1816

1816 was one of the major turning points in watchmaking history. It is the year in which the great watchmaker Louis Moinet completed the world's first chronograph.

Today, the 1816 made by Les Ateliers Louis Moinet shines the spotlight onto the legacy of this pivotal masterpiece. The watch remains true to the essence of its original model and is now ready to write the next chapter in its history.

"Our roots are our future! And the 1816 is proof of this. Its originality and its sheer power carry the heritage of a pioneering work" - Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO & Creative Director

A closer look at Louis Moinet’s new 1816 chronograph means taking a deep dive into over 200 years of history through a timepiece exhibiting a resolutely contemporary style. The double-gadroon case, in polished and satin-finished grade 5 titanium, measures 40.6 mm in diameter and is composed of 51 parts. Two sober pushers frame the winding crown, which is decorated with a fleur-de-lys, the emblem of Bourges, Louis Moinet's birthplace. The grade 5 titanium bracelet integrated into the case is the very first metallic bracelet developed by Les Ateliers Louis Moinet. The slightly vaulted dial is both legible and functional. The chronograph hand is clearly visible and shares space on the dial with two totalisers — one for the hours, the other for minutes — along with a small seconds subdial. The whole is surrounded by a minute and seconds chapter divided in increments of six, recalling the original sixtieths of a second indication. The challenge when designing the 1816 was to preserve the quintessence of the original chronograph while integrating a movement that could meet all haute horlogerie standards. This entailed designing a fully integrated calibre, conceived from scratch, and composed of 330 parts including 34 jewels. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and was developed exclusively for the 1816 chronograph. The hand-wound mechanism includes components specific to traditional watchmaking, such as an instantaneous minute counter, a column wheel, and swan-neck regulating spring. The absence of a plate on the back reveals the movement.