Skip to content

Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Astronef Double Tourbillon Watch by Jean-Marie Schaller Is Granted the Golden A' Design Award in Jewelry Design

Jean-Marie Schaller acknowledged for jewelry design by the international grand jury of the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 22, 2022 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Jewelry Design category for Astronef Double Tourbillon Watch by Jean-Marie Schaller, designed for Louis Moinet. The award was conferred within the 2021 - 2022 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Golden A' Design Award

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

Regarding Astronef Double Tourbillon Watch

Astronef is heir to both ancestral know-how and an unyielding desire to create the design of tomorrow. Its character combines adrenaline and contemporary art. It showcases recently introduced technology involving two tourbillons rotating in opposite directions at high speed. They cross paths 18 times per hour and are built on two different levels. This gives life to a captivating animation, which unfolds before the wondering gaze. In all, six distinct elements are in motion: two satellite tourbillons rotating around the dial, as well as their two cages and their two counterweights.

About Jean-Marie Schaller

Jean-Marie Schaller created Les Ateliers Louis Moinet in St-Blaise (NE) in 2004. The fully independent firm was established to honour the memory of Louis Moinet (1768-1853): master watchmaker, inventor of the chronograph and high frequency (216,000 vibrations per hour) (certified by two Guinness World Records™). Louis Moinet was a watchmaker, artist and astronomer. He is the author of the Traité d’Horlogerie, a watchmaking treatise published in 1848 that remained a definitive work of reference for a century. Today, Ateliers Louis Moinet is perpetuating this legacy.

Award Record

With this recognition, Jean-Marie Schaller is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Jewelry Design Award

The A' Jewelry Design Award is an international jewelry design competition recognizing good jewelry designs by best jewelry designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to jewelry designers, jewelry brands, jewelers and goldsmiths from all countries. Entries typically include rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and pendants. Awarded jewelry designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/jewelry

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

###

Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Astronef Double Tourbillon Watch
Function
Double Tourbillon Watch
Category
Jewelry Design
Discipline
Fashion Design
Industry
Luxury and Fashion
Colors
Black, Dim Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Gray and Dark Gray
Images
3
Client
Louis Moinet

The Recognition

Laureate
Jean-Marie Schaller
Country
Switzerland
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2021 - 2022
Design ID
#138748

Design Details

Unique Properties
ASTRONEF is a limited edition mechanical masterpiece presented by Ateliers Louis Moinet. Its character combines adrenaline and contemporary art. This creation unveils a complex dial, a super-light case and reveals a powerful mechanism: two tourbillons rotating in opposite directions at high speed.
Inspiration
"Produce an excellent and curious effect": this maxim upheld by Louis Moinet (1848) was our starting point for designing ASTRONEF. The idea is to push back known limits, just as Louis Moinet did in his time – notably by inventing the chronograph in 1816. ASTRONEF propels us into the exclusive world of uncompromising modern watchmaking. It is heir to both ancestral know-how and an unyielding desire to create the design of tomorrow. Its character combines adrenaline and contemporary art. ASTRONEF adopts the technology developed for SPACE REVOLUTION, yet only the tourbillon specifically recalls their kinship
Challenge
The ASTRONEF mechanism required more than three years of research. Given its totally innovative character, its development was even considered impossible at various stages of research and almost discontinued. The fact that ASTRONEF was finally able to see the light of day was due to the concerted efforts of the finest watchmakers and engineers. The tourbillon cages are geometrically shaped. The weight of a cage is only 0.25 grams, in order to guarantee the correct speed through fine poising. Each cage rotates in 60 seconds and requires perfect poising, which also relies on an 18K gold counterweight weighing 0.4 grams.
Realization and Technology
The mechanism devised by Jean-Marie Schaller is entirely original. Initially deemed impossible, its development required more than three years of research. Given the complexity of the technology involved, the possibility of a successful outcome was even called into doubt after a year's research. Today, this construction is one of the most sophisticated in the field and requires the best possible care devoted by a handful of exceptional watchmakers.
Operation and Interaction
ASTRONEF showcases recently introduced technology involving two tourbillons rotating in opposite directions at high speed. They cross paths 18 times per hour (every 3 minutes and 20 seconds) and are built on two different levels. This gives life to a captivating animation, which unfolds before the wondering gaze. In all, six distinct elements are in motion: two satellite tourbillons rotating around the dial, as well as their two cages and their two counterweights. ASTRONEF has been designed to instil a sense of movement, whatever the angle from which it is viewed. Fluid on the outside, original on the inside, it features an absolutely unique and distinctive aesthetic.
Project Duration and Location
The ASTRONEF mechanism required more than three years of research.
Specifications
The dial is made from a plate measuring a total 0.6mm thick, from which 0.2 mm is then hollowed out to reveal the numerals and a rack, in order to create a depth effect facilitating readings. The ensuing deep black DLC treatment creates a striking contrast with the rhodium plating and endows it with a two-tone hue. Finally, a circular satin-brushed finish is applied to instil it with undeniable strength of character. The curved crystal of ASTRONEF reveals the powerful mechanism and its power is accentuated by the lightness of its gold frame and sapphire container. This maximum transparency enables observers to admire a unique sight.
Keywords
Tourbillon, Double Tourbillon, Space Tourbillon, ASTRONEF, Rotating Tourbillons

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Nominate Your Work for the A' Design Award.

Nominate