The main event for Montblanc at the SIHH 2014 was the presentation of the Meisterstuck Heritage new collection which embodies an important strategic direction for the brand. The choice of the name of this collection is very cleverly made: the "Meisterstuck" word obviously refers to the famous line of writing instruments and reminds us that Montblanc intends to play on all fronts to develop its sales figures. Writing instruments, watches, leather goods, these three pillars of the Montblanc global activity will contribute during the next years to the income of the company with equal shares. The goal of the brand is to be able to provide the targetted customer segment with a wide range of qualitative products that complement each other: on entering a Montblanc boutique, the customer must have access to the entire universe of the brand, each pillar supporting the development of the other two. In this context, the dynamic growth of the watches division plays a key role because its its weight in the overall turnover, currently around 25% today, will increase.
The Meisterstuck Heritage collection will become the main driver of this ambition. It is distinguished by an elegant and refined stylistic approach, by simple and effective movements (if I don't take into consideration the Pulsograph Limited Edition) and by reasonable price. More refined than the Star collection, more consensual than the Rieussec collection, more classic than the TimeWalker collection, more affordable than the Villeret collection, the new Meisterstuck Heritage collection is dedicated to customers who look for discreet and very classic watches, less marked by DNA elements of Montblanc style like, let's say, the Star collection watches and with adjusted price tags.
The Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar is perhaps its most symbolic representative given the prestige of the complication and its extremely competitive price: 10,000 euros in its steel version and 16.900 euros in its rose gold version. However, the attractiveness of prices has little interest if the product is not seducing. This is why Montblanc worked with a lot of care about some details of this watch.
The case diameter of 39mm is simple and comfortable thanks to the very curved lugs. Its thin bezel results in a large dial opening so that the watch has a larger perceived size than the actual one. Even if the size remains reasonable, the own diameter of the perpetual calendar module gives the impression that the various sub-dials are too close to the center of the watch. The designers worked to reduce this unpleasant visual effect by extending the index and inserting the Roman "twelve", a constant and a hallmark of the Heritage collection, at the top of the dial.
The slightly cambered silver dial with sunrays finishings, brings with its light reflections the dynamism and the animation that offsets the lack of an always-moving indicator like a second hand. The dial arrangement can't be more traditional with months and years in the upper sub-dial, days and dates in the two intermediate sub-dials and the moonphases in the lower sub-dial. The legibility of the data is decent, the thin hands prevent from oeverlapping too much information on the dial. I appreciate that Montblanc took the decision to keep the same gold plated indexes and hands, whatever the case. In the steel version, these indexes and hands bring a touch of warmth to a watch that would have been too austere otherwise.
The caseback has a sapphire crystal that allows to observe the basic caliber. It is a Sellita SW300 caliber that powers the perpetual calendar module from Dubois in Dépraz (seen with other brands like Nivrel). This clone of the ETA 2892-A2 is renowned for its reliability and offers standard performances (a frequency of 4 Hz and a power reserve of 42 hours). The finish is clean but very brief if not spartan. I think Montblanc might have worked more at least on the decoration of the winding rotor to improve the perceived quality or, to make the things easier, to choose a solid caseback. But I have to confess that It is true that commercially speaking, the visible movement is a plus.
The Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar is a watch that is worn with comfort thanks to its good positioning on the wrist. The proportions of the case are ideal for an elegant watch and the diameter to thickness ratio (10.27 mm) is very balanced. It has a certain charm that comes largely from its discreet and slightly antiquated style. However, there is no need to find here any ounce of originality: it doesn't have any. But it is not the puyrpose of the watch. Its role is to deliver this complication usually reserved for more expensive watches in a simple context and with a faultless taste. The boldness and risk-taking enthusiasts will absolutely not consider this watch but on the other hand, the great classicism that exudes from it provides a timeless dimension. This Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar, is very faithful to the image of the collection and so has the means to achieve its objective by playing the card of discretion. Even the name of the brand, positioned at the bottom of the dial seems to follow the same principle!
I would like to thank a lot the Montblanc team for its warm welcome during the SIHH.
Pros:
+ The neat finishings of the dial
+ The gold plated elements are also available with the steel version
+ The Perpetual Calendar complication is available at a price of 10,000 euros
+ A timeless aesthetic and design
Cons:
- The size of the module makes the sub-dials too close to the center
- The spartan finishings of the basic caliber: a solid caseback would have been more suitable
Fr.Xavier
