Louis Moinet LM-44.50.I1 Illusion 18k Red Gold Unique Timepiece

Hand-guilloché unique pieces

The unique pieces of the ILLUSION collection combine a mesmerising tourbillon with the choice of two remarkable guilloché patterns created by hand. The guilloché decorations are coated in vibrant colours – duck or emerald green, azure, and arctic – that play with the ambient light and thus create an illusion of movement and colours.

Hand guillochage is only done on exceptional pieces and is the purest expression of what makes each piece unique. This ancient technique requires the invaluable and rarely found skills of artisans who can create the most enchanting motifs with their engine-turning machine. Using a hand crank, the guillocheur gently carves fine furrows no more than four hundredths of a millimetre deep into the metal. The myriad lines then crisscross to create a variety of patterns, giving the watch a wonderfully lively look.

The unique ILLUSION timepieces feature two distinct motifs: “Les Cercles d’Eau” (water circles) and “Le 8 Magique” (Magic 8). The former takes its inspiration from the ephemeral ripples one sees on bodies of water, whereas the latter superimposes the lucky number eight ad infinitum, which produces a kind of perpetual motion on the dial.

Today, the number of genuine guillocheurs are very rare, but they continue giving life to their art thanks to their love of tradition.