Celebrating their links with the chronograph mechanism, Louis Moinet present a new flagship piece with which to honour their legacy. The model pays tribute to  French watchmaker, astronomer and inventor Louis Moinet, who in 1816 created the world’s first chronograph, a sophisticated horologic complication which could measure precisely a specific period of time, commencing and ending with the press of a button. While the new 1816 watch captures the refinement and understated aesthetics of this important historical timepiece, it is also decidedly modern, with superb Haute Horlogerie decoration throughout.

Manufactured from grade 5 titanium the 40.6mm double-gadroon case is of a complex nature, featuring a flat case middle and fitted with two prominent push pieces, and a Fleur-de-lys decorated crown. The polished and satin finishing extends to the beautifully styled integrated bracelet, which features elegant curving graduating links. Marking a significant departure for the company, the 1816 is the first watch in their portfolio to feature an integrated metal bracelet.

Beneath the raised sapphire crystal, the dial evokes wonderful equipoise, with brushed finished frames for the counters, and bead blasted texturing on the rhodium plated dial surface. Referencing the layout of Louis Moinet’s innovative timepiece, the subdials for the seconds and the minutes are placed at the upper, with the larger 12-hour counter at the six o’clock. Divided into increments of six to recall the original sixtieths of a second indication, the chapter ring holds ten blackened cabochons, and the blued screws that hold the dial are completed by blued hands, with skeletonised examples for the hours and minutes. Notably the minutes counter jumps instantaneously enabling precision measurement.

In order to accommodate the historical dial arrangement, a brand new bespoke calibre was developed in collaboration with Concepto, and its glorious Haute Horlogerie detailing is fully revealed through an exhibition caseback. A significant development for Louis Moinet, the escapement of the Calibre LM1816 is equipped with a swan-neck regulator, and of course, the chronograph mechanism has a column-wheel arrangement which is the mark of all high-end examples. Manual winding, the movement operates at 28’800 vib/h and has a power reserve of 48 hours. In the absence of a winding rotor, the mesmerising labyrinth of the components is completely unobstructed, and the contrast of the patina-like tones of the bridges, the pristinely finished steel parts, the blued screws and the rubies is superlative.