THE KING OF MALAYSIA UNVEILS THE LOUIS MOINET GEOGRAPH RAINFORST

The official unveiling of the Louis Moinet GEOGRAPH RAINFORST at Baselworld 2011 took place in the company of the Malaysian king, His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO of Les Ateliers Louis Moinet SA, presented the sovereign with a GEOGRAPH RAINFORST watch made especially for him.

GEOGRAPH RAINFORST associates the unique Louis Moinet legacy with an exceptional new material: petrified palm wood. Each watch sold will enable a substantial contribution to the “PULAU BANDING Foundation”, which aims to preserve the Malaysian tropical forest of Belum- Temengor, one of the oldest in the world.

GEOGRAPH RAINFORST is a unique creation issued in a 120-piece limited edition dedicated to the wrists of modern-day adventurers.

The two chronograph counters are made from genuine petrified palm wood. This emblematic tree believed to be 70 million years old comes from the tropical forests of South-East Asia. Its origins and its venerable age make it the ideal ambassador for the “Rainforest” project.

Through its rich heritage, Louis Moinet expresses a unique brand identity: the time is indicated by “Gouttes de Rosée” (dewdrop) hands, on a dial adorned with “Côtes du Jura”®.

The dual-time display is read off by a serpentine hand that makes a perfect match with the sinuous “Côtes du Jura”® motif. Read-off is facilitated by the “24-hour” ring composed of two separate elements featuring a perfect finish ensuring an extremely high-end aesthetic effect. These “24-hour” rings are made to extremely precise tolerances, and only the finest watchmaking artisans are deemed competent to produce them. The design of the minute circle, of the “moon” and the “sun” are inspired by original Louis Moinet creations dating from the 1820, and in particular the “return from Egypt” clock made for Marshal Joachim Murat, as well as the “Egyptian discovery” clock.

The signature features of the Louis Moinet case consist in its upper bezel secured with six screws; its unique interchangeable crown tube system for which a patent has been filed; the “champagne-cork” style chronograph pushers adorned with the atlas motif symbolising travel.

In order to ensure the harmony and balance of the functions of this chronograph associated with a dual-time display, the date appears not at 3 o’clock, but instead at 9 o’clock. It is complemented by a “sun”-shaped running seconds indication of which the longer arm indicates the seconds.

In keeping with the principle that a Louis Moinet watch must be beautiful from all angles, the case-back is inspired by the tropical forest themes. These incredibly accurate engravings depict an orang-utan and a rhinoceros hornbill against the backdrop of the tropical forest and a starry sky. The orang-utan is threatened with extinction and as such embodies the efforts that must be made to save the tropical forest for future generations.

The self-winding mechanical movement with its 8 vibrations per second (meaning 28,800 vibrations per hour) drives a variety of indications including the hours, minutes and seconds; the 60-second chronograph function with 30-minute and 12-hour counters; as well as a dual-time display adjustable via the crown.

For more information on the GEOGRAPH RAINFORST visit http://www.louismoinet.com/

For more information on the Pulau Banding Foundation visit http://www.pbf.org.my/

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