Saint-Blaise, Switzerland

A passionate designer and storyteller, Jean-Marie Schaller, the visionary and CEO and Creative Director behind the brand Les Atelier Louis Moinet, passed away at age 66, leaving an enormous void in the world of independent watchmaking.

He had a vision that stretched far beyond simply creating watches. 

His goal was to restore the legacy of Louis Moinet (1768–1853), the legendary inventor of the chronograph, ensuring that the historic Swiss watchmaker received rightful recognition for inventing the first chronograph watch. 

In 2004, Mr. Schalle revived the legacy of the 19th-Century watchmaker, artist, and astronomer when he founded the fully-independent firm Les Ateliers Louis Moinet SA. in Saint-Blaise, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. 

“Mr. Schaller pursued that mission with tireless determination, conducting extensive historical research that ultimately helped reshape modern horological understanding,” states Christian Narkiewicz-Laine, architecture critic and CEO of The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.

“He constantly challenged conventional thinking. No idea ever seemed too ambitious. From space-age concepts to historical discoveries and technical feats many thought impossible, he approached watchmaking with endless curiosity and enthusiasm.”

“He was always exploring new materials, new techniques and new ways to tell stories through watchmaking.”

“Whether it was creating watches with billion-year-old meteorites and rare fossils, unveiling extraordinary space-inspired pieces, or developing highly complicated mechanical works, he consistently pushed boundaries while remaining deeply respectful of traditional craftsmanship.”

“With a deep respect for horological history and an unmistakably creative vision, he gave the world audience watches that were incomparable, striking, technical, innovative, and rooted in tradition.”

“But Mr. Schalle did not bring that firm’s name back with quiet, safe watches.

“Under his leadership, Louis Moinet became a brand full of color, mechanical theater, and serious imagination,” explains Mr. Narkiewicz-Laine.

“Destiny has given me the privilege of rediscovering the treasures of Louis Moinet and sharing them with the world,” said the late Mr. Schalle.

“Thanks to our passion, our small watchmaking firm has taken up a noble challenge: elevating this once-famous name to the watchmaking Pantheon.”

“Our watches are brimming with emotion. If you listen closely, you’ll hear Louis Moinet’s heart beating in every one of them.”

This wasn’t just a company; he was the custodian of an important part of watchmaking history. It was a story he felt responsible for telling.

His complex inventions often had real drama to them, but there was always a purpose behind it. In many ways, they reflected the designer himself. They had energy and character, but they weren’t trying to be everything to everyone.

Jean-Marie Schaller—a collector of meteorites and cosmic objects for more than 20 years—took meteorite dials further than anyone. 

For instance, he used inserts of 12 different meteorites on a unique, interstellar timepiece called Cosmopolis Watch (2023). 

“In the end a watch must tell a beautiful story,” he insisted.

Mr. Schaller loved color and wore the most amazingly patterned suits; but thanks to his ever-present calm, they were never garish. It simply felt like he was true to himself in a personal, sartorial, and horological way.

Likewise, he created high-end timepieces, often featuring exotic materials and innovative technology, underpinned by the philosophy of limited-edition mechanical art. 

Uniqueness, creative horology, exclusivity and art and design are at the soul of Mr. Schaller’s creations.  He paid strict attention to every detail—even the small ones that many people might overlook.

The majority of his designs have won prestigious global accolades including numerous historic Good Design Awards from The Chicago Athenaeum.

For example, the Louis Moinet Black Moon (2017-2019) is not a chronograph, however, instead taking inspiration from the starry sky that Louis Moinet would look at in order to calibrate his astronomical clock, while also using the high beat rate of his first chronograph. 

With an accurate, 122-year moonphase display, the Black Moon uses two pieces of lunar meteorite to depict the full Moon and new Moon, placed centrally thanks to a Concepto-developed movement.

The Black Moon Watch won a 2020 Good Design Award.

For the Space Revolution Watch (2020), two spaceships battle it out beneath a sapphire crystal dome, facing off eighteen times an hour: the upper spacecraft completes a clockwise rotation every five minutes, whilst the lower vessel turns in the opposite direction, completing a counter-clockwise revolution every ten minutes. Meanwhile, two constantly revolving space stations stage a powerful defense against the effects of gravity.

The Space Revolution Watch won a 2021 Good Design Award.

Another example, the ART-TECH Tourbillon Watch (2025) is as much about tradition as it is about innovation. 

The designer took great pride in making sure that the movements that power its creations are every bit as aesthetically impressive as the artistic expression. With a flying tourbillon peeking through a cutout in the silicon dial, the Art-Tech acknowledges its horological roots. 

It is a testament to watchmaking’s golden age and the era of the brand’s namesake himself. The beautifully constructed and decorated hand-wound movement nestles snugly into a sleek 40.7mm Grade 5 titanium case.

The ART-TECH Tourbillon Watch also won a 2025 Good Design Award.

“Watchmaking has always been in my blood. Coming from the Jura Mountains, the world surrounding me revolved around one thing: Horology,” said Mr. Schaller.

“I grew up knowing that a watch is no ordinary object: It is a cultural testimony, a legacy inherited from a generation of craftsmen.”

“In a watch, you see the brain of the engineer, the heart of the designer, the eye of the artist and the hand of the watchmaker.”

“Indeed, the watch is an objet d’art in harmony with the real values we harbor inside ourselves as human beings.”

“A watch is the embodiment of human genius through time, from the creation of a mechanism that is over 200 years old and still with us today, to the microprocessors that are shaping the future.”

“In the end,” maintains Mr. Narkiewicz-Laine, “Jean-Marie Schaller created miniature works of art, objects that reflected the creativity of the brand itself and the genius of his masterpiece.”