The Louis Moinet Metropolis was the first watch I saw on the Sunday before the SIHH week kicked off in earnest. And it set the scene for the evolution of the industry in 2017: carefully considered innovation pitched at an attractive price for a three-hand timepiece with an in-house movement.
The Metropolis is also geared to appeal to a wider audience, with a design that is more understated when compared with the brand’s other, more expensive, pieces. “Metropolis is a city watch,” explains Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO of Ateliers Louis Moinet. “It combines ergonomics with design, and function with style. We’ve broken free of neoclassical conventions and adopted a committed, contemporary approach that’s unlike anything we’ve done before.”
One of the ways that Louis Moinet has done this is to bring light into the movement by housing the three dimensional Roman numerals (a first for the brand) on a double ring attached to the inner perimeter of the case, with the outer railway minute track on a flange in neoralithe, a polymer whose name is derived from the Greek “neo” (“new”) and “lithe” (“rock”). Together with a sand-blasted black dial base, this provides the perfect contrast for the lacquered hour markers.
The new case for the Metropolis has also been dubbed “neo” and consists of 55 different components. Its design is based around two vertical bridges, which hold the movement housing and incorporate the openworked lugs. The bezel and case back are both affixed to these bridges by the customary six screws that are the hallmark of Louis Moinet.
Inside this 43.2mm case is a completely new self-winding movement. The LM45 calibre beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 48-hour power reserve. Its fine decoration of circular graining can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back, while the oscillating mass displays a new, modern interpretation of the Clous de Paris pattern that Louis Moinet used in the 19th century.
After two years of development, the new Louis Moinet Metropolis models are initially proposed as two limited series of 60, one in stainless-steel with blue lacquered numerals, retailing for a very competitive 10,500 Swiss francs, and another in 18-carat rose gold with white lacquered numerals that retails for 32,000 Swiss francs.
