Louis Moinet is paying tribute to the ‘Compteur De Tierces’ (‘Counter of Thirds’) with the 1816, named after the year in which Louis Moinet completed the world’s first chronograph (pocket watch) to conduct calculations about the movement of stars, a timepiece which is now at the Louis Moinet Museum in Saint-Blaise. You can read more about it here.
The grade 5 titanium case is 40.6mm (14.7mm thick) with a combination of polished and satin-brushed finishing. With double gadroons, it retains its original Directoire style semi-bassine design with a flat case middle.
The slightly curved rhodiumed dial of the 1816 is mounted with four blued-steel screws and has the same layout, both as per the original for which this pays homage – two saint-brushed totaliser sub dials alongside a small seconds at 6 o’clock – a 12-hour counter and a (jumping) 30-minute counter, situated horizontally on the top half of the dial on either side of the stationary central chronograph hand. The counters have a satin-brushed ring and bead-blasted centre
They are surrounded by a satin-brushed minute and seconds chapter divided in increments of six, as per the original sixtieths of a second indication, with ten blackened nickel cabochons. The centre of the totalisers, the flange, and the dial are all bead-blasted. Both the model name and Louis Moinet are engraved in the same typeface as the original piece.
The skeletonised hour and minutes hands are faceted with lumed tips, and the central chronograph hand and the hands on the totaliser sub dials are blued steel.
The historical piece after which this is named was, of course, all about the movement. For this new 1815 Chronograph, the brand as it is in 2025 went with a new column wheel movement developed for them by Concepto which maintains the original’s layout and ‘counter of thirds’. Comprising of 330 parts, the manually-wound LM1816 beats at 28,800 VPH and has a power reserve of 48 hours. The bridges and mainplate are 3N gold-plated, sanded and polished. The swan-neck regulator is black polished.
Unexpectedly, it comes on an integrated grade 5 titanium bracelet. The brand’s first metal bracelet, it features a mix of satin and polished finishing. The new Louis Moinet 1816 Chronograph has an Australian RRP of $52,000.
[Photo credit: Louis Moinet]
Categories: Louis Moinet, Watch Profile, watches, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025
HOROLOGIUM 
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