Horological Meandering

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An Understated Luxury: Introducing the New Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858.

Earlier this year Montblanc acquired Minerva with the objective of entering the world of haute horology. By acquiring a specialist movement manufacturer, Montblanc now has the capability of installing its own movements throughout its range as well as developing new ‘high-end’ pieces for the connoisseur. With only a limited number of Swiss watch firms able to call themselves a ‘manufacture’, this joining of forces between Montblanc and Minerva will enable Montblanc to become a manufacture and pursue greater ambitions in the haute horology world. Minerva has become Montblanc’s ‘Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie’.



At London’s prestigious Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge, just on the edge of Hyde Park, a small group of local enthusiasts were invited by Montblanc, in association with 00/24 Magazine, to view the new 1858 Villeret collection from Montblanc. The Lanesborough was once St.George’s hospital until about 1990 when it was converted to its current use. A London building in the grand style, designed by the same architect (William Wilkins) that designed the National Gallery and some of Britain’s more famous gothic style buildings, the hotel proved to be an appropriate setting to be introduced to a watch collection that perhaps borrowed its style and look from yesteryear, but which was very much a watch composed of modern day capabilities. The new Montblanc collection was, like the hotel’s appearance, an understated luxury!



The dinner kicked off with the usual drinks and introductions:





Our Montblanc hosts for the evening: Herr Alexander Schmiedt, Director Institut Minerva de recherché en Haute Horlogerie (on the left), and Monsieur Dimitri Cabbidu, Master Watchmaker at Minerva (on the right):



(good to see the watchmaker on a glass of orange juice!).

The dinner setting was suitably elegant for both the watches and for the Lanesborough:



Speeches were made (by Karel Hubert, editor of 00/24 Magazine, and Alexander Schmiedt) that reflected on wristwatches as an art form and as a time keeping device, about the wishes and aspirations for Montblanc and Minerva, and the limited nature of the new series of watches: the Villeret 1858 range.





And following on from dinner, Monsieur Dimitri Cabbidu, gave a demonstration of movement construction:





Featuring some of the newly developed movements from the Minerva manufacture, the watches were surprising in their simplicity (which is something I applaud) and yet were complicated in their functions. The setting and watches were harmonious in that the design and function of the watches were in keeping with a by-gone age. A great deal of the movement’s design is derived from Minerva movements of yesteryear. A simple face, a rounded case design, and the movement visible from the hinged case back. The chronograph is a mono-pusher form allowing the watch to keep the elegance of the case.




The finishing on the movements is of the very highest order. The movements are beautiful and to give Montblanc their due, the movement size was designed to fit in the case of that particular size. They are made to order. One element that particularly appealed to me was the large sized balance wheel – a movement always looks more elegant when the size of the balance wheel is in proportion to the movement and case size. And I know, I am a sucker for a large balance wheel!







You have to admire the courage of a firm to turn the clock back (no real pun intended) and produce watches in a manner that was the same 100 years ago. With numbers in such low levels of production, Montblanc is certainly not making much (if any) money from this enterprise as it stands, and in an age where ‘limited edition’ can entail a production run of over a 1000 pieces, these watches are truly a limited series. There will only be 1 watch in platinum for the series, 8 watches in white gold, and 58 watches in rose gold. The numbers spell out 1858. There are two models at the current time: a basic time only watch and a chronograph. There are also two case sizes: 47mm (the grand models) and 42mm (the ordinary model). Overall, Montblanc have limited production total production of these watches to 220 a year. If there are four different versions of the watch, and 67 watches are made, it will be sometime in late 2008 or early 2009, before the current series of watches has finished production. Put another way, Montblanc are planning to approximately produce one watch a day, and for a watch firm (Institut Minerva) employing 22 watchmakers, that is a very low number.

But so what? Why would you want to buy one of the new Montblanc Villeret watches? Montblanc and Minerva have also built in the capacity to tailor the watch to your requests. There will be a price associated with this, of course, but you can personalize the watch you are buying making it unique and personal to you. The one thing I would change on the watches would be face. In the light at the Lanesborough, the face of the watch was hardly legible. Certainly a draw back for a chronograph watch where reading the time is a first-order requirement.

However, what I should say is that the limited edition watches in the Villeret 1858 collection by Montblanc represent excellent value for money in haute horologie. The prices for the watches range from about 35000 euros (for the rose gold time only model) to about 200000 euros (for the unique platinum chronograph in the 47 mm case). (Please note that these are approximate prices only).

The watch box is particularly elegant and in this current ‘new age’ of watchmaking, where small movements are crammed into oversized cases, with over designed case and face, it is refreshing to see such a move. With the watches priced reasonably, and the manufacture being limited and ‘in-house’, I am certain that the watches will sell and that the owners will be overjoyed with their acquisition.

Karel Hubert (Editor in chief, 00/24 Magazine) on the left and Stephen DeLucchi (Montblanc UK) standing alongside the watch box for the new Montblanc Villeret 1858 collection.



Although no plans were announced, there will be further limited edition watches in the Montblanc Villeret 1858 series. I am sure that somewhere in the future there would probably be a tourbillon and a minute repeater. If the same value for money price is attached to these pieces as well, then I can honestly expect watch enthusiasts to sit up and take serious notice. I would honestly recommend that watch enthusiasts go along to their local Montblanc boutique and view the pieces for themselves – you will be pleasantly surprised.

I left the dinner as my fellow watch enthusiasts and diners were still giving all their attention to the watches:



Thanks for reading.

Andrew H

My thanks to 00/24 Magazine and Montblanc for a wonderful evening, for the watches, and for th

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