Louis Moinet celebrates Formula One legend Nelson Piquet

Some people, regardless of gender or whether they are in the arts or sports, have left an indelible mark in their respective domains by pushing the boundaries of their craft to the highest level. To pay tribute to these outstanding individuals, Louis Moinet launched the Legends collection. The concept is simple: the brand creates these especially developed timepieces in collaboration with famous people whose influence is undeniable. Nelson Piquet is the first legend in this collection.

Louis Moinet has designed a sports chronograph dedicated to the three-time Formula One world champion. Each detail of the watch evokes either car races or the driver’s career. Generally speaking, this is a timepiece that will surely have immediate appeal to Formula One enthusiasts, be that just for its comfortable and resilient rubber strap.

The bezel is an ode to the high-tech construction of racecars, not only because it was made by alternating steel and carbon fiber, but also because of the tachymeter scale engraved on it. The dial was designed to enhance readability, with large hands and the combination of blue and white. Aficionados will no doubt be reminded of the iconic Brabham, the racecar driven by Nelson Piquet between 1978 and 1985, with which he won the World Champion title in 1981 and 1983.

Incidentally, a laurel wreath and the three memorable dates of the driver’s career are engraved on the back of the case. A tinted sapphire crystal reveals a refined self-winding mechanical movement, which includes a rotor whose design echoes high-performance car break discs.

The dial’s two distinctive factors are its simplicity and its sporty appearance. The main dial is navy-blue with sweep hour and minutes hand. The small seconds subdial is situated on a white timer at 9 o’clock. The chronograph’s functions are activated by two pushers shaped like champagne bottle corks and engraved with a checkered motif partially made of carbon fiber.

The pushers activate the sweep chronograph hand, while a counter at 3 o’clock clocks thirty minutes. The particular design of the 12-hour timer placed at 6 o’clock highlights the engineering aspect of the timepiece. An additional touch here is the côtes de Genève background on the bottom half of the dial. Rounding off this visual ensemble is Nelson Piquet’s signature clearly visible at 5 o’clock. The Louis Moinet Nelson Piquet Chronograph is water resistant to 5 atm, the movement has a power reserve of 44 hours.

The watch is produced in a limited edition of 365 pieces, is 50m water resistant and has a power reserve of 44h.