Ultravox forges a link between a heritage and the future; between the watchmaker Louis Moinet and the brand that now bears his name. Although Louis Moinet was only relatively recently revealed as the father of the modern chronograph, he also produced numerous clocks for the world’s great leaders, including Napoleon Bonaparte and Tsar Alexander I, as well as presidents of the United States. Louis Moinet renews this tradition with the presentation of a brand-new chiming movement developed by Eric Coudray.
In keeping with the spirit of the Memoris chronograph-watch, which aimed to show off the workings of the chronograph mechanism on the dial side, the Ultravox reveals the entire chiming mechanism. This required the construction of a special plate to control the numerous components of the complicated movement. It is finished in the distinctive “Moinet Blue” of the brand, which helps to accentuate the mirror polished screws found on the movement. The same blue is used for the hammer, clearly visible at 12 o’clock, that strikes out the passing hours against a gong that can be seen around the circumference of the dial. The Ultravox will be available from the autumn as a limited edition of 28 pieces with a 46.5mm rose gold case.
The Ultravox was, however, just one of several major announcements made by Louis Moinet on the 250th anniversary of the watchmaker’s birth. On the same day, the city of Bourges, France, named a street after Louis Moinet. But the Impasse Louis Moinet is not just any old street in the town, it is the one where you will find the house where the man himself lived in the 1820s. Louis Moinet also announced the creation of a digital museum housing the largest collection of authenticated Louis Moinet memorabilia in the world, as well as a new partnership with the HEAD that offers a prize of 5,000 Swiss francs for students who come up with the best ideas for what the watch of the future might look like.
