An ambitious and dynamic initiative from the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, this limited series of 200 MIH Gaïa watches available by subscription is motivated by the twin noble aims of celebrating the silver jubilee of the Gaïa Prize (awarded by the MIH to personalities in the watchmaking community) ; as well as funding the renovation of two exceptional 19th century models kept in the museum, the Grand Magician and the Tellurium. This endeavor undertaken by passionate enthusiasts is all the more deserving in that involves a cluster of exclusively local talents (eight watch industry players from La-Chaux-de- Fonds) and the outcome is particularly successful. The aesthetic and technical audacity remains consistent with the DNA of the Gaïa Prize (whose trophy takes the form of a translucent sphere with a beam of light passing through it), as well as with the architecture of the MIH and its home town, which bears the imprint of Le Corbusier and the watchmaking town planning appearing on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This distinctive style combining angles and curves enables an understated integration of the hours and minutes indication on two disks. Details on the crown, on and under the oscillating weight as well as on the pin buckle punctuate the visual discovery of the model, deliberately evoking a visit to a museum. A must-have for collectors and a boost for the durability of the horological heritage.

MIH Gaïa watch, series 1

CASE : 316L steel, engraved individual number, MIH on the crown, sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 30m DIAMETER : 39mm MOVEMENT : mechanical self-winding (Sellita SW400-1, 38h power reserve), secret message and engraved rotor FUNCTIONS : hours, minutes DIAL : PVD-coated center and blue minutes disk, rhodium-plated hour disk STRAP : calf leather, pin buckle engraved with GPS coordinates of the MIH LIMITED EDITION : 200 pieces