Louis Moinet Unveils a New Edition of the 1816 Chronograph
Celebrating 210 Years of the First Chronograph
PRESS RELEASE | 1104 WORDS | 8 MINUTE READ
1816 is one of the key dates in watchmaking history. It was the year in which Louis Moinet, the great watchmaker, completed the world's first chronograph. To celebrate the 210th anniversary of this invention, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet unveils a new edition of the 1816 CHRONOGRAPH in a warm champagne colour. This hue accentuates the dial’s complex construction and its different levels. It reappears on the middle links of the bracelet, underscoring their shape and structure. In another nod to the original piece, the chronograph hour totaliser makes use of Roman numerals.
Photo Courtesy: Louis Moinet
“To celebrate the 210th anniversary of the first chronograph, we chose a special colour for a new 1816 CHRONOGRAPH edition. It echoes that of its unique calibre and naturally evokes the mechanical tradition and codes of haute horlogerie. It’s a way of letting the mechanics themselves define the character of the piece.”
REINVENTING HERITAGE: THE 1816 CHRONOGRAPH
Louis Moinet originally designed his novel instrument to carry out celestial observations, which required precise calculations of the speed at which the stars moved. This "thirds counter" (compteur de tierces) was the first of its kind and a testament to the genius of its creator. Moreover, it turned out to be the first chronograph ever built. Louis Moinet’s brilliant creation incorporated numerous innovations, some of which would not be repeated until a century later.
With the 1816 CHRONOGRAPH, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet has extended this legacy through a timepiece in a resolutely contemporary style. The DNA of Moinet’s compteur de tierces, with its sober, functional, – for its time avant-garde – design, emerges in every detail. The aesthetic codes of the original model have been totally reinterpreted in a manner always in keeping with the traditional codes of haute horlogerie.
A NEW EDITION FOR 210 YEARS OF THE FIRST CHRONOGRAPH
To mark the 210th years of the first chronograph, this latest edition of the 1816 CHRONOGRAPH was given a luminous champagne hue. This colour reflects the mechanics of the piece: an integrated, brand-new calibre engineered especially for this chronograph, which, naturaly, evokes the mechanical tradition and haute horlogerie.
On the dial, this shade adds depth and warmth to the composition and creates a refined contrast with the blued steel hands. The rhodium-plated rings on the counters establish a visual structure on the dial to enhance the legibility of this design, which is inspired by the historic timepiece. In another nod to the original, the chronograph hour totaliser features Roman numeral.
The champagne colour appears again on the intermediate links of the grade 5 titanium bracelet. It highlights the distinctive U-shape of their architecture and accentuates the relief of this sculptural construction.
A LOUIS MOINET CALIBRE IN THE FINEST WATCHMAKING TRADITION
The challenge faced when designing the LM1816 calibre for the 1816 CHRONOGRAPH was to preserve the DNA of the original Louis Moinet chronograph while building a brand-new movement that would meet the standards of haute horlogerie. From the outset, the architecture of the movement was dictated by the unique position of the counters on the 1816 model.
The movement has 330 components, including 34 jewels, and runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour.
The exhibition case back reveals the interplay of carefully finished parts, the overlapping planes and bridges, interweaving gears, and chronometric controls. The contrasts are striking: the white of the steel, the satin finish and brassy hue of the bridges, the blue of the fixing screws, and the deep red of the rubies.
Watch enthusiasts wishing to have a physical connection with their timepiece will appreciate the manual winding ritual, which ensures 48 hours of autonomy. The instantaneous minute counter, the column wheel control, and the swan-neck regulator are other elements that draw the expert eye, as they are hallmarks of authenticity, care and quality of the movement.
A DISTINCTIVE CASE
The double-gadroon case, in polished and satin-finished grade 5 titanium, measures 40.6 millimetres in diameter and is composed of 51 parts. It retains its original Directoire style semi-bassine design with a smooth case middle. Two sober pushers frame the winding crown, which is decorated with a fleur-de-lys, the emblem of Bourges, Louis Moinet's birthplace. The elegant and timeless 1816 was made to be very comfortable on the wrist.
LOUIS MOINET’S AVANT-GARDE VISION AND THE 1816 DIAL
From the end of the eighteenth century, as watch mechanisms became more precise, master watchmakers paid increasing attention to the aesthetics and legibility of their creations. Louis Moinet was no exception. The layout of the subsidiary counters on his compteur de tierces already anticipated the modern configuration of 20th-century chronographs. It established the perfect balance between functionality and design as a genuine measurement interface.
The contemporary version of the dial remains faithful to this functional architecture. It adopts the same layout as that designed by Louis Moinet himself. The subsidiary dials for the small seconds and the 30-minute instantaneous totaliser are arranged horizontally on the top half of the dial on either side of the central chronograph hand. They overlook the 12-hour totaliser. The satin-polished hour totaliser of this new edition uses Roman numerals, reflecting those of the original piece created by Louis Moinet in 1816.
The entire dial is composed of twenty-three elements, including ten blackened nickel cabochons. The base and centres of the three champagne-coloured counters feature a bead-blasted finish. True to the original, the flange, which is divided into increments of six, is mounted onto the watch with four blued-steel screws. Engraving has made it possible to precisely inscribe the dial markings, the name of the timepiece – 1816 – and the name Louis Moinet, reproduced in the typography of the original creation. The central chronograph hand and the counters’ hands are made of heat-blued steel. The hours and minutes are indicated by Louis Moinet-style openworked hands, with tips coated in a luminescent substance.
2026: TWO HISTORIC MILESTONES FOR LOUIS MOINET
The year 2026 marks the 210th anniversary of the first chronograph in history. It was completed by Louis Moinet in 1816. And it also corresponds to the 220th anniversary of 1806, a date that is deeply embedded in the identity of Les Ateliers Louis Moinet.
It was in that year that Louis Moinet created an extraordinary clock for Napoleon Bonaparte, the recently crowned emperor of France. A creation that marked a turning point in Louis Moinet's work. It paved the way to prestigious orders from a number of important personalities of his era.
Availability
The 1816 Chronograph by Louis Moinet is available through the official website.
For further information, visit: https://louismoinet.com/