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 · Space Revolution
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 38 mm Blue Carbon
Reference 72982OR.31
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Louis Moinet
- Collection
- Space Revolution
- Model
- Louis Moinet Space Revolution 38 mm Blue Carbon
- Reference number
- 72982OR.31
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 21E — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 72 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 2009
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 38 mm Blue Carbon sits within Louis Moinet's Space Revolution line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1806 — carbon tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and micro-rotor 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.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- 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 Space Revolution
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 44 mm Salmon Grade
Ref. 53775OR.45
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic
Ref. 50131OR.88
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 41 mm Green Ceramic
Ref. 13788OR.21
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 37 mm Salmon Carbon
Ref. 38696OR.93
Louis Moinet Space Revolution 36 mm Blue Ceramic
Ref. 20824OR.11