French watchmaker Louis Moinet (1768 – 1853) has developed the first chronograph after studying watch making and refining his watch knowledge over many years. At a young age Louis Moinet became interested in watches and often worked with professional watchmakers to learn more about horology.
While being a professor in Paris Louis Moinet connected with his a master watchmaker he knew from many years ago. Moinet soon focused entirely on watch making and traveled to Switzerland extensively. He became President of the Chronometry Society of Paris, and a member of other such associations. When Moinet met Abraham-Louis Breguet, the two collaborated immediately. The first ever chronograph followed thereafter, called “compteur de tierces’ by Moinet. Wikipedia cites that ‘according to hallmarks on the dust cover, the chronograph was started in 1815 and completed the following year’. Louis Moinet optimized watch making techniques and invented many new workflows and tools. Almost by accident, based on his private interest in astronomy, he invented a counter in the shape of a watch displaying 60ths of a second. Notable customers of Louis Moinet were Napoleon Bonapartes, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.
