New Release
Tudorctin provides a live report from SIHH 2015, detailing Montblanc's new collection dedicated to Vasco da Gama. This article offers an insider's perspective on Montblanc's evolving watchmaking vision under Mr. Lambert, focusing on the Heritage Chronometrie and Villeret collections.
Ladies and Gents,
My wife and me have been invited by Montblanc to visit Villeret manufacture and SIHH 2015. In this thread I will focus mostly on Montblanc timepieces presented during SIHH 2015.
To be honest I went to Geneve with mixed feelings, I was a little bit confused, it was difficult to understand Montblanc vision related to watchmaking, to put it in simple words where Montblanc is heading to. After this event I finally understood the approach adopted by Mr. Lambert and his team and I hope you will agree with me.
As you all know the 2015 collection is dedicated to Vasco Da Gama and the name of the new collection is Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie that comprises of:
- ExoTourbillon Chronograph (LE60) in WG
- ExoTourbillon Chronograph in PG
- Quantieme Annuel (LE238) in PG and steel
- Quantieme Complet in steel
- Dual Time
- Automatic
- Ultra Slim
With this new collection, Montblanc has now a full range of calendar watches e.g. date, triple, annual and perpetual ones.
As part of Villeret Collection, Montblanc has released Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres Vasco da Gama and Metamorphosis II both of them in LE18.
At the entrance of the booth you can see the replica of tourbillion of Montblanc Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres Vasco da Gama, 220 times bigger and weighing about 225 Kg.
Because of the time constraint and the light not so good please forgive me for the quality of the pictures.
During the 90 minutes private viewing I was able to have a look on the following timepieces:
Let’s start with the flagship of 2015 collection, Montblanc Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres Vasco da Gama. The timepiece available was a prototype so I couldn’t play with it, the only totally functional one was on Mr. Lambert’s wrist. Despite its size (47mm, 15.6mm) the watch case looks smaller because of its clever design. The geospheres that symbolize the Northern and Southern hemispheres are made of gold, engraved and manually painted by a specialist in miniature painting. Two discs with 24 time zones simultaneously revolve around the two fix half-spheres. The tourbillion’s bridge is curved and its finishing requires two weeks of painstaking work. On the back three gold chattons enhance the overall feeling of haute horlogerie at its best.
Montblanc ExoTourbillon Chronograph
There are available two models, in white gold limited to 60 and in pink gold unlimited. The WG one has the upper part of the dial made of aventurine depicting the night sky of the Southern hemisphere. The demarcation line between the ExoTourbillion area and the upper part represents the horizon and one can imagine Vasco Da Gama on board of his ship gazing at the stars during his voyage.
When I saw the white gold one the day before, during the official presentation held at President Wilson Hotel, I was not so excited, the balance wheel seemed small and I should have preferred as base the manual MB R100 calibre. But after I checked it into detail I started changing my opinion. The automatic MB R200 is a modern monopusher chronograph with vertical clutch, column wheel and a double barrel. Being an ExoTourbillon the cage is separated from the balance wheel and your eyes can be tricked.
A larger balance couldn’t be integrated because of two reasons:
- a higher inertia could hinder the stop seconds mechanism that actions directly on the balance wheel
- the size of the watch had been increased and entered the territory of Villeret collection
On the back the finishing is at the expected level and I liked Montblanc attention to details: rhodium plated and circular grained parts, Geneva stripes, etc. The rotor is made of gold, pink or white that matches the case. The designers didn’t make the same mistake like other manufactures putting a rotor made of steel that induces a feeling of cheap, on the contrary and especially on the pink gold model your eyes are warmed by the colour of the rotor and contrast between the rotor and the rest of the movement.
Now, please don’t expect the same quality as in Villeret movements, they play in different leagues. For instance the numerals, indexes and hands are only gold plated.
About the price...what can I say? The pink gold model is less than 40K (EURO, CHF?) and the white one less than 50K (EURO, CHF?). How they can have these prices it’s a mystery but this is good news for us, watch aficionados.
Metamorphosis I and II
I could see the difference between Metamorphosis I and II. MI has a sportier look whilst MII has a classic one. For MII the transformation can take place with the chronograph hand in action, an improvement compared with the previous generation MI.
It’s hard to believe but MII with its 52mm diameter is WEARABLE. I was sceptical but once you put it on your wrist it doesn’t look so bad.
It was on display a prototype 47mm Bi-cylindrique Tourbillon. Unfortunately the solid back case is not curved so that it doesn’t sit properly on the wrist. The explication given by the watchmaker that you have to tighten the strap didn’t convince me, there is quite a difference compared with 47mm Villeret Chronograph where the hunter case is curved. Maybe Montblanc will do something to please the wearers with a “normal” wrist.
I couldn’t wait to put on my wrist the Montblanc Villeret 1858 ExoTourbillon Rattrapante. It’s a magnificent watch that I would like to wear it with its bespoke movement up, it’s a shame to hide such a masterpiece. The only drawback is the day and night indicator located at 5 o’clock that spoils the symmetry of the dial. Maybe a power reserve indicator located at 7 o’clock could correct it…
A nice surprise was the release of a LE3 of cufflinks dedicated to Vasco da Gama collection. Each PG cufflink has a small sphere that is hand painted, on one side is Vasco da Gama and on the other side his ship Sao Gabriel.
At present Montblanc has 2 collections comprising of about 47 models of cufflinks but none of them is related to any of the watch collections. I would like to see WG and PG cufflinks dedicated to Villeret collection, at least in my case I had to buy cufflinks from other manufacture and wear them with my Villeret Chronograph watch.
I didn’t take a picture of the Orbis Terrarum but the one in steel is my favourite. Montblanc did a good job, the worldtime module was not simply put on top of the base Selita 500, actually it was integrated so we can talk about a somehow worldtime integrated movement. This watch was the subject of a lot of talk and I don’t want to repeat what has been already said.
Conclusion:
Although the Montblanc Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres Vasco da Gama was the star of the show for me Montblanc ExoTourbillon Chronograph is more important because it shows Montblanc vision of blending the Villeret know-how with Le Locle new movements. It started last year with Timewalker Chronograph 100 and we know what to expect in the coming years. Year by year Montblanc watch collection diversifies, more complications are added and this is a sign that Montblanc is on the right track.
Regards,
Constantin
PS:
1. I would like to thank to Montblanc Dubai Mall Boutique for the invitation and especially to Mrs. Bernadette Aguilar who accompanied us during the trip to Geneve.
2. The prices mentioned were valid during the SIHH.
The Rolex Bubble Back, reference 1858, represents an early example of Rolex's self-winding waterproof wristwatches. This reference is part of the broader Bubble Back family, characterized by its distinctive domed case back designed to accommodate the thicker automatic movement of the era. It showcases Rolex's foundational efforts in developing robust and reliable automatic timepieces for everyday wear, laying groundwork for future Oyster Perpetual models.
This particular reference features an 18k white gold case, measuring 38mm in diameter. It is fitted with a sapphire crystal, protecting a silver dial. The watch is powered by an automatic movement, specifically the Boucheron 1858 caliber, offering a power reserve of 42 hours. The fixed bezel and leather strap complete the watch's classic presentation.
For collectors, the reference 1858 holds interest as an early and relatively rare iteration within the Bubble Back series, especially in white gold. Its larger case size for the period also makes it appealing to modern tastes. The presence of a date complication adds to its functionality, distinguishing it from simpler time-only Bubble Back models and highlighting Rolex's early integration of practical features.
It sounds like you and your wife are having a good time in Geneva. I had the same thoughts regarding the size of the balance. I think it looks smaller too because of the shape of the bridge. The Exotourbillon Rappatrante sits much better on your wrist than the Tourbillon Bicylindrique also because of the different case shape I suppose. Thanks again, Warmest, Mike
thank you for sharing with us! Montblanc Villeret customers are indeed well serviced by Montblanc staff. They really value us as customers! :) Thanks for giving me assurance on the vision of Montblanc. As a Villeret customer, I must admit I had my concerns last year about their approach to catering to all watch segments but their recent developments on the Villeret manufacture also gave me lots of assurances (new models still launched each year for their Villeret collection and maintaining its e
A star from just a few years ago; the Villeret Chronographe Bi-frequence 1000 was forlornly positioned in a back hallway :-( Villeret Chronographe Bi-frequence 1000 A small group gathered around the Geospheres piece while the watchmaker attempted to explain how it works. Thankfully, one practical soul kept pressing for a demonstration on how it would function in real-world use and, to be honest, I found the whole process awkward and certainly not even close to being the best world time watch out
Interesting offerings from Montblanc. Regards, ED-209
Montblanc Timewriter II Chronographe (developed by Montblanc Villeret in collaboration with Mr. Gomila) is a great watch. This watch deserves to be in the spotlight! Beginner's mistake.... You are right, there is a kind of similarity between Montblanc Orbis Terrarum and VC Patrimony Traditionnelle WorldTime but that doesn't dent the "aura" of Montblanc at all. It's a nice WorldTime watch and the quality price ratio is hard to beat. A winner in my opinion! Regards, Constantin
I hope next time I'll do a better job! Regards, Constantin
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