Montblanc Watches
From noble writing instrument to noble timewriter
Montblanc wristwatches and Montblanc writing instruments: components of the range that have nothing to do with each other at first glance. In the end, there are two product categories that equally embody Montblanc’s philosophy of striving for the highest craftsmanship. By the way, the word “chronograph” means “timekeeper. ” The first of its kind in 1821 was not a wristwatch, but a machine that recorded time with ink (!) on paper. Its inventor, Nicolas Rieussec, is now the name tanner of one of Mont Blanc’s modern watch lines.
In the end, the only relevant difference between the Montblanc writing Meisterstücks and Montblanc watches is that the Montblanc writing instruments are handcrafted in Germany, while the Montblanc luxury mechanical wristwatches are all located where watches rightly locate aficionado’s watchmaking expertise: in Switzerland.
No compromises for the masterpieces of timekeeping – SWISS MADE
Both men’s watches and women’s watches by Montblanc are manufactured entirely in Switzerland and are therefore allowed to bear the “SWISS MADE” seal of approval on the dial and on the back of the watch case. This has been true since the beginning, when Montblanc Montre S. A. started developing and producing high-quality watches in the Swiss Jura with the support of the Richemont Group in 1997. This applies to high-quality mechanical watches to this day without exception – the only exceptions are those who cross the border between pure timepieces and smart devices, such as the Montblanc Summit 2.
At Montre S. A. it was here that the Meisterstück watch collection was first created with the DNA of the writing instruments of the same name: the 4810 is engraved into the case on the left and right of the crown. On the opposite side of the case is the Meisterstück lettering, also artfully engraved. Like the head of the writing instruments, the watch crown is decorated with a Mont Blanc star. Like the classic Meisterstück, the first watches are designed in gold-plated cases, combined with deep black dials – the Montblanc Meisterstück 7001 Chronograph is one of the typical examples of this early period.
Stainless steel and bright dials will soon complete the collection. However, the round lines of the Meisterstück watches consistently show the relationship to the writing Meisterstück and make it tangible.
A star is born – The Star Collection
The original Meisterstück watch collection became the Star collection. Gold and black are still there, but in the meantime the whole range of materials and colours typical of luxury watches are also available. The claim to luxury is visible in guilloches on dials and engravings on rotors that are visible through the glass case.
As with the Meisterstück collections, the watches from the Star line have fluted onion-shaped crowns with a Montblanc emblem.
Women’s watches with smaller calibres of 32mm complement the more masculine lines, which are usually in 38mm. Materials such as mother-of-pearl on dials and crowns, as well as gemstone trim on the bezels, are particularly used for women’s watches. Chronographs are also available in the 32mm cases.
In addition to stainless steel and platinum or gold plated cases, 18K gold is also used for the cases, both “white” and “yellow” and “pink. ” In addition to metal bracelets with folding clasps, we offer the Star collection with a variety of leather bracelets.
Complications range from the date display to GMT to the moon phase clock and eternal calendar. Chronographs with a tachymeter scale on the dial are of course also included. The high-quality works come from ETA and ETA/Valjoux.
Blued screws in the factory give the models with glass bottom a very special aesthetic. Some of the Star models, such as the Montblanc Meisterstück Star 7236, pick up this colour accent again in the form of the printed hour and minute hands.
Do it yourself – for the sake of quality
Montblanc’s watchmaking philosophy from the very beginning: make it yourself and have full control to ensure uncompromising quality in the end! In Montblanc’s watch manufacturer, each movement is checked individually and the clocks are assembled by hand – that is still the case today.
No matter what calibre, whether it’s a thirteen-hand watch, chronograph or moon phase watch, and whether it’s an automatic watch or a hand winding with a power reserve: with a Montblanc watch you always buy masterful quality that is worth keeping and passing on to the next generation. This is only possible with the physical product quality and timeless aesthetics of Montblanc wristwatches. Today’s new watch becomes the retro watch of tomorrow and, in the best sense, an investment in the future.
Go swimming with Montblanc - Sports Watches
Montblanc products are lifelong companions. For many people, this includes sports, including water sports. The Montblanc Sports Collection is the answer to such an active lifestyle. With enclosures that withstand 20bar water pressure thanks to screw-on crowns; you can not only bathe, but also go deep diving. High-scratch-resistant sapphire lenses, rotating bezels and magnifying function for reading the date round off the sporting demands of the watches.
In addition to the classic material stainless steel, titanium and tantalum are used for watch cases between 41. 5 and 44mm. With the Montblanc Sport Chronograph Tantalum Automatic, even pressures of 30bar are no problem; that’s equivalent to a water depth of 300m!
Bridging the 21st Century – Timewalker
Timewalker watches by Montblanc: Nowhere else does traditional craftsmanship meet so vehemently and evidently with modern aesthetics and architectural design. Avant-garde lines and skeletal horns to hold the bands are trademarks of the Timewalker series, most of them in 43mm cases, some in 42mm calibres.
Complications start with the date display, go through chronographs and GMT function to the Large Retrograde Automatic with power reserve display.
The material spectrum ranges from stainless steel to precious metal: yellow, red and white gold, each in 18K. In addition to metal bracelets with ceramic inlays and folding clasps, there are high-quality leather bracelets with pin clasps. Water resistance exists up to 30m water depth. High-scratch-resistant sapphire lenses with anti-reflective coating make it easy to read the very clear, large dials in all light conditions.
Inspiration of Swiss watchmaking – Heritage Collection
The Heritage Collection Montblancs is nothing more and nothing less than a tribute to the finest Swiss watchmaking. Complications such as those of the Montblanc Heritage Exotourbillon Minute Chronométrie, are among the higher orders of fine watchmaking. A Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie Dual Time automatic watch is also right in this collection, where the highest technical standards meet perfectly shaped design.
Haute Horlogerie at its finest – 1858 Villeret
Only a decade after entering the watchmaking industry, Montblanc finally rose to the top of the line of the highest quality mechanical watch manufacturers. In 2007, the “Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie” began to develop and produce the finest timepieces, including the development of its own movements.
The Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858 is without a doubt one of the milestones of Swiss watchmaking. Only a few hundred pieces of these completely handmade timepieces made of platinum, yellow or white gold leave the manufactory each year, each individually numbered.
What makes the Minerva calibre so unique is the unusually large flywheel in its dimension. With only 18,000 vibrations per second, it runs with an unparalleled uniformity. But in the end the trick is in the pen, the proverbial spirit of restlessness that stimulates the flywheel to oscillate. The correct length of this nib is of paramount importance for the precise movement of the watch. In the case of the “Villeret”, this length determination is not carried out by a machine, but is measured and calibrated by the most experienced watchmakers. The fact that bridges and circuit boards get their finishing by hand – and without exception – is, on the other hand, almost only a detail, albeit an important one.
Tradition means carrying on the fire, not storing the embers – Rieussec
The term craftsmanship may be associated with dwelling on the tried and tested and the routine and ever more perfected winding of routines. This is true for Montblanc only insofar as they always paid “old fashion” attention to the artisanly clean implementation of ideas in the best sense of the word. But these ideas can also be new. And it is precisely in this heritage spirit that perfectly crafted innovations are created.
The Collection Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec is an example of this. A completely new calibre was developed here. The chronographs are equipped with a so-called vertical clutch, which enables the chronograph function in continuous operation with minimal friction losses in the movement. Unique to the Nicolas Rieussec watches is the design with the movable chronograph totalizers, which run as discs under a fixed hand. These discs are reminiscent of the first periodical writer of Nicolas Rieussec, mentioned at the beginning, who “wrote” time in the same way.
The monopusher design for operating the chronograph function rounds off the innovative product concept. All watches in the series are equipped with 2 nib housings, allowing power reserves of 72 hours. With the calibres MB R100, MB R110 and MB R120 built in over time, the collection has been continuously developed technically and aesthetically.
Montblanc goes digital – Summit 2 Smart Watches
For all its perfection and craftsmanship, Montblanc does not close itself to digitization. This is reflected in Montblanc’s only non-Swiss watch line, Smart Watches such as the Montblanc Summit 2 watches. With features such as GPS, compass, barometer, Google connection and much more, you can meet the needs of Generation Y. All this is packaged in a quality that will allow these watches to be passed on to Generation Z one day. Montblanc Smart Watches are also life companions in this sense.