« Imagine travelling around the world in just eight days to discover the essence of eight of the world’s most beautiful cities. Having returned from this wonderfully long journey, I open my travel diary describing these eight unforgettable stops. What an extraordinary adventure! It starts in Paris, birthplace of that genius, Louis Moinet, and ends in New York, passing through the colourful floating markets of Bangkok, and the avant-garde metropolis of Kuala Lumpur.
I would like to invite you to discover those eight cities I have described, by way of eight works of watchmaking, each celebrating métiers d’art and extraordinary materials… »
Jean-Marie Schaller, Owner & Creative Director
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT DAYS is a contemporary version of the famous odyssey imagined by Jules Verne, revisited by Jean-Marie Schaller and sublimated by the art and excellence of watchmaking.
Each city is a living canvas limned by thousands of human stories, and each reveals itself to be a place where boundless energy boils a cauldron blending art, culture, architecture, and technology. It is this rich and complex alchemy that inspired Jean-Marie Schaller to create these eight horological masterpieces.
To create the dials, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet tapped the specialised skills of GVA Cadrans. This company’s dial-makers have unique expertise in métiers d’art, be that fine miniature painting, precise hand-engraving, the delicate art of marquetry, or making complex jigsaw puzzle dials.
The exceptional beauty of these eight dials has to do with the originality of the materials chosen, ranging from rock crystal to aventurine, from genuine fragments of history to high-tech materials. Each of these elements is a genuine treasure that gives these works their unique character.
With the dynamism of the big cities acting as a backdrop, AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHT DAYS invites us to contemplate and celebrate our world’s great metropolises through the art of watchmaking.
PARIS
A jigsaw puzzle dial made up of 81 interlocking pieces and reproducing the map of Paris serves as a backdrop for the Eiffel Tower, which is sculpted by hand from a fragment of an original beam (1889).
ABU DHABI
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque has been hand-painted on a rock crystal base to evoke its majesty and pay homage to its pure lines.
BANGKOK
A bird’s eye view of Bangkok’s floating market, with colourful, handmade boats, hats, and water lilies over a labyrinthine design, all done with great precision.
KUALA LUMPUR
The Petronas Towers, crafted from silver, stand proudly on a silicon dial engraved with microelectronic circuits recalling the building’s key position on the Multimedia Super Corridor.
SINGAPORE
The straw marquetry serves as a sprightly composition for Singapore’s iconic buildings and evokes the city’s liveliness.
TOKYO
The origami crane, made from a piece of metallic paper, the hand-painted cherry blossoms, and Mount Fuji, which all appear on a starry-spangled aventurine backdrop, are traditional symbols of longevity, fleeting beauty, and perseverance in Japanese culture.
SAN FRANCISCO
The Golden Gate Bridge, carefully sculpted and hand-painted, is depicted on a silicon wafer etched with microelectronic circuits.
This high-tech pattern recalls the nearby Silicon Valley and the architectural design of San Francisco’s cityscape.
NEW YORK
To capture the essence of the city that never sleeps, a holographic film on a sapphire crystal base illuminates the buildings, which change colours depending on the viewing angle.
The Statue of Liberty, precisely engraved and hand-painted, dominates the scene.
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