This is as rare a complication as they come. Louis Moinet’s Sideralis is the first and only Double Tourbillon whose function is to power a watch complication – the first patent application of its kind. The Sideralis Evo has been nominated in the Tourbillon Category for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2016.
To achieve this, two huge tourbillon cages, each with a diameter of 14.9 mm, have had to be designed. They were positioned 1.75 mm above the dial; with one rotating clockwise and the other, counter-clockwise (second patent application). Most importantly, they’ve had to be crafted from cutting-edge materials, so that they can be as light as possible (0.4 gr per cage) whilst still providing the force required to bring the watch complication to life.
The sidereal complication itself comprises two titanium discs, one atop the other, driven by an inverted gear system. The lower disc is hand-painted, and depicts three heavenly bodies in the cosmos: the Moon, Mars and Mercury. Louis Moinet has decorated each of these with authentic, exclusive meteorite fragments and powder. Mercury is the only one of the three for which the material’s origin is uncertain – despite which, it is the most valuable. Indeed, the extra-terrestrial Sahara 99555 material known as Rosetta stone is over 4,566,200,000 years old – the most ancient fragment in the solar system.
The upper disc features a hand-painted constellation of stars and planets on a dark blue background, and displays the movement of the heavenly bodies by rotating once every 60 seconds. The openwork movement reveals its purest mechanical essence. Suspended in mid-air, the tourbillons power the stars and planets. The avant-garde case, meanwhile, features an all-new, intricate design. The two side shafts are crafted from blocks of solid gold, sculpted and embellished with black zircons.
Ateliers Louis Moinet was founded in Saint-Blaise, Neuchâtel, in 2004. The fully-independent firm was established to honor the memory of Louis Moinet (1768-1853): master watchmaker, certified inventor of the chronograph (1816), and pioneer in the use of very high frequencies (216,000 vibrations per hour). Today, Ateliers Louis Moinet is perpetuating this legacy. The firm’s timepieces, produced in limited editions only, have won some of the most coveted honors, including a Red Dot Design Award (Best of the Best category), Gold and Bronze medals in the Chronometry Competition and a recent UNESCO Award of Merit. Louis Moinet creations often make use of unusual materials, such as fossils and meteorites, combined with bespoke fine watchmaking complications in a unique creative approach. The brand’s core values are creativity, exclusivity, art and design.
