This just in from Louis Moinet -
With the spotlight pointed on Mars thanks to the recent historic landing of the space rover Curiosity, Astralis is still the only wristwatch to contain a piece of the Red Planet – a fragment of Martian meteorite that travelled over 55 million kilometers before reaching the Earth !
To date, only 63 meteorite rocks found on Earth have been identified as being from Mars.
MARS
With the spotlight pointed on Mars thanks to the recent historic landing of the space rover Curiosity, Astralis is still the only wristwatch to contain a piece of the Red Planet – a fragment of Martian meteorite that travelled over 55 million kilometers before reaching the Earth !
To date, only 63 meteorite rocks found on Earth have been identified as being from Mars.
MARS
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| Courtesy of Louis Moinet |
MERCURY
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| Courtesy of Louis Moinet |
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| Courtesy of Louis Moinet |
THE SUN
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| Courtesy of Louis Moinet |
The unique universe of Astralis
A 24-hour planetarium
Astralis boasts a planetarium at 6 o’clock containing not one but four highly-polished rare meteorites – Dhofar 459, Itqiy, Sahara 99555 and Jiddat al Harasis 479 – respectively denoting the Moon, the Sun and the planets Mercury and Mars. Sahara 99555 it is the oldest known rock in the entire Solar System, estimated at 4 billion 566 million years, earning it the nickname the "Rosetta Stone" of our Solar System (though we are not certain it originates from Mecury). The Sun is symbolised in the planetarium by a sliver of Itqiy, a beautiful meteorite whose origins remain mysterious. All four of these fragments of extra-terrestrial rocks are unique and mounted on a finely-cut aventurine disk, evoking a starry sky making a one revolution per day.
Four unique timepieces
To celebrate the exploits of Curiosity, Louis Moinet has decided to present a unique set of four unique Astralis timepieces, with the dark brown, silver, dark blue and diamond-speckled black dials. The presentation case for each watch is a work of art in itself: A planetoidal sphere 21 cm in diameter created by sculptor Jean-Yves Kervevan, representing Mars, the Moon, Mercury and the Sun.
A combination of 3 complications
These four collection watches have a combination of complications never seen before: In addition to the 24-hour planetarium there is an astral tourbillon and split-second, column-wheel chronograph. Signature Louis Moinet “Côtes du Jura” engraving embellishes the dial and “Gouttes de Rosée” hands accompany the split-second chronograph hand decorated with a shooting star, which activate by pushing the pusher carefully integrated into the crown.
A sapphire glass caseback enables the viewer to admire the exclusive movement LM27, fully redeveloped based on a vintage Venus calibre. The chronograph column wheel and split-second ‘scorpion’ clamps provide ultra-smooth functionality and can be glimpsed through the display back along with a plate engraved with planets which, together with the gold chaton and blued screws, evoke a beautiful night sky.
Technical specifications
Astralis Unique Pieces are a quartet of split-second chronographs, each named after an important celestial body in our solar system: Mars, Mercury, the Moon and the Sun. All four timepieces feature a 24-hour planetarium with authentic meteorite fragments representing the same four planetoids.
Features and functions:
Hours, minutes and seconds
Split-second, column-wheel chronograph with seconds, split seconds and 30-minute counter
24-hour planetarium
Astral tourbillon
Dial
Planetarium containing fragments of exclusive meteorites: Dhofar 459 (symbolising the Moon), Itqiy (symbolising the Sun), Sahara 99555 (symbolising the Sun), and Jiddat al Harasis 479 (symbolising Mars)
Côtes du Jura guilloche
Colours: Moon – black; Mercury – silver; Sun - midnight blue; Mars - Havana
Facetted applied hour-markers/hour indices
Hands
Gouttes de Rosée hour and minute hands
'shooting star' split-second chronograph hand
Movement and finishing
Louis Moinet Calibre LM27
Tourbillon cage: 1 turn/minute
Jewels: 31
Winding: Hand-winding
Oscillations: 21,600vph
Frequency: 3 Hz
Lines: 14.5
Power reserve: 48 hours
Escapement: Side lever
Oscillator: CuBe two-arm balance wheel, moment of inertia: 10.5 mg/cm2, lever angle 52°
Split-second mechanism: Blued steel column-wheel with monobloc split-second ‘scorpion’ clamps
Hand-engraved plate
Polished jewel sinks
Grained brass
Blued steel screws
Case
Diameter: 46.50mm
Height: 17.62mm
Material: 18K rose gold (Mars and Mercury), 18K white gold (Sun), 18K white gold and 66 Top Wesselton baguette diamonds (3.38 cts) (Moon)
Comprising 50 elements that are meticulously assembled
Facets softened by the work of the master polisher
Sapphire crystals with anti-reflective treatment
Case diameter: 46.50mm
Case thickness: 17.62mm
Water resistance: 50m
Caseback: Secured with 7 screws, engraved with the individual number and Louis Moinet symbols
Crown guard: patent pending
Pusher inside crown activates split-second chronograph
Champagne cork chronograph pushers with compass rose motif
Bracelet
Louisiana alligator leather, hand-stitched
Colours: Moon – black; Mercury - Havana brown; Sun - midnight blue; Mars – Havana brown
Buckle: 18k gold and black titanium double folding clasp
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