FUEGO NUEVO: Sun’s Rebirth

Les Ateliers Louis Moinet is unveiling a unique watch for the SIAR in Mexico:  The FUEGO NUEVO.

This timepiece recalls the feast of the New Fire (Fuego Nuevo), a ritual that marked the rebirth of the sun and the renewal of time cycles, symbolised by the Piedra del Sol, the Sun Stone, one of the most emblematic works of Aztec art.

For the FUEGO NUEVO, the engravings on the Piedra del Sol have been reinterpreted on an ancient meteorite, reasserting the powerful connection between cosmos and the passage of time in an especially mesmerising manner.

I have always been fascinated by ancient civilisations, especially Mesoamerican cultures and their very advanced astronomical knowledge. They saw the cosmos as more than just a collection of stars but also as a great symbol of life’s eternal cycles.

To reproduce this vision on the FUEGO NUEVO, I opted the Muonionalusta meteorite as a backdrop and laser engraving as the technique to reproduce the Aztec Sun Stone. As for the mechanics, the flying tourbillon was the natural choice, because its rotations reminded me of the constant renewal of time and infinity.

Jean-Marie Schaller, Owner and Creative Director

FUEGO NUEVO: The Sun Stone times the “New Fire”

The Piedra del Sol is a monumental sculpture of Aztec civilisation.  Carved during the reign of Emperor Axayacatl, it was created to commemorate the Festival of the New Fire in 1479. This sacred ritual, celebrated at the end of each 52-year cycle, marked the rebirth of the sun and the perpetuation of the cosmic cycles that gave rhythm to Aztec life.

This giant disc, which measures 3.6 metres in diameter and weighs 24 tonnes, is carved out of a block of basaltic olivine lava. It is now on display at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, where its magical aura draws crowds of amazed visitors.

Ancient meteorite and technology combined

In homage to the Piedra del Sol, the FUEGO NUEVO dial is made of a disc cut from one of the oldest meteorites discovered on Earth, the Muonionalusta. Formed 4.5 billion years ago, this meteorite reveals those famous, remarkable, geometric Widmanstätten patterns created inside the rock by millions of years of space travel.

This cosmic gem has been transformed into a work of art using modern technology.

Producing the dial’s decoration required enormous precision, which could only be delivered by a laser with ultra-short pulses in the femtosecond range. It took a whopping 9,800 lines of sketches to reproduce the many references to Aztec cosmogony. Then, to add depth and relief, the dial features three levels. A ring of aventurine adds contrast around the base, giving the whole work an air of mystery. The 0.5-millimetre meteorite disc is engraved at two depths, namely 0.2 and 0.1 millimetres. The impressive three-dimensional dial perfectly represents the intersection of history, art and technology.

An horological star: the flying tourbillon

The Fuego NUEVO is equipped with the LM135 caliber designed and developed by Louis Moinet in collaboration with Concepto. The mechanism includes a flying tourbillon with off-centre cage at six o’clock, which defies gravity in a striking and captivating way. Its hand-wound mechanism is equipped with a double barrel. This particular system, known as “volte face”, enables the two barrels to be arranged serially head to tail and therefore to discharge simultaneously, producing a 96-hour power reserve.

A noble case

This exceptional work of art is delicately framed by a 40 mm-diameter red-gold case with well-defined, flowing curves. The sapphire dome, a true feat of high-tech, reveals the fascinating details of the Sun Stone engraving. The openworked lugs perfectly underscore the integration of the bracelet.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

FUEGO NUEVO