Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Louis Moinet · Impulsion
Louis Moinet Impulsion 40 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Reference 81908OR.94
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Louis Moinet
- Collection
- Impulsion
- Model
- Louis Moinet Impulsion 40 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
- Reference number
- 81908OR.94
- Year / era
- 1988 · 1980s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 12C — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1988 – 2001
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Louis Moinet Impulsion 40 mm Skeletonised Sapphire sits within Louis Moinet's Impulsion line, introduced in 1988. It carries the house codes established since 1806 — sapphire crystal case case, skeletonised dial and micro-rotor automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Louis Moinet
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1806
- Founder
- Louis Moinet
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Swiss & Independent
- Major collections
- Memoris, Space Revolution, Impulsion, Cosmopolis
- Signature technologies
- Certified chronometer regulation · In-house hairspring production · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- Satellite-hour automatic · Manual-winding, hand-finished · Micro-rotor automatic · In-house automatic
- Notable watches
- Louis Moinet Memoris 38 mm Skeletonised Carbon (1958) · Louis Moinet Memoris 44 mm Mother-of-pearl Quartz (1987) · Louis Moinet Memoris 41 mm Blue Sapphire (1951) · Louis Moinet Memoris 43 mm Slate Sapphire (1978)
Brand history
Louis Moinet has spent more than 220 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Memoris, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Louis Moinet established Louis Moinet in 1806, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Louis Moinet calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1806
Louis Moinet founds Louis Moinet in Switzerland.
1846
Louis Moinet earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Louis Moinet to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Louis Moinet enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Louis Moinet continues to produce Memoris, Space Revolution, Impulsion and other icons in limited numbers.
More Impulsion
Louis Moinet Impulsion 39 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Ref. 54334ST.80
Louis Moinet Impulsion 43 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Ref. 94032OR.87
Louis Moinet Impulsion 36 mm Green Ceramic
Ref. 52619OR.63
Louis Moinet Impulsion 41 mm Slate Grade
Ref. 30084OR.50
Louis Moinet Impulsion 43 mm Ice Platinum
Ref. 21501OR.98