Montblanc

Yesterday, I made a visit at the new Montblanc flagship store rue de la Paix. The store has opened at the end of the month of August and is the entrance to the whole luxury world of Montblanc. I was perfectly welcome by Stephanie Berdoulat, the store mana...  

This Monopusher Chronograph is maybe the most impressive timepiece of the Montblanc collection. It is a LE of 1 piece in Pt, 8 in WG and 58 in PG. The diameter of the case is 47mm and the height 13,55mm. The caliber can be found under the hinged cuvette.....  

The second Authentique is a watch with a subsidiary second at 6 o'clock. The diameter is 41mm and the caliber is the 62-00 also coming from Minerva. Its frequency is 2,5hz. Its diameter is 24mm so it appears to be a bit smaller for the case. This is the v...  

The Nicolas Rieussec chronograph is a monopusher chronograph with a 43mm case. It is powered by the caliber MB R100 (handwind, now the MB R110) or MB R200 (automatic). Both are exclusive calibers which were developed by Val-Fleurier and are built by the M...  

A few pics to compare 2 great low frequency calibers: The 16-29 from Minerva and the L951.0 from Lange. Same frequency (2,5hz) but not the same size and not the same balance wheel diameter ! Fr.Xavier...  

Both are beautiful, but there is definitely a difference in decorative choices between the two. IMO it's interesting that Lange's dials tend toward the sober but their movements are high artistic drama; conversely Minerva's dials are more decorative but t... 

I think the Minerva decoration is historic to its roots, without the blued screws and engraved bridge. I like the longer more flowing design of the levers on the Minerva chrono. The Lange has always looked too "complex" for my eye...but this is just aesth... 

A beautiful store! I've been visiting several beautiful Montblanc stores in the past few months; San Francisco, Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills (extraordinary!), New York City (smaller than before), Orange County (second highest grossing store in the United Sta... 

to demonstrate the value of having a strong retail presence and substantial customer base. For those who thought the Italian group failed because of the lack of a market presence...time will tell if this really was the nail in the coffin for their venture...