MARTIAN ODYSSEY
After the Moon, Louis Moinet continues in the exploration of our solar system. With the Mars collection, the ateliers put “the Earth’s little sister” on your wrist.
The red planet may be a distant 76 kilometres from the Earth, but Louis Moinet can take us part of the way with a sample extracted from a meteorite detached from its surface. With Mars, it’s not just a simple morsel, here housed in a capsule at 3 o’clock, which has been integrated into the dial. Reliefs created with craftsmanship faithfully reproduce the eponymous planet’s chaotic surface and legendary volcanoes such as Olympus Mons and Ascraeus Mons. This copper theme is also found on the oscillating weight with a concentric “Clou de Paris” finish, visible through the back of the case. It is offered in two versions, 12 pieces in rose gold and 60 in steel, which have the respective diameters of 45.4mm and 43.2mm. Mars is also the brand’s first watch to show indexes shaped as Roman numerals. Sparkling and shiny, they seem to be suspended in this sidereal universe. The whole is marked by hour and minute hands in definite style. A small second hand, off-center at 9 o’clock, completes the stellar face.
In addition to this setting worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, triple latticework allows you to dive into the mechanical workings of the timepiece. Components of the self-winding movement, with a cadence of 28,800 vibrations per hour, contribute to the décor. The caliber, once rewound, ensures a power reserve of 48 hours.
For each piece in the Mars collection, accompanied with its alligator strap, a leather-wrapped case has been specially created. This too contains a fragment of Martian rock.
Price: 15,000 CHF (steel) – 39,500 CHF (rose gold)
By Dan Diaconu