Louis Moinet Mecanograph

Louis Moinet Mecanograph

Angus Davies reviews the Louis Moinet Mecanograph LM-31.20.60, a watch employing a significant quotient of style and originating from the innovative maison whose eponymous founder invented the first ever chronograph.

This detailed review of the Louis Moinet Mecanograph includes live images, specification details and price.

There is something very calming about walking on grass with bare feet on a summer’s morning. The verdant jewel-like blades, adorned with glistening droplets of water, tender an optimistic outlook for the day ahead. The sensory pleasure they extend to curious feet confers a sense of being at one with nature.

The beauty of dew with its microscopic spheres of water has been wonderfully employed in literature by Shakespeare and Tennyson. Indeed, in his poem, ‘The Palace of Art’, Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote,

 

‘And one, an English home — grey twilight poured

On dewy pastures, dewy trees,

Softer than sleep — all things in order stored,

A haunt of ancient Peace’.

 

As I look at the Louis Moinet Mecanograph and admire its dewdrop hands, I perceive its design to be poetic and feel an overwhelming sense of calm. The design team of the Swiss watch company from Saint-Blaise, in the canton of Neuchâtel, has imbued this watch with a gentle mien which seems at one with its wearer.

My reference to nature seems a befitting metaphor when discussing the Louis Moinet Mecanograph because beneath the epidermis of the earth, further wonders await. And so it is with this artistic horological ensemble.

The dial

The easterly flank of the dial is adorned with ‘Côtes du Jura’ guilloché decoration, suffused with a silvery-hue. The remaining 50 percent of the dial surface is open-worked and sits on a lower plane. This area, positioned opposite, proffers an insight into some of the thought processes at play.

Gracing the open-worked area of the dial, Côtes de Genève motif provides a visual contradistinction to the meandering motif on the adjacent, upper dial surface.

The ‘Gouttes de Rosée’ (dewdrop) hands eloquently impart the hours and minutes and provide a dignified means of conversing with the wearer. Their curvaceous tips are beautiful to behold and simple to interpret.

The small seconds display floats above the open-worked area of the dial, using both a small dewdrop hand and slender profiled chapter ring. There is an alluring impression of lightness to this area of the dial. Furthermore, the wearer is indulged with a partial view of the gear train, escape wheel and balance, all collaborating perfectly to serve the wearer with the precise time.

Precision is proclaimed on the dial with the word, ‘Chronomètre’, proudly presented in flowing script. The Louis Moinet Mecanograph is COSC-certified, hence accuracy is assured.

Circumnavigating the dial is a chapter ring, marked with 15 second integers and Arabic numerals every 5 minutes. This detail, together with the faceted hour markers, bolster the readability of an already highly legible dial.

The case

The case measures 43.5mm in diameter with a height of 15.6mm. It has a substantial presence on the wrist, yet does not feel unduly heavy, courtesy of the lightweight grade 5 titanium employed. Furthermore, the watch confers a very agreeable interface with the wrist, bestowing high levels of wearer comfort.

The Mecanograph LM-31.20.60 features an intricate bezel design which sits atop the case and is retained with six screws. Indeed, wherever you choose to look, the composition of this watch is complex and no doubt presented many challenges to the watch company during its development process. However, the perseverance of the Louis Moinet team has led to a magnificent aesthetic which I find especially engaging.

Louis Moinet has equipped the Mecanograph with its ‘unique interchangeable crown tube system’. This wonderfully reinforces the company’s tradition of innovation, exampled by its eponymous founder in 1816 with the invention of the first ever chronograph, the ‘Compteur de Tierces’.

A key aspect of the Louis Moinet Mecanograph is the ubiquitous use of artistic elements. The case masterfully blends polished and matt finishing which seductively dance with ambient light. The caseback is adorned with an array of symbols, each decoratively denoting a specific meaning.

The movement

Louis Moinet co-developed the self-winding movement with Concepto, transcending the functional and proffering further smatterings of delightful detail, freely disclosed via the exhibition caseback.

The anthracite coloured, bi-directional oscillating mass is adorned with ‘Côtes du Jura’ and bears the maison’s name with the year of its foundation positioned below. This eye-catching motif and colour scheme extends to the bridge work. Punctuating the mechanical vista are soupçons of ruby red jewels, golden gears and blued screws, enlivening the visual spectacle presented.

Holding the Mecanograph, one is struck by the alacrity the oscillating mass freely rotates. This tendency to rotate at speed is thanks to the rotor being mounted upon ceramic ball bearings, efficiently capturing energy from subtle movements of the wearer’s wrist.

Closing remarks

There is a palpable sense of style and creativity with the Louis Moinet Mecanograph which becomes apparent within moments of making its acquaintance.

Similar to the dew clad grass, this watch deserves to be touched and its beauty appraised. Moreover, just in the way the seemingly simple allure of ‘dewy pastures’ provide a facade to the creativity beneath, the ‘Gouttes de Rosée’ hands of the Mecanograph float above a sea of sublime engineering.

I thoroughly enjoyed indulging my senses with the superb spectacle of the Louis Moinet Mecanograph and continue to reflect on its poetic horological opus par excellence.

Related Links

• https://louismoinet.com/