Louis Moinet
Saint-Blaise, Switzerland · Est. 1816
Founded by Jean-Marie Schaller
Louis Moinet is a brand revived in Saint-Blaise in 2004 in honour of the French watchmaker who invented the chronograph in 1816, predating other claimants by decades. The brand produces limited-edition chronographs and complications, often incorporating meteorite or other unusual dial materials.
- Founded
- 1816
- Headquarters
- Saint-Blaise, Switzerland
- Group
- Independent
- Price Segment
- Mid
- Status
- Revived
Key Collections
- Mechanical Wonders — Louis Moinet's flagship collection of highly complex mechanical timepieces, featuring exotic materials such as meteorite, lunar rock and Martian minerals alongside sophisticated complications.
- Cosmic Art — An artistic collection incorporating genuine space materials — lunar meteorite, Martian rock, asteroid fragments — into dials, celebrating the cosmos as a canvas.
- Memoris — A high-complication chronograph collection unique to Louis Moinet, featuring a jumping hours display and retrograde mechanism that pay homage to Louis Moinet's invention of the chronograph.
- Around the World in 8 Days — A limited-edition collection featuring a world-time complication and an 8-day power reserve, referencing Jules Verne's adventurous spirit and the brand's connection to exploration.
Timeline
- 1816 — Historical Louis Moinet completes the world's first chronograph — the Compteur de Tierces — beating at 216,000 vibrations per hour, a record that stood for a century.
- 2004 — Jean-Marie Schaller revives the Louis Moinet name in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland, establishing Les Ateliers Louis Moinet as an independent luxury watch brand.
- 2012 — Louis Moinet is officially recognised with a Guinness World Record for producing the world's first chronograph, affirming the historical achievement of its namesake.
- 2019 — A second Guinness World Record is awarded for the first high-frequency stopwatch, further cementing Louis Moinet's place in horological history.
- 2025 — The Louis Moinet 1816 Chronograph wins Best Chronograph at the Middle East Watch & Jewellery Awards, honouring the 209th anniversary of the original invention.
- 2025 — Reveals new Space Mystery editions featuring meteorite and lunar-material dials, and the Memoris Spirit chronograph, continuing its space-themed horological storytelling.
- 2026 — Presents limited-edition Astronef collection at Watches & Wonders 2026, incorporating fragments of a newly authenticated Martian meteorite.
Frequently Asked Questions about Louis Moinet
- Did Louis Moinet really invent the chronograph?
- Yes. A 2012 Guinness World Record confirms that historical watchmaker Louis Moinet completed the world's first chronograph — the Compteur de Tierces — in 1816, predating previously credited inventors.
- When was the modern Louis Moinet brand founded?
- The modern brand, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet, was established in 2004 by Jean-Marie Schaller in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland, to honour and continue the legacy of the 19th-century master watchmaker.