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 · Memoris
Louis Moinet Memoris 41 mm Blue Sapphire
Reference 30694OR.43
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Louis Moinet
- Collection
- Memoris
- Model
- Louis Moinet Memoris 41 mm Blue Sapphire
- Reference number
- 30694OR.43
- Year / era
- 1951 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- Satellite-hour automatic
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 61C — Satellite-hour automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1951 – 1958
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Louis Moinet Memoris 41 mm Blue Sapphire sits within Louis Moinet's Memoris line, introduced in 1951. It carries the house codes established since 1806 — sapphire crystal case case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and satellite-hour automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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.