IN THE HOUR WORLD EVERYONE IS FINALLY CONSIDERED THAT THE FIRST CHRONOGRAPH IN THE HISTORY HAS BEEN CREATED BY THE FRENCH LOUIS MUANE YET AT THE BEGINNING OF THE XIX CENTURY. LATER AND A HALF A CENTURY, JEAN MARIE SCHALLER LAUNCHED A MARKET COMPANY WITH FULL BRANDING LOUIS MOINET. IN DUBAI, HE PRESENTED A FEW EXCLUSIVE WATCHES IN DAMAS BOUTIQUES AND TELL US A FANTASTIC HISTORY ABOUT THE GLORIFIED WATCH MASTER. Jean-Marie, Louis Mouine’s life story is incredibly interesting!
Jean-Marie: Yes, he was an outstanding person who had many talents! He wrote excellent oil, won prizes in athletic sports, adored mechanics. But his main passion was watches. At the age of twenty, he left his native France for Italy and moved to Rome, where for five years he studied architecture, sculpture and painting. Then he met with members of the French Academy, which included the best artists of that time.
From Rome, he went to Florence, where he became acquainted with the art of cutting precious stones in a workshop donated by Count Manfredini, Minister of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Upon his return to Paris, he was appointed professor at the Academy of Fine Arts at the Louvre and became a member of several scientific and artistic societies. However, since 1800, he began to devote all his time to watchmaking. He lived for a long time in Switzerland, where he talked with the famous watchmakers of that time, among whom was Jacques-Frederic Urier. Soon, Mouans was appointed president of the Paris Chronometric Society, whose goal was "the development and promotion of watchmaking as one of the most beautiful creations of the human mind." As president, Louis Mouine maintained constant contact with his colleagues: Louis Bertud, Antide Janvier, Louis-Frederic Perrele, Joseph Winnerl, as well as with Benjamin Valje, the king’s personal watchmaker in London.
How did Louis Muan manage to create the world's first chronograph?
Jean-Marie: Specializing in the creation of precision measuring instruments, Mouines produced clockworks for navigation and astronomy. He improved existing technologies and became the author of several significant innovations. His most significant invention was the "counter of thirds" created in 1816, thanks to which Muan is called the inventor of the chronograph. The unique “counter of thirds” (the word “chronograph” did not exist then) was able to measure time with an accuracy of 1/60 of a second, made 216,000 vibrations per hour and was equipped with a mechanism to return the hands to zero.
What do you think prompted the wizard to create such an accurate device?
Jean-Marie: Incredible, but astronomical observations! This device allowed him to accurately measure the distance between the ocular filaments of the optical tube. In the 1820s, 1/10 of a second was considered the watch’s accuracy limit, so the third counter became six times more accurate. However, the pursuit of absolute accuracy is an integral part of watch science.
Why didn’t Louis Muanet patent his invention?
Jean-Marie: The greatest people are often the most modest. This was also Mouine, whom his peers considered one of the greatest people of his time. Here is how the vice-president of the Paris Chronometric Society Mr. Delmas said about him: “He was everywhere, participated in all debates. He was punctual, insightful, condescending, supporting the weak, giving advice to all who need them, not conceited and without secret thoughts. "
Tell us how did you get to know his work?
Jean-Marie: One of my close watchmaking friends suggested that I pay attention to the work of the master. Having studied all the treatises of Muan, I instantly seized on the opportunity to revive his ideas. At that time, I was already an ardent admirer of his genius.
What treatise are you talking about? Has Louis Mouine left a note on clockwork?
Jean-Marie: This is a "treatise on the timekeeping", which was published in 1848 and is still considered the best publication on watchmaking. Among the many admirers of the treatise was His Highness Alexander, Prince of Orange. The treatise was so popular that it was reprinted three times. Louis Mouine spent twenty years of his life writing it.
Tell us about Louis Moinet's contemporary workshops.
Jean-Marie: Our workshops are located in Saint Blaise. The company itself was founded 15 years ago, and its main goal is to create a watch that fully meets the spirit of Louis Muan.
As far as I understand, you are not trying to storm the market?
Jean-Marie: Of course not. The company's goal is to return Louis Mouiné a well-deserved place in the pantheon of watchmakers. Therefore, Louis Moinet workshops specialize in the production of limited series and unique models with a special design.
What style do you stick to?
Jean-Marie: Our craftsmen draw inspiration from the rich heritage of Louis Mouiné: blued steel dew-drop hands and Cotes du Jura guilloche dials. The cases are distinguished by a bezel fixed on six screws, a unique patented crown protection system with a replaceable sleeve and chronograph buttons in the style of "champagne cork".
For example, two counters of the Geograph model are decorated with genuine rubies obtained by the Verneil method, polished on both sides and, quite unexpectedly, on two levels.
If I'm not mistaken, you use incredible materials for the development of watch movements, including even meteorites! Jean-Marie: Yes, Louis Moinet is the first and only brand whose watch contains a particle of a genuine Martian meteorite.
The reason for this, of course, was the desire for uniqueness. For example, for the Astralis model, we used elements from Mars. By the way, to date, scientific institutes around the world have confirmed the origin of no more than 70 Martian meteorites, and the cost of one gram of meteorite is much higher than the cost of one gram of gold, platinum and diamonds. Particles of the Martian meteorite Jiddat al Harasis 479, which traveled 55 million kilometers before embellishing the clock and embarking on a new journey on planet Earth, are embedded in Astralis.
I know that you participate in charity events to protect the environment and nature. Tell us about one of these projects Geograph Rainforest watches. Jean-Marie: Geograph Rainforest unique watch. The dials of the two counters of this chronograph are made of genuine petrified palm tree of the ancestor of tropical trees of Southeast Asia. Her age is more than 70 million years. Origin and age make the petrified palm tree an ideal bearer of the Rainforest project idea. Part of the proceeds from the sale of each watch goes to support the Pulau Banding fund, whose goal is to preserve the world's oldest tropical forest, Belum-Temengor in Malaysia.
Jean-Marie, everyone is closely watching your work. What awaits us in 2014?
Jean-Marie: I didn’t want to reveal my cards yet, but especially for you I can say that we are looking forward to the release of the Astrolabe tourbillon, which will be released in a limited number of 12 hours. This is a homage to the dawn of Arab scientific thought, when the world's first astrolabe was invented in the 8th century. Another novelty is the Wabar tourbillon, which contains a particle of the very important Wabar meteorite found in the Rub al-Khali desert in Saudi Arabia in 1863 by a local Bedouin. Louis Moinet is the sole owner of a particle of this meteorite, the bulk of which is stored in the National Museum of Saudi Arabia. In a word, the future seems bright to me, and I hope to always adhere to the motto of Monsieur Mouine: "The main thing is not to deviate from the truth."
