Independent Swiss haute horlogerie combining manufacture calibres, tourbillons, chronographs, meteorites, rare materials, and highly limited mechanical art.
Louis Moinet is an independent Swiss haute horlogerie brand founded by Jean-Marie Schaller in 2000 and based in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland. Inspired by the legacy of nineteenth-century watchmaker Louis Moinet, inventor of the world’s first chronograph, the modern atelier creates limited-edition and unique mechanical watches using tourbillons, chronographs, meteorites, space materials, elaborate artistic techniques, and proprietary manufacture calibres.
Louis Moinet is an independent Swiss haute horlogerie brand founded by Jean-Marie Schaller in 2000. Based in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet specialize in highly exclusive mechanical watches that combine complex watchmaking, artistic craftsmanship, rare materials, and unconventional design.
The modern company takes its name from Louis Moinet, the French watchmaker, artist, astronomer, and horological writer who lived from 1768 to 1853. His historical work provides the creative foundation for many of the contemporary atelier’s watches.
Louis Moinet’s most important horological achievement was the Compteur de Tierces, completed in 1816 for astronomical observations. The instrument is recognized as the world’s first chronograph and could measure one-sixtieth of a second.
Its balance operated at an extraordinary 216,000 vibrations per hour, or 30 Hz, making it the first known high-frequency stopwatch. The historic instrument has received Guinness World Records recognition for both the world’s first chronograph and the first high-frequency stopwatch.
The contemporary Louis Moinet atelier interprets this heritage through two broad creative directions: Mechanical Wonders, focused on unusual mechanical constructions and complications, and Cosmic Art, which explores meteorites, astronomy, space materials, and artistic representations of the universe.
The modern 1816 Chronograph directly reconnects the brand with Louis Moinet’s historical invention. Its grade 5 titanium case houses the manually wound LM1816 manufacture calibre, an integrated chronograph movement developed specifically for the watch with 330 components and a 48-hour power reserve.
For 2026, Louis Moinet expanded the concept with the 1816 Tourbillon Chronograph. This limited edition combines a monopusher chronograph with a flying tourbillon and uses the LM114 calibre with approximately 96 hours of power reserve.
The Memoris collection reverses the usual hierarchy of a chronograph watch by placing the chronograph mechanism at the center of the dial while moving the conventional time display to a smaller secondary position.
Time to Race takes inspiration from motorsport. Its monopusher chronograph mechanism is displayed prominently on the dial, while owners can select a personal Lucky Number that becomes part of the individual watch’s visual identity.
The Astronef and Space Revolution represent the more experimental end of Louis Moinet watchmaking. These watches use multiple tourbillons, three-dimensional movement architecture, sapphire structures, and orbital displays designed to create the impression of mechanical objects moving through space.
Space Revolution uses a flying satellite double tourbillon arrangement in which two tourbillons and miniature spacecraft rotate at different speeds and in opposite directions beneath a sapphire dome.
Rare and extraterrestrial materials are a defining element of the brand. Louis Moinet frequently incorporates genuine meteorites, lunar material, Martian meteorites, minerals, opals, fossils, and other unusual natural substances into dials and decorative elements.
The atelier’s interest in meteorites led to another Guinness World Records achievement. The Cosmopolis timepiece received recognition for the greatest number of different meteorite inserts incorporated into a single watch.
Other current and recent creations include Tourbillon Puzzle, Impulsion, Speed of Sound, Skydance, Black Moon, Moon Meteor, Stellarium, and bespoke travel-trunk collections. Individual watches may combine tourbillons, chronographs, astronomical displays, automata, miniature painting, stone marquetry, gem setting, and sculptural components.
Louis Moinet uses a range of proprietary and manufacture mechanical calibres developed for specific watches. The technical architecture varies considerably by model, from manually wound chronographs to automatic monopusher chronographs and highly complex multiple-tourbillon constructions.
Production is deliberately extremely limited. The atelier states that its timepieces are either exclusive limited editions or unique pieces, and many artistic models are produced as one-of-one commissions or in editions of only a handful of watches.
Louis Moinet occupies the ultra-luxury independent watchmaking segment. Current watches typically begin in the tens of thousands of dollars, while complicated tourbillons, double-tourbillon creations, precious-metal pieces, and exceptional unique watches can reach several hundred thousand dollars.
Price Range: $26,000 – $460,000+
Positioning: Ultra Luxury
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Louis Moinet was a French watchmaker, artist, astronomer, and horological writer born in 1768. He is now recognized as the creator of the world's first chronograph.
Jean-Marie Schaller launched the modern Louis Moinet watch brand in 2000, reviving the name and horological legacy of the nineteenth-century watchmaker.
Louis Moinet is an independent Swiss watch brand based in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland. Its current watches are Swiss Made.
Yes. Louis Moinet completed his Compteur de Tierces in 1816. The instrument is officially recognized as the world's first chronograph.
The 1816 Compteur de Tierces operated at 216,000 vibrations per hour, or 30 Hz, and could measure one-sixtieth of a second. It is also recognized as the first high-frequency stopwatch.
The modern 1816 Chronograph is a contemporary tribute to Louis Moinet's historic invention. It uses the manually wound LM1816 integrated chronograph calibre developed specifically for the model.
Yes. Meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials are central to many Louis Moinet watches, including pieces containing lunar, Martian, and other documented meteorite fragments.
Space Revolution is an experimental mechanical watch featuring two flying satellite tourbillons rotating in opposite directions beneath a sapphire dome together with miniature spacecraft-inspired elements.
Current Louis Moinet watches generally start in the tens of thousands of dollars. Chronographs and artistic pieces commonly cost $30,000 to $70,000, while complicated tourbillons and exceptional creations can exceed $150,000 to $400,000.
Yes. Louis Moinet specializes in exclusive limited editions and unique pieces. Many models are produced in very small series, and some watches are individually commissioned one-of-one creations.
