Louis Moinet presents a unique timepiece that shelters a rare fragment of the cosmos, bearing the earliest traces of life. Its dial, a genuine feat of artistic and technical prowess, features fragments of rare meteorites and reveals a stellar panorama that lights up at night. On the back, it shows the solar system, with planets meticulously painted by hand. The back of the new Louis Moinet Starman reminds us of the Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium Poetic Complication by Christian van der Klaauw or the subdial of the Frederique Constant X Christian van der Klaauw Tourbillon Planétarium for ONLY Watch Auction.
A fragment of the Jbilet Winselwan meteorite majestically dominates the upper part of the Louis Moinet Starman dial and competes visually with the tourbillon. This beautiful black stone, spangled with little brown dots, was discovered in the western Sahara Desert. It bears amino acids and is thus a silent witness to the first sparks of life spread throughout the cosmos.
The new Louis Moinet Starman is available in 18K white gold or 18K red gold with a case measuring 47.4 millimeters in diameter and in a limited edition of 12 pieces for each metal. Its architecture is opulent and complex, mixing brushed and polished surfaces and a stepped bezel that gives it a unique character. The contrast between the deep blue dyed base cut from the Gibeon meteorite with its distinctive Widmanstätten pattern is simply breathtaking.
Turning the Louis Moinet Starman around reveals a fascinating chart of the solar system. The planets, some of which only measure two millimeters in diameter, have been meticulously painted by hand and placed on a grid that seems to float over a star-lit sky. The ultimate secret, however, is that all the planets have been precisely positioned as they appeared on March 21, 2013, when Louis Moinet revealed at the Neuchâtel observatory in Switzerland, the famous Compteur de Tierces, which had been built by the great French watchmaker Louis Moinet in 1816.
The Starman dial is a remarkable blend of artistry and engineering excellence. At its core is a base cut from the Gibeon meteorite, which fell to Earth in ancient times and is renowned for its distinctive Widmanstätten pattern. This fragment has been carefully dyed a deep blue through a complex, secret process.
Above it sits a second disc crafted from sapphire crystal, which showcases a star map. The constellations, meticulously hand-painted with luminous material, stand out against the map's grid of longitudinal and latitudinal lines, creating a celestial backdrop that is both beautiful and precise.
The Louis Moinet Starman timepiece defies gravity in a riveting manner thanks to its flying tourbillon in an off-centered cage. The manual wound movement is equipped with two barrels in parallel providing an impressive power reserve of 96 hours. The system, called “volte face,” has one of the barrels turned upside-down or head-to-tail, so they deliver their energy simultaneously.
In creating this timepiece, Jean-Marie Schaller delved into the mysteries of the cosmos. It’s a spirited homage to Louis Moinet, a man whose spirit of innovation and exploration is destined to continue resonating into the future.
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