KMII
[Montblanc Moderator]
51101
Thanks Henrik for your well argued thoughts
I can certainly appreciate your sentiment (and that of several other Purists). Yet sometimes running a business requires making some unpleasant choices. And I am confident that Montblanc did not make this decision in haste or lightly.
I just want to add an example from the automotive world (which is closer to me professionally). And as a disclaimer right at the beginning - this is not meant as a simile for the debate we have here, more as a further discussion point. 
With every new generation of the Porsche 911 the most vocal critics have been loyal owners of the current / previous one. Yet they somehow flocked to the new one in ever greater numbers. Replace a new generation of 911 with a Cayenne /Macan / Panamera and it gets even more extreme (both the criticism and the sales success).
If I get back to Montblanc - there have been assurances made as to the number of Villeret movements produced. At least one of the movements is now above that number, which is causing quite some Purists grief but which was also necessary to produce one of the most widely acclaimed watches here in 2016 - the 1858 Tachymeter in SS. A bit between a rock and a hard place...
As for the Summit, I guess time will tell. If I look at it from the perspective of a Villeret owner I can see how having a mimicry of the dial could be upsetting. If, on the other hand I look at it from the viewpoint of an entrant into horology, I would of course desire to get the 'coolest watchface' a manufacturer makes on my smartwatch.
Is this cheapening the Villeret line? That probably depends on your perspective. If the finish and detail to attention do not change? Is the S-class any less of a car because of the smart for2? Again depends...
In any case, I am glad for the discussion - that's what Puristspro is all about
Thanks again Henrik!
Montblanc Summit Smartwatch launched
"Nothing compares to the sensation of traditional fine Swiss watchmaking, but in a fast moving world being able to access all kinds of information digitally has become essential." Jerome Lambert, CEO of Montblanc International Montblanc has just presented...
Hahaha! I have less time now on puristspro
Really miss your sense of humour my dear Nico !
it is certainly more a toy than a watch
But to choose MB within Richemont was a good choice: a not too traditional manufacturer but still upmarket enough to ask for 900 Eu and make 900 Eu look as a bargain for a MB watch.
I agree that the strategy is perfect for Richemont ...but ..
It\'s not a watch, it\'s a product... I am as interested in this product as a new i phone or a new leather backpack... moderately if not at all... As a collector , I prefer my fav brands to remain watch manufacturer, but that\'s a different discussion alt...
But here we need to be honest as well...
In that Montblanc was a writing instrument and leather goods manufacturer long before they added watches to the portfolio, so the fact that they continue offering products beyond mechanical watches is a natural consequence of their history and heritage. T...
I see bargains in many other watches too: Patek, Rolex, Lange
And some are essentially for "free", like very hard to get pieces. The watch world is full with bargains! That is my view, my friend !
I've got the same vision as you Count de Monet...
... a bargain is when one pays for a watch what one considers a good price. I find this novelty interesting in term of strategy, but is is not as if Patek or JLC were producing a smart watch. Also, it is not at all for me! Best, É
Never intended to be for everyone :)
Thanks for your views, Eklektik! It\'s about different segments of the market
You're right! And it comes from a brand with a different history, product line and strategy than traditional Swiss watchmaking.
I am just wondering what people who bought their mechanical watches will think and if they will stay faithful to the brand. It seems a bit like going left and right, past and future at the same time. All the best, É
Fully agree with you!
It is a difficult balancing act but still a smidgeon easier for them than pretty much any other brand from Richemont...
'Lume'-shot curtesy of Gisbert Brunner...
so what do you Montblanc 1858 Tachymeter owners make of this? Best, Magnus ...
Either the best or the worst, ever.
Is this the "quartz" era all over again? Shivering.
At the moment I do not see it being fully the same...
Sure, there is a part of the market where smart watches are likely to supplant mechanical ones but I do not foresee this being equivalent to the quartz crisis.
I'm digesting it Magnus . . . it may take some time.
I'll admit my first reaction, seeing the blue 1858 Tachy dial, was along the lines of "WTF". But, I'm open-minded and we'll see how it grows on me. M4
Available from May...
From May onwards one should be able to try it on / take it home
The only question is - how will the patina develop on the lume ;)
Thanks for adding the picture, Magnus!
Your OLED manufacturer might know ;-)
I fear it will age... OLED is not as loong lasting as traditional LCDs - one reason why Apple did not adopt it yet (except for the Apple Watch, where its power efficiency made this move necessary). Best, Magnus
I hope your Tachymeter gets sorted soon!
I mean if you are willing to do a straight swap, I will try to organise one of the very first Montblanc Summits for it I know, I should not joke at this moment...
I would do the Dr. Kol sledgehammer routine first...
Alas, I have plenty of warranty on the watch, and trust MB can straighten it out.
Very true. This sort of experience does affect the enthusiasm
I had been planning on my next Montblanc purchase. Now, I will first see how this repair process goes. I expect it to go well, and things can return to normal. But if not, well, then other options exist.
A watch was working fine and then stopped. Not nice but tolerable.
But two brand new watches which never worked - that makes one upset. However, I have just now my RO QP on my wrist and it feels great. I really understand why I bought this watch on the first place. If my 15202 will feel as good and also function like a w...
I fully understand.
I feel sorry for you because I know how such a disappointment feels. Best, Kari
Unfortunately, you do know it all too well.
I will not exaggerate - so far this is just a failure of one watch, one time. I trust Montblanc will fix it correctly for me.
Not trading in your collection just yet, Damjan? ;)
I hear you but then again it is not a substitute, more a complement...
Honestly, not my thing and I also don't understand this watch
I can see a market for smart watches, agreed, but leave that to the Apple's and Samsungs and maybe okay for a Tag Heuer, but why do we need a Montblanc smart watch that mimics a mechanical icon? What is next? A Patek smart watch that looks like a 5370? I ...
Not so sure Patek is next in line...
But I do suppose that each watch consortium is trying smartwatches out in order not to 'get left behind'. There were possibly other options in the Richemont portfolio but the management probably felt that Montblanc was the best choice. I hear you in terms...
Smart watches are perfectly fine and good for a certain market
But to have a smart watch mimic a mechanical icon kills it. Good point cc Cheers Robin
You are right there...
A very good price/ performance ratio to boot. Sure - it will not possess the longevity of a mechanical watch but then again it is not in the same price bracket, either
Not the first time Montblanc is playing with smart...
First time was with the failure of the smart buckle they came up with for the Timewalker Urban Speed... Regardless, please help me here with the pricing: Tag Connected: 1,500 Montblanc: 890 Apple: 450 Samsung Gear: 250 Value of all the above when the next...
Wow, April 1.st already?!
lets say I was a tea enthusiast - with a crazy craving for drinking tea, morning, midday and night. Spending a good deal of my spare cash on exotic tea leaves. Tea is the best. Tea makes me feel good. I can't get tea out of my mind. One day someone offers...
But let me ask a question.....
......if MB wants to be takes seriously as a high-end player, does that fit with producing a smart-watch? My own view is that this is confused marketing. It downgrades the "image" of their other watches.
It is a difficult positioning to pull off, granted
The watches we discuss here are often from the upper end of the spectrum. However this is often not everything offered by a brand. The annual production of Villeret pieces is a tiny fraction of Montblanc\'s total and on their own they are completely insuf...
Patek makes Quartz watches, and I don't see the problem. MB can make smart watches, they are not for me.
MB has a wide family of products. Some of them may not be for collectors, except if they fall in love with a certain model. But other models can be worth some strong consideration: The Villeret collection. The movement alone is worth some strong interest....
Big disappointerment for me
I am sure Lange and PP won't do this. Although it does make sense commercially for Richemont to use Montblanc to roll out smart watches (they already did with their smart augmented paper last year), I agree for the general lower priced Montblanc products ...
You may be able to customise the watchface like you said, Robin...
However if you want something like you mentioned, Montblanc is first fully involved (i.e. deciding what goes and what not), and second of all the process has a starting price tag of €15.000. So unlikely that there will be all that many you\'ll see on the ...
Don't worry about the 15k
small amount to make a mockery of them as a customer if we choose to I think for good money , Montblanc will consider to be honest
Again I feel your frustration...
But they naturally want the watch to be a success. And for that they chose one of their most iconic watchfaces as a base. They most likely considered the alternatives and some - like the TimeWalker Urban Speed are offered. But I think the frustration woul...
Agree it's trend
And agree Montblanc can do it. But I will start with the lower cost models to showcase on the dial eg the basic time only 1858 or the heritage chronometrie or heritage spirit basic models all the way to mid complications like a moonphase. Having a watch d...
They should have stopped there
And not included the Tachymeter or any dials with Villeret movement imho my friend Cheers Robin
Now there I see an ethical problem...
So, if I for example ask MB to create a custom dial face from a watch of their current collection, and I pay them the € 15.000 - who stops them to sell the same dial face to another customer for the same € 15.000? I appreciate that custom faces cost money...
Me too
I too feel quite disappointed and let down by this move. Agree with Robin that As a owner of the 1858 blue, this move dilutes my ownership experience of the watch. This is my own personal humble opinion. Sad to say that I Am now thinking of Selling the 18...
Good way to see it Clement
Agree it's good to see it in the metal first. A Montblanc Villeret with enamel dial is to die for! Beer style's Villeret vintage pulsograph for eg is a killer ! Cheers Robin
The Vintage Pulsograph is absolutely stunning!
And given that it is in the smaller case, too, means that it may well be my favourite from the whole line
It's a pity but it is the reflection on the mirror of our society....
....synthetic, cheap, greedy, consumeristic, a cheat, a lie and a very big disappointment.
Wrist and other shots!
Whatever you think, it is what it is and someone in Richemont group must do - Montblanc is the best brand to execute this, surely not for Lange or VC or even PP, I agree. For what it does, this is a bargain, IMHO. Ken ...
Fully agreed, Ken!
Hard for us to turn back the time and hard for a consortium to make the decision to not at least have one option in the segment to learn.
I don't have any issue with smart watch, after all a mobile phone is also a watch.....
.....a compass, a GPS and even a telephone. Apple and Garmin make smart watches. If the Richemont group, or Rolex for that matter, want to develop a smart watch, why not, but having the Montblanc brand on a smart watch mimicking an "iconic" limited editio...
Really? I think this is brilliant!
Montblanc is the only brand that fits "Smart Watch" strategy. Hate the dial selection? No problem! It can be changed to many different faces, including the nearly most affordable line of Montblanc watches. PP, Rolex - they probably do not need to make sma...
Your definition of brilliant or smart differs significantly from mine.....
...but hey, it's like food, we may have different taste
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