Independent Swiss luxury watch brand Louis Moinet presents Space Revolution, its latest haute-horlogerie creation inspired by the interstellar world.
The Space Revolution is a flying satellite double tourbillon watch that recreates an extraterrestrial sight comprising of space stations and spaceships on its dial.
Two spaceships battle it out beneath a sapphire crystal dome, facing off eighteen times an hour: the upper spacecraft completes a clockwise rotation every five minutes, whilst the lower vessel turns in the opposite direction, completing a counter-clockwise revolution every ten minutes. Meanwhile, two constantly revolving space stations stage a powerful defense against the effects of gravity.
To ensure they can float freely in space, the craft weigh barely 0.5 grammes each and are made entirely from titanium, with a hybrid ceramic colour finish applied by hand. Their movement can be measured in terms of the speed of light – almost 300,000,000 metres per second. The depths of space have been reproduced by inserting a floating flange between the cylinder and the sapphire crystal dome.
The Space Revolution features an 18 carat rose gold case topped with an imposing sapphire crystal dome. The watch case measures 43.50 mm diameter and the sapphire dome has a diameter of 41.60 mm. The case has been fully redesigned. Made from polished, satin-finish gold, the base supports the sapphire crystal dome, allowing the magic to be admired from the side as well as from above.
The mechanism is wholly unprecedented. Initially deemed to be impossible, the design required more than three years of research. Today, construction of this supremely sophisticated architecture requires painstaking work by a handful of outstanding watchmakers.
The movement comprises two oscillators, each equipped with a differential mechanism to provide greater precision. Each watch has over 470 components and six ceramic ball bearings to ensure perfect rotation and balance of all revolving parts (the spaceships, the tourbillon cages, and the centre of the titanium gold frame).
Even the winding and time-setting mechanisms stand apart from other timepieces: a function selector integrated in the caseback toggles between the two.
To complement the deep space effect, cutting-edge technology endows the dial with light-absorbing properties, achieved by laser nano-structuring on a titanium base that creates wells to capture the light.
The individual nature of each watch offers an opportunity for Louis Moinet to reassert its identity as a specialist in extra-terrestrial materials. Each timepiece in this limited edition of eight is truly unique, thanks to the meteorite fragment placed beneath the centre of the hands on the watch. One is from the Moon, another from Mars, another again from the oldest known rock in the solar system; still another is a fragment containing amino acids…
Technical details
Model: Louis Moinet Space Revolution Limited Edition, Reference LM-104.50.50
Case
18 Carat Rose gold
Diameter: 43.50 mm
Diameter of the sapphire dome: 41.60 mm
Movement
Calibre LM104
Manufacture Calibre
Flying satellite double tourbillon
Manual winding
Frequency: 21,600 VPH (3Hz)
Power reserve: 48 hours
Jewels: 56
Display
Hours and minutes
Strap
Alligator strap
Width: 24mm
Folding clasp
Edition
Limited edition of 8 watches
