Metropolis

CASE : 18K rose gold or stainless steel, 55 pieces, design with two-part bezel and 6 screws, openworked lugs set with black zircon jewel, sapphire case-back, water-resistant to 50m

DIAMETER : 43.20mm

MOVEMENT : self-winding mechanical movement (LM45 caliber, 48h power reserve), Côtes de Genève decoration with diamond-polished facets, circular-grained wheels, rotor mounted on a ball bearing

FUNCTIONS : hours, minutes, small second at 9

DIAL : 3-level dial with applied open-work hour-markers, “Goutte de Rosée”® dew-drop hands S

TRAP : Hand-sewn Louisiana alligator leather with alligator lining, folding clasp buckle with “Fleur-de-lis” motif

The fully-independent firm Ateliers Louis Moinet was established to honor the memory of Louis Moinet (1768-1853) : master watchmaker, inventor of the chronograph in 1816 (certified by Guinness World RecordsTM), and pioneer in the use of very high frequencies (216,000 vibrations per hour). The aim of the new Metropolis collection is to capture the spirit of Louis Moinet himself and embody it in an urban, modernistic rendition. CEO of the company, Jean-Marie Schaller explains : “Metropolis is a city watch, it combines ergonomics with design, and function with style. We’ve broken free of neoclassical conventions and adopted a committed, contemporary approach that’s unlike anything we’ve done before.” Thus it features three different sets of openwork – on the hour-markers, on the dial, on the lugs and vertical bridges – giving the timepiece a uniquely three-dimensional appearance. The first openwork feature is on the Roman numeral hour-markers, themselves a first for a Louis Moinet timepiece. The manufacture has therefore taken extra special care with them in order to ensure a completely new, ultra-modern result that can be summed up in two key points : light dances off each hour-marker’s three differentlyshaped faces, and the hour-markers are suspended in mid-air, adding a further sense of depth. The dial features the second openwork aspect of the Metropolis, between 8 o’clock and 12 o’clock, revealing each and every beat of its exclusive caliber. The escapement (beating at a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour) and the offset seconds hand are displayed in all their glory – and carefully arranged to ensure an unobstructed view of every detail of the Metropolis’ workings. Its case has been dubbed Neo : its new technical solutions have led to the creation of an all-new shape of watch. Everything is built around two vertical bridges running through the timepiece, securing the strap at each end of their lugs – representing the third and final openwork finish on the watch. The bridges hold the movement’s housing, topped by the bezel and its six screws – another of Louis Moinet’s hallmarks. The movement’s finishes embody all the noble traditions of fine watchmaking : Côtes de Genève, diamond-cut angles, circular satin-brushed wheels, and circular-grained bridges. Revealed through the sapphire caseback, the oscillating weight is mounted on a ball bearing. It shows a concentric version of the Clou de Paris pattern, much beloved of Louis Moinet in the nineteenth century, conveying a striking impression of motion.