Mu:n Projects - Ariane

A new way of creating? That's the challenge being taken up by a young French brand, Mu:n, by orchestrating collaborative watchmaking projects. Shaking up traditional patterns, this bold initiative aims to integrate a community of enthusiasts into every stage of the creative process, from design to manufacture.

Today marks the launch of the brand's second project, and we finally know its name: ARIANE. Let's take a closer look at this innovative approach and its ambitions.

Ariane: A collaborative Odyssey

Ariane evokes the ancient myth of Theseus, whose thread of creation we follow, but also the French rocket launcher space programme. Initiated in the 1970s, this project symbolises the success of a vast collaboration of European nations in a common quest for exploration and scientific research.

The essence of Mu:n projects lies in collaboration. In different chapters, participants - amateurs and enthusiasts alike - are invited to follow and influence the creative process. The results of the votes are then shared transparently, and discussion forums are provided to guide the creative process. The aim is to design the next collection for the brand, which wants to continually reinvent the moon phase.

Today sees the opening of the first chapter in the creative process: from emptiness comes inspiration. Based around two movements - the C109 caliber from the Soprod manufactures, and the SW288 from the Sellita manufactures - a fully 3D tool allows the user to vary the compositions from among several million possibilities, and to vote for his or her model. The aim of this stage is to reproduce the blank sheet exercise, which will determine key elements such as the movement, the desired complications and an initial design sketch. We leave it to you to judge, and create your first sketch of the next collection.

The website also reveals that the brand intends to work with the Dubois-Dépraz manufactures for this edition, to add new complications to the C109 and SW288 movements, such as chronometers and perpetual calendars. A fine promise, and one we'll be keeping a close eye on...

The spirit of Mu:n Projects

Reading the manifesto, Mu:n approach is based on three key principles: collaboration, transparency and watch making expertise. The teams are committed to revealing the origin of the components, selecting renowned workshops and presenting each manufacturing process. What's more, they are committed to disclosing all production costs. As a sine qua non for enlightened design, the brand highlights the technical, feasibility and price constraints associated with the proposed choices.

A new edition insight

The Ariane project is set to give birth to a new eponymous collection. Announced for the first half of 2024, we'll have to wait around 6 to 9 months and a lot of back and forth with the community to appreciate the results of this new experiment. Enthusiasts can sign up to the project to be alerted when the collection is launched, or simply to follow and participate in the creative process.

A look back at the Artémis

Project The Ariane project follows on from the success of the first Mu:n Project, Artémis.This brought together almost 5,500 enthusiasts over a period of nearly two years to create the brand's first collection, launched in December 2022 on Kickstarter.The experiment was a resounding success, highlighting the originality of the approach and the result. You can discover the Origin series, born of this first horological Odyssey. The Créateurs series has now been completed, with the brand offering an ephemeral edition dedicated to the project participants at the end of each project.

More information, please visit mun-watches.com