Louis Moinet (1768–1853) was a French watchmaker, astronomer, and author whose clients included Napoleon and several European monarchs, yet whose name had largely faded from horological history until Jean-Marie Schaller — who had earlier led the 1990s revival of Perrelet- founded Les Ateliers Louis Moinet in Saint-Blaise, Switzerland, in 2004 to restore it. The most significant discovery came in 2012, when Schaller acquired a Moinet pocket watch, the "Compteur de Tierces," at a Geneva auction. Subsequent research confirmed it had been built in 1816 and could measure to 1/60th of a second at 216,000 vibrations per hour — establishing it as the world's first chronograph, a finding formally recognised by Guinness World Records in 2016, with the same piece earning a second record in 2021 as the first high-frequency timing instrument.
At WATCHOYSTER, we carry a selection of certified pre-owned Louis Moinet watches inspected in Switzerland. Every piece has been physically examined by our in-house certified watchmaker, verified against The Watch Register, and documented before listing. What you see reflects the actual condition of the watch, with no exceptions.
Louis Moinet is built around genuinely rare production—models are typically limited to as few as 60 pieces per dial variant—making the pre-owned market an important route to acquiring pieces from a house whose founder's invention is now Guinness-certified as the origin of the chronograph. Buying a certified second-hand Louis Moinet from a verified dealer in Switzerland means every piece has been assessed for movement accuracy, case condition and mechanism function before listing. Our 12-month warranty applies to every watch in our catalogue, and our 14-day return policy covers any case where the watch does not correspond to its description.
All Louis Moinet watches in our catalogue are available for immediate purchase, with insured worldwide delivery. Standard delivery across Switzerland takes 2 to 3 business days. For clients who prefer to inspect the watch in person before completing the purchase, our appointment-only lounge in the Geneva Free Zone is available by prior arrangement.
Financing is available on selected pre-owned Louis Moinet references for clients based in Switzerland, with terms from 3 to 24 months, no interest and no administrative fees. The full purchase price is divided into equal monthly instalments, with a minimum first payment of 25%. A decision takes under three minutes at checkout, with no documentation required beyond standard order information.
