Le Rhöne Moön Aventurine Titanium 37mm

At Geneva Watch Week 2023, to celebrate its first 10 years of existence, Le Rhöne is strengthening its women’s collection with the introduction – as part of a new generation of timepieces and as a first for the brand – of its flagship model, the Moön 37mm in titanium, a material that offers the perfect balance between solidity, lightness, resistance to corrosion and supreme workmanship.

Into the universe of Le Rhöne and its galaxies

It is one of those whose firmament is coveted. The infinitely blue unfolds within it. If the independent Swiss brand Le Rhöne has never ceased evoking the immensity of the skies, the infinite blue of the night, the poetry of the Milky Way, the moons and their multiple influences, one begins to understand the pull they exert on its CEO Loïc Florentin, who lives in Haute-Provence in the South of France, a magnificent region known for its immense, extraordinarily clear night-time skies.

There, in the heart of this sublimely natural environment, far from urban life and lights, his home is close to the Centre d'Astronomie Saint Michel managed by the CNRS, the French National Center for Scientific Research, renowned for its observatory, its scientific instruments and its planetarium inviting an exploration of the firmament.

From his years of observation, on summer and winter evenings, between the mountain of Lure and the Luberon massif bordered by the region’s world-famous lavender fields, Loïc Florentin nourishes his inspiration for Le Rhöne creations. Seeing the sky on his wrist, following the Moon and feeling its influence – it inspired the design of the famous Moön, now revisited and rethought for the 10th Anniversary of Le Rhöne.

A poem of a sky with aventurine and diamonds

The night. The sky. In the heart of the immensity, the magic of the stars, like an obsession. An ideal of celestial beauty. Le Rhöne sees this as both a technical and an aesthetic challenge, an achievement that requires both rigor and harmony between the design of the watch and the engineering behind its movement. A nocturnal window on the infinite, the dial is entirely made of aventurine glass, letting the stars shine through.

A captivating material invented in the 17th century on the island of Murano, the birthplace of Venetian glass, and perhaps even much earlier by the Egyptians, glass specialists in Antiquity, Aventurine glass was born, according to legend, from an accident. One day a craftsman accidentally dropped copper filings into a vat of molten glass, thus creating aventurine glass, or Avventurina, which is derived from all’avventura, meaning ‘by chance’ in Italian.

Defined by its flat surface and inclusions with a metallic and sparkling luster, and characterized by an optical phenomenon called aventurescence, aventurine glass, which is mainly blue, is obtained by heating the glass to a temperature high enough to allow the copper oxide granules that have been added to the molten mixture to dissolve. Then, the mass of molten glass must be cooled slowly to allow the copper ions in the mixture to metamorphose into copper crystals. From this dark blue aventurine glass, Le Rhöne has made an enlarged dial for the Moön 37mm.

A moon phase like no other

Of a singular and distinctive design, the dial is conceived in two parts: a large aventurine disc adorned with a circle of natural white mother-of-pearl representing the Moon, which rotates counterclockwise under a second disc, this one fixed at the dial’s center, that is heart-shaped and whose outline has been carefully calculated according to a precise mathematical equation to.

At the center, dotted with a multitude of minute specks of gold, chrome and white Super-LumiNova™, the Milky Way is revealed in all its poetry, glittering sparkles deposited with great delicatenessto evoke the celestial vault in all its eternal vastness and beauty.

Around the periphery, 12 diamonds for the 12 indexes, shimmering planets held in place by gravitational pull, are set on the flange, that also features the minute track. Completing the whole, two hands, one for the hours, the other for the minutes – whose shape is exclusive to Le Rhöne – that are polished, with a domed shape that echoes a certain sensuousness. Carefully deposited along their centerline, a vein of white Super-LumiNova™ assures perfect readability in the darkest of nights.

Finally, as a discreet and elegant reminder, the signature “Le Rhöne Genève" is delicately applied in a golden decal at 6 o'clock. The whole look is simply enchanting.

A first: Le Rhöne introduces titanium in its collections

The perfect embodiment of Le Rhöne, the Moön Aventurine 37mm offers a vision of today's sport chic. The not-so-classically inspired 37mm diameter case has been revisited, alternating taut and swooping lines with polished edges and satin-brushed surfaces to bring out the shape – between cushion and octagonal – that is the hallmark of Le Rhöne creations.

Composed of 5 elements – case middle, bezel, case back and the two cover plates – made of Grade 5 titanium (the highest quality of titanium used in watchmaking), the lugless case features titanium screws on both sides to allow the particularly ergonomic attachment of a tone-on-tone alligator strap, which – a first – is also interchangeable.

Thanks to an ingenious system of clips hidden under the two generously sized cover plates – another distinctive feature of Le Rhöne watches – the strap can be changed by the wearer in a simple and quick movement. The strap comes with a redesigned pin buckle made of Grade 5 titanium.

The surface of the large bezel is hand-polished to an almost mirror-like finish that perfectly reflects the light. Delicately set with 64 diamonds, it elegantly enhances and illuminates the brilliance and magic of the whole. And because Le Rhöne designs its timepieces for an active clientele, the watch is water-resistant to 5 ATM, which is equivalent to a pressure depth of 50 meters or about 160 feet.

A moon phase of remarkable precision - almost 5 years (!) - developed by the Cercle des Horlogers.

Titanium, aventurine, mother-of-pearl, diamonds – the Moön Aventurine 37mm combines resolutely sporty characteristics (robustness, water-resistance, legibility, ergonomics) with the classic assets of the timepieces created by Le Rhöne since its creation in 2013: design, quality, precision, high level of Swiss craftsmanship and remarkable finishes.

The same applies to its self-winding movement whose moon indication complication was designed, developed and manufactured in French-speaking Switzerland in close concert with the Cercle des Horlogers based in the Jura Mountains between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Simple and playful in appearance, yet technically sophisticated, this moon phase is remarkably accurate. Le Rhöne is one of the only watch brands to offer this display with the precision of 4.75 years!

If the watch is extremely precise, its operation is surprisingly simple: the crown, thanks to a system of notches easily identifiable by feel, allows you to easily adjust the moon yourself by pulling it out to the first stop; as you then turn the crown, each click corresponds to 1 day of the 29.5 days of a complete revolution. You only have to count the days since the previous full moon to set the "moon".

Mechanical movement with automatic winding, COSC-certified

Perfectly reliable and used since 2017 by Le Rhöne, the caliber, developed and produced by SoProd in the Canton of Bern at Les Reussilles holds the prestigious COSC Chronometer precision certification.

Augmented by the moon phase module developed with the Cercle des Horlogers, the LR03 with a total of 147 components operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4hz) with a comfortable power reserve of about 42 hours. The movement is decorated with Côtes de Genève and is equipped with a bidirectional openworked oscillating mass evoking Le Rhöne’s propeller with its three stylized R’s.

Le Rhöne celebrates its 10th Anniversary

When the independent Swiss brand Le Rhöne was born in 2013, its two founders Loïc Florentin and Timo Rajakoski (who met on the school benches in Venezuela) nurtured a vision of creative Haute Horlogerie for a discerning, dynamic and more active clientele.

Known for its timepieces that are 100% manufactured in French-speaking Switzerland (case, movement, bracelet, including sapphire crystals and all components), Le Rhöne holds COSC precision certification for its entire production since 2019 (except for the complications).

Moön, launched in 2017, is one of the brand's five flagship collections, next to Röad Racer, Hedönia, Vöyage and Horölogy. Its design is fully in line with the brand’s range of creations; it speaks to connoisseurs as well as adepts of a lifestyle that is both refined and casual. This atypical titanium model is also poised to appeal to a modern clientele setting out into the exclusive world of fine independent watchmaking.

Technical specifications

Le Rhöne Moön Aventurine Titane 37mm

Reference: M2TT051-1-A51A

Reference: M2TT151-1-A51A

Case

• Material: Grade 5 titanium
• Diameter: 37mm
• Thickness: 10.3mm
• Crystals: Sapphire, case back crystal with antireflective coating
• Bezel: Grade 5 titanium, set with 64 diamonds
• Crown: Grade 5 titanium, dark blue aventurine cabochon
• Water-resistant to 5 ATM, about 50 meters (160 feet)

Dial and hands

• Central disc: Midnight blue aventurine, rotating counterclockwise
• Cercle de nacre blanche naturelle à 10H représentant la lune
• Dial: Midnight blue aventurine, fixe, central, en forme de cœur
• Hour markers: 12 diamonds set on the flange
• Minute markers: Baton-style on the flange
• Hands: Polished, with white Super-LumiNova™ inserts

LR03 Movement

• Caliber SOPROD M100, COSC-certified for Le Rhöne
• Complication: Moon phase module developed by Cercle des Horlogers
• Number of parts: 147
• Number of jewels: 25
• Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
• Oscillating mass: Exclusive Le Rhöne design, openworked, in the shape of Le Rhöne propeller
• Power reserve approx. 42 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hours and minute, moon phase

Strap and buckle

• Strap: Alligator, dark blue matte, beaded without apparent stitching
• Buckle: Grade 5 titanium

MSRP

• CHF 20'000 (incl. taxes)
• CHF 24'300 (incl. taxes)

For more information, please visit lerhone.com