Around the world in eight days is a contemporary version of the famous odyssey imagined by Jules Verne, revisited by Jean-Marie Schaller owner & creative director of Louis Moniet presented in an exceptional travel trunk..
Each city is a living canvas limned by thousands of human stories, and each reveals itself to be a place where boundless energy boils a cauldron blending art, culture, architecture, and technology. It is this rich and complex alchemy that inspired Jean-Marie Schaller to create these eight horological masterpieces.
These eight works feature a flying tourbillon inside an off-centre cage, thus defying gravity in a visually striking manner. The hand-wound movement is equipped with a double barrel. The system is called “volte-face,” or upside-down, with the two barrels arranged “head to tail,” allowing them to release their energy simultaneously and delivering 96 hours of power reserve.
To create the dials, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet tapped the specialised skills of GVA Cadrans. This company’s dial-makers have unique expertise in métiers d’art, be that fine miniature painting, precise hand-engraving, the delicate art of marquetry, or making complex jigsaw puzzle dials.
The exceptional beauty of these eight dials has to do with the originality of the materials chosen, ranging from rock crystal to aventurine, from genuine fragments of history to high-tech materials. Each of these elements is a genuine treasure that gives these works their unique character.
PARIS – Fragments of history and jigsaw puzzle dial
The Eiffel Tower has been meticulously sculpted by hand from a real piece of this Parisian hallmark and shows phenomenal details. It comes from one of the original beams that had supported the structure for a century before being sampled for a scientific examination.
To make this timepiece, Louis Moinet tapped the great art of hand-engraving. The craftperson’s expertise has made it possible to reproduce the distinctive architecture of this Parisian icon, with its slender silhouette, intertwining metal beams, diagonal arches and cross-bracings.
The Eiffel Tower has been placed on a jigsaw puzzle dial made up of 81 carefully interlocked pieces and seems to rise up out of the city itself. The puzzle actually reproduces the map of Paris including many details, like the Seine River that bifurcates the town as well as the different districts.
The watch embodies all the timeless charm and grandeur of Paris, the City of Lights. This genuine fragment from the Eiffel Tower, a witness to the ambitious project launched by Gustave Eiffel, was given new life in the hands of dial-making artisans. Its journey from powerful steel to horological métiers d’art bridges two eras and two artistic visions to celebrate the eternal essence of Paris.
ABU DHABI – The purity of rock crystal invites the micro-painted Sheikh Zayed Mosque
To evoke the majesty of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and pay tribute to its pure lines, the dial-makers worked on a rock crystal base. Each element of this architectural gem, from the majestic domes adorned in white marble to the imposing columns, was meticulously hand-painted. The result is a testimony to their traditional skill in miniature painting, where every fine, exact detail represents a technical and artistic challenge.
They made use of the transparency of the rock to stage a scene on two planes. The Sheikh Zayed Mosque appears on the backdrop of a clear blue sky with a moon crescent. This unique piece offers an enchanting spectacle worthy of One Thousand and One Nights.
BANGKOK – Miniature hand-painted glimpse of a floating market
The exceptional skills of the micro-painter come to full flower in this unique piece, which carries the viewer right to the heart of the bustling, colourful life of Bangkok’s floating market. This age-old technique brings every detail to life with striking vibrancy. The boats laden with colourful goods, the subtle details of the woven straw hats, and the delicate nuances of the water lilies have all been reproduced with remarkable precision.
To capture the genuine liveliness of the scene, all the decorations have been added to the dial, thus giving the illusion that they are floating on an azure surface.
The blue dial features a circular labyrinth that represents the tangled canals and rivers that crisscross the city. The feeling of movement and animation is enhanced by the contrasting polished and brushed surfaces.
This work of horological art draws us into the heart of the action, where our senses are wide awake, and every minute provides new and wonderful surprises.
KUALA LUMPUR – Sculpting the Petronas Towers on ultra-modern material
The Petronas Towers, carved out of silver, stand proudly on a silicon dial engraved with microelectronic circuits. The masters of the engraving art have meticulously crafted the glorious architecture of these two 88-storey towers, with their prominent M-shaped silhouette. At the centre of the dial is the famous Skybridge that connects these two architectural icons.
The backdrop to the towers is a silicon wafer whose engraved microelectronic circuits form an intricate technological decor. The bold choice of silicon for the dial of the KUALA LUMPUR timepiece underscores the crucial importance of technology for the city. The patterns create a kaleidoscope of dynamic lights and reflections that suggest the city’s dynamic innovative spirit as a thriving technology hub.
En mariant Métiers d’Art et matériaux de pointe, cette œuvre de Louis Moinet célèbre l’harmonie unique d’une ville qui honore ses traditions tout en embrassant l’avenir technologique. Les Tours Petronas, symboles de cette symbiose, incarnent la dynamique d’une métropole toujours en mouvement.
By combining métiers d’art and cutting-edge materials, this work by Louis Moinet celebrates the unique equilibrium of a city that honours its traditions while also embracing a technological future. The Petronas Towers, symbols of this symbiosis, represent the dynamism of a metropolis that is always on the move.
SINGAPORE – Straw marquetry radiating in the heart of the city
The straw marquetry serves as a sprightly composition for Singapore’s iconic buildings and evokes the city’s liveliness.
This unusual craft is rooted in a long artistic tradition that demands patience, skill, and a lot of care when handling the material. Each stem of rye is dyed red or orange, then cut and carefully applied piece by piece to cover the entire dial. It requires deep knowledge of the craft to place each fiber in such a way as to capitalize on the natural reflections of the straw and create a composition of light.¨
The emblematic silhouettes of Singapore appear on this artful backdrop, with the Marina Bay Sands complex dominating the tableau surrounded by the sparkling Supertrees. Also on the dial are the architecturally original Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel and, of course, the famous Merlion, the city’s timeless hallmark, half fish, half lion.
This unique timepiece celebrates Singapore’s exceptional cityscape, which has been driven by an innovative and contemporary spirit.
TOKYO – Real origami
At the heart of this horological masterpiece is an origami made from a piece of metallic paper. It represents a crane, a symbol of longevity and happiness, and illustrates the extraordinary skill of the dial-makers.
The aventurine evokes a starry night and serves as a backdrop to Mount Fuji and the delicate cherry blossoms, all hand-painted with remarkable precision.
This composition captures the very essence of the great city of Tokyo, where time seems suspended in a poetic atmosphere. It incarnates the perfect harmony between the métiers d’art in watchmaking and the timeless treasure of Japanese traditions.
SAN FRANCISCO – The hand-painted Golden Gate Bridge on a high-tech backdrop
Technological innovation, a pillar of San Francisco’s identity, inspired the dial’s unique design.
Its base is a silicon wafer etched with microelectronic circuits, the very symbol of Silicon Valley, but it also reflects the architectural elegance of San Francisco’s urban design. The harmonious, elegant symmetry of the Golden Gate Bridge stands out vividly against this high-tech pattern. The bridge is carefully sculpted and hand-painted in that famous and recognisable “International Orange” and has been skilfully positioned in relief on the dial.
Thanks to the exceptional visual perspective, this iconic monument comes to life, giving the illusion of being very close to the viewer.
NEW YORK – Holographic technology animating buildings
What better monument to dominate this timepiece, than the Statue of Liberty, engraved and painted by hand. Making it demanded lots of experience and dexterity.
The sapphire crystal substrate of the dial has been carefully painted black to highlight the imposing skyline of the Big Apple. In the back is a holograph film that creates a fascinating play with lights that recalls the typical architecture of the skyscrapers. Depending on the angle of viewing, these buildings light up brightly and emit all the nuances of the rainbow.
These eight exceptional creations are presented in a luxurious, leather-covered wooden trunk, where every detail showcases the exceptional skills of the craftsmen.The trunk’s outer surface features a delicately stencilled fleur-de-lys monogram recalling the heritage and history of Louis Moinet. Opening this trunk is the beginning of a unique adventure, an artistic world tour in eight days. Inside, elegantly laid out, are the eight timepieces that highlight this journey from Paris to New York. They are accompanied by an old map of the world, drawn by Thomas Jefferys, the famous geographer at the court of King George III. This map, dating from 1786, the year Louis Moinet was born, and is a reminder that the creations of this pioneering watchmaker also crossed the globe to be with the eminent personalities of his time.
