today, Louis Moinet is proud to be celebrating this achievement in the conquest of space – and, more importantly, in human relations – with its Skylink timepiece, recalling the link that was quietly forged between two men, each representing their nations, in the depths of space.
At 3 o’clock sits a special, exclusive Skylink feature: a microcapsule containing, for all eternity, a fragment of Kapton foil – the polyamide fabric which protected Apollo on its return to Earth on July 24, 1975 – together with fibres from the Russian Sokol-K spacesuit. Used for the first time on Soyuz 12 in 1973, the same model is still in use today. Louis Moinet’s capsule establishes a physical link connecting the adventure of 43 years ago, space itself, the astronomy from which watchmaking originally derived, and each of the owners of the watches in this unique collection.
« Germany is an especially demanding market when it comes to Fine Watchmaking – and has now given Louis Moinet further recognition. The brand has just won not one but two German Design Awards, in the “Prestige Creations” category. Here’s why we’re especially proud of that ». Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO & Creative Director
Tempograph Chrome takes up the baton
The new-generation Tempograph 20-Secondes includes two major firsts. Firstly, it features a completely blue surround. This extends from the bridges that structure the movement to the flange, itself engraved with a concentric Clou de Paris pattern. The time dial is located at 4 o’clock; it too is decorated with the concentric Clou de Paris pattern, a Louis Moinet hallmark. Fully lacquered in blue, it sets off Louis Moinet’s signature “Dewdrop” hands perfectly.
The timepiece also features a new case, borrowed from Louis Moinet’s Memoris collection, the first chronograph watch in history. Packed with 52 components, the case has been decreased in size from 46 to 44 millimetres, and then fully reworked to accommodate the Tempograph 20-Secondes’ retrograde movement. This is also the first time this prestigious case has been made in steel.
About Louis Moinet
Ateliers Louis Moinet was founded in Saint-Blaise, Neuchâtel, in 2004. The fully-independent firm was established to honour the memory of Louis Moinet (1768-1853): master watchmaker, inventor of the chronograph in 1816 (certified by Guinness World RecordsTM), and pioneer in the use of very high frequencies (216,000 vibrations per hour). Louis Moinet was a watchmaker, scholar, painter, sculptor, and teacher at the School of Fine Arts – as well as the author of Traité d’Horlogerie, a watchmaking treatise published in 1848 that remained a definitive work of reference for almost a century. Today, Ateliers Louis Moinet is perpetuating this legacy. The firm’s timepieces, produced in limited editions only, have won some of the most coveted honours, including a Red Dot Design Award (Best of the Best category), gold and bronze medals in the Chronometry Competition, a Robb Report “Best of the Best” award, a “Chronograph of the year” distinction from Begin magazine, Japan, and a recent UNESCO Award of Merit. Louis Moinet creations often make use of unusual materials, such as fossils and meteorites, combined with bespoke fine watchmaking complications in a unique creative approach. The brand’s core values are creativity, exclusivity, art and design.
For more information, please visit Louis Moinet Website.