Jrwong23 (aka watchthebin) offers an insightful owner's review of his Montblanc Villeret Chronograph Grand Feu Enamel, a piece he considers a collection favorite. This article delves into the nuances of long-term ownership, contrasting it with typical short-form watch journalism. His detailed account provides valuable perspective on living with a significant timepiece.
Dear all,
I have been wanting to do an owner’s review of
my Heritage Spirt Orbis Terrarum worldtime watch, a watch I ordered in May 2015
and received it in around Oct 2015 last year. However, as some of you know, I
had a minor accident with the watch last month whilst I was in Miami. The
deployant buckle came loose and the watch dropped on solid concrete! I have since sent the watch to Montblanc
Singapore for servicing – preliminary report from the watchmaker is that the
movement has no damage (pretty good and robust!) and only the bezel has some
dings, as per what I observed. I also noticed I need more time to be able to
review this watch as an owner properly. To me, an owner’s review is not the
same as a wrist test, or a short review some watch journalists do.
As such, I think one of my favorite watches in
my collection (if not THE FAVORITE), my Montblanc Villeret Chronograph grand
feu enamel, deserves a proper owner’s review first! This reference was launched
in 2008, to celebrate Minerva’s 150th
anniversary since its founding in 1858, so it is considered an anniversary
piece. I have owned this watch for 42 months now and though I have shared
pictures of it (and my love for it) many times on PuristSPro, I realized I have
never shared a proper owner’s review. Perhaps now is a good time.
I have split the review into three parts. Part
One focuses on the initial owner experiences I have of this watch; then Parts
Two and Three highlight the features of this watch which I appreciate as an
owner and which cause me to love it as my lifestyle companion, including its calibre 13.21 movement and the monopusher chronograph
complication of this watch.
As I share this review, I am on a long business
trip to Europe and this trusty Montblanc Villeret is once again my travel
companion 
Let me start with all the nice experiences I had
with this watch. I must admit, I may sound biased but the truth is this watch
has become my favorite lifestyle accessory. This timepiece never fails to make
me smile when I wear it or when I just hold it in my hands. I admire its grand
feu enamel dial, play with its monopusher chronograph pusher and of course,
marvel at its superbly-finished Minerva calibre 13.21.
The pictures below were taken back in Jul/Aug
2013. Feels like yesterday!
The huge watch box! First time I saw it at my AD
in Singapore, I was shocked at its size.
Such a large box for the watch! The box is
constructed with very luxurious wood and feels extremely luxurious to the
touch. Other than its size, which really takes a lot of space to keep, I do
appreciate this nice box, which is on our study table storing our
letter-writing stationery
instead of the watch. The button (which is quite hidden) to unlock the box and
slide out the tray which holds the watch (or stationery) is pretty sleek in its
operation (very subtle push and smooth pressure to release the tray – all very
luxurious in its feel).
I also kept the lithographs which come with the
watch in my safe and I take them out to appreciate from time to time the past
few years.
The cover of the lithographs, stating that my
watch is piece 1 of 8, a number and limitation I am proud of as an owner.
The details of the calibre 13.21
A drawing of my watch, with the personal
signature of Mr Cabbidu, the previous Director of the Montblanc Villeret
manufacture (he has since retired).
This set of lithographs provided by Montblanc
Villeret is a very nice touch. It makes the watch very personal and further
reminds me that each Montblanc Villeret watch is very
limited and personalized
to its owner. And I do not forget that the
Collection Villeret is Montblanc’s
most exclusive and prestigious offering. For Montblanc Collection Villeret, the
maximum number of production for each reference was 58 and more often, piece
uniques, 8 and 18. For the newer references, I don’t see 58 pieces anymore,
only 1, 8 or 18.
To recap my own memory – my initial joy of
getting this watch, the First Love period
Some old pictures to share – these (not great
quality) pictures are what I shared with the PuristSPro community the day when
I received this watch from my AD. This was way before I became the Montblanc
forum moderator here, so forgive me for the poor quality pictures.
(Sometimes I miss those days when I would share pictures and
thoughts of watches “with
a childlike innocence” before I started to “think too much” of what others would think
of my posts, especially after I became a PuristSPro moderator. Perhaps this is
a good reminder that “childlike
innocence” sharings are probably closer to the PuristS spirit and we should all
boldly share on PuristSPro, like we used to when we were new members.)
My first wristshot, trying to show the beauty of
the black grand feu enamel dial in natural sunlight. As an amateur wrist shot
photographer, I ended up making the 41mm watch look too big on my wrist,. To be
honest, if the case was 39mm (like the Villeret Vintage Pulsograph with the
same calibre 13.21), it will be a perfect watch for folks with smaller wrists
like me (6.2 inch for me). The saving grace is the design of the lugs and the
leather than covers the gap between the lugs. This design does make the watch
look smaller on the wrist, concealing the lugs overhang well when looking top
down at the watch on a small wrist.
A wrist shot at the AD, appreciating the very
thick sapphire glass (more on that in Part Two). That was such a happy moment
in my watch collecting life.
I will never forget this period of my first love
and honey moon period with this very special watch in my collection. Even until
today, the love is very much the same.
Stay tuned for parts two and three, which I will
share very soon. Meanwhile, some teaser shots so you have a feel of what’s
coming
Ah… the secret hunter back and the superbly finished
calibre 13.21
The “black oil” on the dial. Black grand feu enamel with
some minor bubbles – not imperfections but rather a personalization of the 8
black enamel dials in this LE 8 collection, each exclusive dial unique to its
owner.
To conclude, it took me almost 10 months to
consider getting this watch, from the time I was first introduced to Montblanc
Villeret watches. Obviously, being a young collector back then, I was a brand
snob and I couldn’t come to terms with spending this amount of money for a
Montblanc watch. I got myself timepieces from PP, Lange and Breguet and I still
couldn’t forget this watch and I eventually got it. The rest is all history and
I have never regretted my decision.
Back when I first got my Montblanc Villeret –
despite the logo on the dial, it stands proud amongst the other watches in my
initial haute horology collection back in Aug 2013.
Today, the Villeret chronograph calibres 13.21
and 16.29 are found in the more accessible (but still limited though less
exclusive and with less luxurious craftsmanship and features) Heritage Spirit
Pulsograph and the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter. Those of you who adore these
Minerva movements have more options now. I notice Montblanc focusing its
Villeret collection only on grand complications these days, such as the
ExoTourbillions and Cylinderique Tourbillons, so I am very happy to have a
monopusher chronograph from the early days of the Montblanc Villeret
collection.
More of my review to come soon. Hope you like
this owner’s review so far.
Cheers
robin
This message has been edited by jrwong23 on 2016-02-22 09:47:17 This message has been edited by jrwong23 on 2016-02-22 09:53:42 
