Swiss luxury watch brand Louis Moinet presents TIME TO RACE, a series of mechanical chronographs embodying the beauty of motorsports.
TIME TO RACE is not a limited series, but a set of one-of-a-kind creation. Collectors will indeed be able to personalise their model by selecting a one or two-digit “lucky number” that will appear on the front of the timepiece, along with a dedicated colour code: Rosso Corsa, Racing Green or French blue.
These colours have been specifically selected because they embody the most legendary cars in motorsports. To ensure clearer vehicle identification, national colours were assigned in motor racing until the end of the 1960s. This tradition remains present today in the collective imagination, as the tradition has endured. Thus, a red car brings to mind Italy, a green one England and a blue one France…
The aerodynamic quest embodied in the design of TIME TO RACE has defined a style reflecting a resolutely competitive spirit.
Its glare-proofed sapphire crystal features an imposing curvature serving to enable uncompromising appreciation of the column-wheel mechanism. This ingenious and original design has given rise to a new type of inner bezel ring, dissociated from the crystal. It also makes it possible to combine two different readings of short-time measurements: a tachymeter scale and a 60-second display.
The creation of this bi-material inner bezel ring is complex and owes its brilliance to the intensity of the colour present in its first quarter, made from an avant-garde material. Its bold character is further emphasised by a luminous transfer of the measurement indications designed to enable readability in the dark.
Finally, the inner bezel ring frames a woven carbon fibre mainplate highlighting the 147 components of the chronograph mechanism. It also provides the reading contrast that is so useful during chronograph operations, indicated by the large coloured hand and one of the two smoke-coloured counters.
The hours and minutes are read off a subdial at 6 o’clock. This central design element bears the wearer’s “Lucky Number”, painted in black on a white background with a glossy polished finish, and surrounded by a metal ring reminiscent of the bores used in racing cars.
Its case weighs only 18 grams, cut from grade 5 titanium, then polished and satin-brushed. It evokes the quest for minimum weight that means more comfort and a more seamless fit on the wrist, further enhanced by a strap specially designed to be a perfect extension of the case.
The lines of the case are fluid and taut. The sides feature a new crown base. The lugs are open-worked and feature a subtle satin-brushed camber that highlights the integration of the bracelet. They are tipped with the emblematic Louis Moinet signature in the shape of four black zircons with chatons held by screws.
One smooth press on the single pusher activates the chronograph mechanism and its unique choreography can be admired on the dial side. The various elements – levers, clutch, hammers, column wheel, springs and wheels – are set into motion and interact with the ultimate goal of activating the chronograph and measuring time.
The modern and spectacular design of TIME TO RACE requires the production of 147 components for the upper part dedicated to the chronograph and 155 components for the lower part corresponding to the self-winding movement.
The design of TIME TO RACE is inspired by the world’s first chronograph produced by Louis Moinet in 1816, inventor of the chronograph and high frequency (Guinness World Records™).
Technical details
Model: TIME TO RACE
Edition
Exclusively single-piece editions
Each single-piece edition associates a particular number with one of the three colours offered:
– Rosso Corsa
– Racing Green
– Bleu de France
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 40.7 mm
Finishing: Polished and satin-brushed
Box-type sapphire crystal glass, glare-proofed on both sides
Single pusher with “Clous de Paris” hobnail pattern
Water resistance: 50 metres
Dial side
Hours and minutes sub-dial
White background and black shiny-polished numerals
Outer ring: rhodium-plated, circular satin-finished
Hands: rhodium-plated & faceted
Counters
Translucent material with white luminescent transfer
Hands: Satin black PVD, Coloured Super-LumiNovaTM
Inner bezel ring
Dual display: tachymeter scale and 60 seconds
White luminescent transfer
Bi-material with a circular satin finish
Movement
Calibre LM96 Manufacture Louis Moinet
Single-pusher column-wheel chronograph
Self-winding mechanism
Balance with screws
Oscillating weight: Bi-material | 6 ball bearings | Adorned with concentric “Clous de Paris” hobnail pattern, “Fleur de Lys”
Finishes on the upper side Mainplate: carbon fibre
Steel parts: straight-grained and chamfered
Gear trains: circular satin-finished
Finishes on the underside: “Côtes de Genève” hobnail pattern, polished edges
Diamond-polished sinks
Oscillations: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Frequency: 4 Hz
Jewels: 30
Power reserve: 48 hours
Functions
Hours, Minutes and Seconds
60-second & 30-minute chronograph counters
Strap & Clasp
Strap
Preformed rubber strap with Interchangeability system
Clasp
Triple-blade folding clasp
Steel with black PVD finish
Fine adjustment
Curved “Fleur de Lys”