THE WORLD OF F INE WATCHES

SPOTLIGHTTHE STORY OF MONTBLANC WATCHES,FROM THE PAGES OF WATCHTIME MAGAZINE

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MONTBLANCMONTBLANC

LE LOCLE montblanc montre sa

change with the arrival of a mannamed Perret around the year 1630.Little is known about him except thathe came from Renan, a small townnear Villeret, where the Minervawatch manufacture would later beestablished. Perret earned his liveli-hood as a so-called “mechanicus.” Inthe aforementioned year in Le Locle,he made what was probably the Juraregion’s first timepiece. But the ab-

HUMILITY” is the adjective that best describes one of the mostcharming traits of the residents of the quiet little town of Le Locle. eir self-assessment confirms this: “We haven’t given the

world any great adventurers or geniuses, but goodhearted people liveamong us, and we love orderliness and honest labor.” ese words accu-rately characterize the people in the mountainous Jura region, which di-rectly borders France.

e area had little more to offer than barren soil, swampy meadows and arocky alpine landscape, so the mountain folk originally devoted themselvesto hunting and animal husbandry. e cold winter months compelled themannually to retreat into their low-slung farmhouses. e situation began to

Montblanc has made its watches in the little watchmakingtown of Le Locle in Switzerland’s Jura region since 1997.

sence of suitable means of commu-nication, combined with a generallack of interest, minimized the im-pact of this event. Considerablymore transparency would be associ-ated with the subsequent course ofhistory here.

Approximately half a century af-ter Perret, the local chronicles recordthat in 1679 a horse merchant namedPeter caused a small furor. His pock-

A MAN NAMED PERRET PROBABLYMADE THE FIRST TIMEPIECE IN LE LOCLE AROUND 1630.

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THE MANUFACTUREIN THEVilla

etwatch was of a type that was practically unknown inthis region at the time. But the rigors of travel had causedthis mechanical marvel, which Peter had brought fromEngland, to give up the ghost. And no one seemed capa-ble of repairing it. In his hour of need, Peter turned toJeanRichard, a smith who specialized in horseshoes andweaponry. On JeanRichard’s premises, Peter discoveredvarious artifacts that had been made by JeanRichard’sson Daniel. ey were so well craed that Peter commis-sioned the young man to revive the lifeless watch. ischoice turned out to be a stroke of extreme good luck.e multitalented youth diagnosed the problem andmade the tools he needed to rectify it. Daniel Jean-Richard even went an important step further: aer hav-ing painstakingly traced and sketched all the compo-nents, he set out to create a device of his own in its image.Eighteen months later, it was ticking to his complete sat-isfaction. From this moment on, Daniel’s future careerwas clear. He settled as a watchmaker in Le Locle in 1705and also taught the demanding cra to his five sons.When the pioneer died in 1741, some 400 watchmakerswere plying their trade in the mountains of CantonNeuchâtel.

A WATCHMAKING VILLAGE WITH TRADITION In 1765, artisans in Le Locle and neighboring La Chaux-de-Fonds not only produced numerous domestic clocks,but also craed some 15,000 silver and gold pocket-watches. Division of labor had already progressed quite along way in the watchmaking trade. e process involvedspecialists such as ébauche-makers; case manufacturers;

in ensuing years and brought re-markable prosperity to the popula-tion of Le Locle. Angelus, UlysseNardin, Tissot and Zenith are onlysome of the renowned watch manu-facturers that made the name of LeLocle known throughout the worldin the 19th and 20th centuries.

It was thus a logical decision tosettle a strongly value-oriented busi-ness like Montblanc Montre SA inthis 900-meter-high and idyllicallylocated watchmaking town. A suffi-cient number of qualified specialistscould be found there, as well as a suit-able domicile in the form of a stately19th-century villa. Aer judiciousrenovations and skillful expansionshad transformed the villa into a spa-cious manufacturing site, an impres-sive palette of high-quality Mont-blanc wristwatches have been pro-duced here for more than 10 years.e business initially functionedsolely as an établisseur, a companythat produces complete watchesfrom purchased components. Butsince 2006, Montblanc has been partof the small and elite circle of genuinemanufactures that make more thanone caliber of their own.

makers of chains, springs and hands;finisseurs (finishers); gilders andenamellers. Most of them had workbenches in their homes and ac-cordingly pursued these trades as acottage industry. e comparativelyhigh level of employment luredmany people to the region, wherethey hoped to find work. is, inturn, led to a noticeable change inliving habits.

Many of the locals abandonedtheir agricultural sideline and begandevoting themselves entirely towatchmaking. Even the kings ofPrussia, who intermittently ruled theregion from 1707 to 1848, were dulyimpressed by the townspeople’sartistry and crasmanship. erulers repeatedly summoned watch-makers to the royal court to maketimepieces there or else sent them todistant countries to establish inde-pendent watchmaking in far-flunglocales. e Prussian regime came toan abrupt end with the revolution ofMarch 1, 1848, and the ensuing re-publican constitution. e royals’fate was diametrically opposite tothat of watchmaking, which had per-manently established itself. It thrived

A watchmaker performs the final checks on a finished TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph.

Ultramodern high-tech machinery and traditionalhandcraftsmanship: thewatchmaking atelier atMontblanc Montre SA

MONTBLANC JOINED THE SMALL, ELITE CIRCLE OF GENUINEMANUFACTURES IN 2006.

Limited to 300 pieces: the TimeWalker TwinFlyChronograph in titanium.Right: the TimeWalker SteelGold

Black, gold, seduc-tive: the styling ofthe first collection ofMontblanc watcheswas oriented accord-ing to the design ofthe legendary blackMeisterstück foun-tain pens.

WHERE DO YOU FILL IT WITH INK?It was impossible not to detect the scornful tone

in the watch journalist’s voice when he askedNorbert Platt in 1997: “Where do you fill it with

ink?” Platt, who was then Montblanc’s CEO andlater CEO of the Richemont Group to which Mont-

blanc belongs, responded with composure. Aer all, hehad given top priority to the creation of Montblanc’sown collection of watches. “at development occurredparallel to the writing implements. Montblanc is basi-cally a monolithic product, i.e., the Meisterstück: blackrim, gold, seductive. We decided to produce our firstwatches with black dials and gold cases in order to con-sciously generate self-similarity.”

In the meantime, the erstwhile mockers have fallensilent. Montblanc has pursued a policy that has earned itswatches widespread international recognition.e bestproof of its success is the impressive numbers of unitsshipped each year from the light-flooded workshops inLe Locle. As a member of a large luxury group that pub-lishes statistics only in consolidated form, Montblanc re-fuses to specify exactly how many watches it producesannually, but it’s no secret that the quantities are in the sixfigures. Whenever a discussion turns to products fromMontblanc, and thus also to watches, the following as-pect plays an important role: Montblanc is a watch brandthat doesn’t grant licenses, but manufactures on its own.is is also true in Le Locle, where the luxury businesswith manufacture standards has operated a highly mod-ern production site for approximately the past 15 years.As is true for all products with the familiar white star,quality takes top priority at the Le Locle facility. Nothingis le to chance, starting with product development andcontinuing all the way through to the final quality con-trol, which mercilessly ferrets out any imperfections.ose in charge of checking quality know all too well that“to err is human.”

Incidentally, timepieces bearing the name of MontBlanc (Europe’s tallest peak) are not new. As early as1889, nearly two decades before the birth of the Mont-blanc writing instrument company, the Swiss watch pro-ducer Suter received trademark protection for the “MontBlanc” name. For many decades thereaer, watches ofvarious kinds were made in the little town of Büren onthe Aare River. Suter ceased its operations in the 1950s or’60s — a stroke of luck for the Montblanc writing-instru-ment company, based in Hamburg, Germany, because itenabled the firm to start making luxury watches underthe Montblanc name.

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE MEISTERSTÜCK Montblanc’s famous Meisterstück fountain pen was in-troduced in 1924. e pen’s ascent to the status of cult ob-ject was only a matter of time. Its design alone imbued it

THE MEISTERSTÜCK PENFOUND ITS LOGICAL SEQUEL INWATCHES STARTING IN 1997.

e brand-new workshop in which meticulouslytrained specialists assemble the Rieussec chronographCalibers MB R100, MB R110 and MB R200, and wherethey will also assemble the MB LL100 in the future, occu-pies a central location. is atelier was created under theaegis of the experienced master watchmaker ierry Pel-laton, a member of the well-known dynasty of watch-makers to which Albert and James Pellaton belong andwhich, among its other contributions, has made a namefor itself through tourbillons and other ingenious mech-anisms, and through precision fine adjustment.

e 50-year-old Pellaton was present at the creation ofthe Montblanc watch brand. He was there before the offi-cial launch in 1997, when the first timepiece was yet to be developed in the former Cartier factory in Villeret (itnow houses the Nivarox-FAR component manufac-

with extremely high value. is wasaccompanied by tradition, lovinglyexecuted manual crasmanship andlongevity. is was an iconographicproduct that one took into one’shand with due respect when onewanted to write important words.Since 1997, the qualities of the Meis-terstück have found their logicalcontinuation in wristwatches.

A SHORT VISIT e broad, north-facing, windowedfaçade of the Le Locle manufactureensures constant lighting conditionsfor the artisans in their ateliers. eglare associated with direct sunlightwould be as unfavorable to concen-trated work on the mechanicalmovements as wandering shadowswould. ese watchmakers’ forefa-thers were well aware of this. Even af-ter artificial illumination becamewidespread, north light has re-mained essential.

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turer) (e building is not far fromthe thoroughly renovated Minervabuilding; more on this later.)When Montblanc’s CEO NorbertPlatt offered him the job of productmanager, Pellaton didn’t hesitate.“at was a big opportunity for me,and there was no reason not to ac-cept it,” he says. What happenednext were long years of hard work.“Among my other responsibilities,”Pellaton explains, “was developingproduction lines from the proverbial‘square one’ and installing the tech-nologies needed for the productionof complete watches.” e ateliersfor the Rieussec calibers are also thework of this enthusiastic watch-maker. e bulk of the work wascompleted by 2009. Aer the usual“growing pains” were overcome, themanufacturing functioned impec-cably, which meant that it was timefor Pellaton to say goodbye — butnot from Montblanc, which had nointention of letting a man with hisqualifications walk out the door. Butthe new Montblanc calibers, withtheir many technical special fea-tures, posed far greater challengesthan tried-and-tested movementslike the ETA 7750. Pellaton has ac-cordingly been traveling the globefor the past two years as a trainer,

The atelier was created under thedirectorship ofThierry Pellaton.

all submitted movements. e prerequisites are that themovements are “Swiss made” — a stipulation with whichall of Montblanc’s movements easily comply — and thatthey do not exceed predefined dimensions. e proce-dure is conducted in accord with Swiss norm SN/ISO3159, which specifies that Montblanc mark each candi-date with an individual serial number and submit it in atransparent plastic case. e COSC’s examiners acceptneither winding rotors on automatic movements nor thebrand’s own crowns, with their distinctive white stars.Additional conditions include a special dial solely for testpurposes and a standard seconds hand. e Rieussecchronograph indicates the seconds via a rotating disc, soit is unfortunately ineligible for the chronometer test.However, Montblanc’s in-house scrutiny is at least asstrict as the COSC’s examination.

e official procedure begins when electrical motorswind the movements for the first time. Aerward, every-thing continues according to a well-rehearsed schedule.Twenty-four hours in the flat position with the crowntoward the le at 23 degrees Celsius; a control measure-ment; winding by machine; another 24 hours in the flatposition with the crown le. e COSC relies on ultra-modern, computer-assisted metho do logy to record theresults. A special camera keeps an unblinking eye oneverything. Combined with a computer and a time signaltransmitted by radio from Mainflingen (near Frankfurt),the COSC detects deviations of fractions of a second. e

various data are conveyed to theelectronic memory so that the re-sults are instantly available aer theconclusion of the 15-day ordeal.Watch movements that grind to ahalt or fail to satisfy the criteria arereturned to their senders withoutfurther comment.

Movements that pass the COSC’sexamination — which insists, for ex-ample, that the average daily rate attemperatures between eight and 38degrees Celsius not stray fromwithin an exactly defined spectrumranging from minus four to plus sixseconds — begin their homewardjourney accompanied by a “GrandBulletin de Marche” in which all em-pirically determined values are listedin great detail. Aer the approved

watches have returned home toMontblanc, each receives its finaldial, bearing the additional word“chronometer,” along with the finalhands, case and strap. en thewatch undergoes an equally merci-less final check in which, needless tosay, the watch must again perform inaccord with its COSC-certified rateresults.

WATCH COMPETENCEe scoffer who asked in 1997 aboutfilling the watch up with ink mayhave lacked the ability to imaginewhat a traditional manufacture withglobally recognized competence inwriting implements can achievewhen it sets its mind to the new butby no means alien discipline of

DLC-coated stainless-steelcase: the automatic chrono-graph from the Sport line

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METICULOUS TESTING GUARANTEES THE HIGH QUALITYOF THE MOVEMENTS.

passing along his extensive knowledge and expertise toboutique personnel, to watchmakers who service time-pieces, and also to potential customers. “is is an excit-ing challenge for me because now I’m not so much amanager and more of a watchmaker... now I’m doingwhat I originally learned.”

Among the other movements that take shape in theworkshops that Pellaton directs are highly complicatedones consisting of more than 280 components. Regularchecks ensured the detection of any errors which, unseenat this stage, would require investments of too much timeand labor to rectify later. When specialists rely on ultra-modern tools and devices, some of which were devel-oped expressly for assembling the manufacture’s ownRieussec calibers, these artisans know that each compo-nent has already been subjected to meticulous qualitycontrols. Many hours pass before a gentle impulse finallybreathes life into the complex whole. It begins to tick, accurately subdividing the uniform flow of time into pre-cisely defined segments, of which there ought to be ex-actly 28,800 each hour. Every deviation from this normcauses the watch to gain or lose a bit of precious time.Specialists are responsible for regulating the timepiecesso that they oscillate at precisely this desired frequency.ey know that the satisfaction of the watches’ futurecustomers will depend not only on the timepieces’ relia-bility, but also on their precision timekeeping. at’s whydeviations of no more than minus-two or plus-six sec-onds per day are permissible. e results of the 500-HourTest, which we will explain in detail later, are mercilessproof of the proverbial pudding for the participatingwatchmakers.

CERTIFIED PRECISE RATE Some of the classical automatic chronographs in the Star4810 line can even boast official verification of their out-standingly accurate rate, which is 99.99 percent perfect.e ETA-Valjoux 7750 calibers inside these timepiecestake a little detour before insertion into their cases. At asomewhat lower altitude in the town, the staff of the Con-trôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the offi-cial Swiss chronometer testing agency, performs its dailywork in comparatively unadorned rooms. Neutrality isthe first commandment here. As part of their officialduty, these impartial examiners give equal treatment to

ments. Many women own several watches, so Montblancnaturally also offers the convenience and extreme preci-sion of quartz technology, which makes it easier tochange one’s watch because even aer it has spent manyweeks languishing in a safe, it emerges from confinementstill showing the correct time.

As its name suggests, the Profile Lady line appeals towomen who are looking for a wristwatch with a certaindifference: powerfully expressive through the combina-tion of classical and stylish elements, and valuable thanksto the cases’ materials and the expert processing of pre-cious stones.

Women and men alike are equally well dressed for alloutdoor activities with the distinctive “Sport” line.Montblanc has designed these wristwatches to cope withrough treatment. e black Sport Automatic Chrono-graph is a real eye-catcher. Its elegant, 44-mm-diametercase can dive to 200 meters without allowing water topenetrate, and its highly scratch-resistant DLC coatingdoesn’t mind an occasional blow. DLC (diamond-likecarbon) is far more scratch- and abrasion-resistant thanother coatings (such as PVD) because its hardness ex-ceeds 5,000 Vickers, which means it is seven times harderthan the stainless steel that it coats and protects. e dis-advantages are the extra time consumed by the surface-enhancing process and the additional expense that re-sults. In return, however, this attention-getter promises along and carefree friendship with a beautiful timepiece.

The very popular StarWalker series of writing imple-ments is a perfect match for the successful TimeWalkerwatch line. Reduction to the bare essentials is the salientfeature: clear, objective architecture distinguishes thelanguage of forms, ideal legibility is ensured and, if de-sired, helpful additional functions such as a secondtime zone or a chronograph are available. These wrist-watches rigorously eschew ostentation and superfluousfrills.

If not before, then at the latest in 2006, it became obvi-ous that Montblanc also understands the highly compli-cated side of the horological arts. e brand celebrated its100th birthday with a nod to Gaius Julius Caesar. emodel’s name, Star Chrono GMT Perpetual Calendar,was message enough: it signaled what’s contained insidethe 43-mm gold case. Its perpetual calendar refers to theJulian calendar, which was originally introduced by Cae-sar. Assuming that it continues to be regularly wound,the watch’s calendar will need no manual correction un-til 2100. “GMT” alludes to the display of time in a secondzone, a function which the enhanced base Caliber ETA7754 offers along with self-winding and a chronograph.e only bit of bad news: Montblanc limited the threeversions of this timepiece (in white-, yellow- or rose-goldcases) to 100 pieces in each. e special threaded crownon each is adorned with a genuine diamond.

At this time, work at the Le Locle-based watchmakingsubsidiary of the Hamburg-based company was alreadywell underway on a project that created a watch-worldbuzz in 2008. Its name: Rieussec. A separate chapter willfocus on the creative inventor of the chronograph and hiscareer.

MASTERS OF ALL CLASSESMontblanc can boast of having mastered every variety ofchronograph technology. Regardless of whether it’s acolumn wheel or a cam-shi mechanism, whether it re-lies on an oscillating pinion or friction coupling, and

measuring time. As a member of the Richemont Group,which already included renowned brands such as Baume& Mercier, Cartier, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin,Montblanc could count on assistance from sister brandswith relevant know-how. But Norbert Platt and his teaminsisted on the greatest possible autonomy with regard tothe design and placement of the brand’s products, whichwould be conceived to satisfy the wishes of the intendedtarget groups. At first, these were primarily people withan insatiable desire for writing implements marked withthe significant little white star that identifies their ownersas genuine connoisseurs. From past experience, thesepeople could trust that Montblanc would be as uncom-promising with its new timepieces as it has always beenwith its fountain pens and leather goods. e customerswere right — and so, too, was Montblanc, because thefirst Meisterstück watches, with their stylishly modifiedcorporate design, enjoyed meteoric success. e deepblack hue of the legendary fountain pens reappeared onthe dials of the new watches, and the gleaming gold of thenib, clip and cap banderole shone from the cases, handsand raised Arabic numerals. e typeface used for thenumerals consciously reflects the style of the era when

the first Montblanc writing implements were created.Equally striking and unmistakable was the eternalizingof the brand’s name on the case’s flank. Individual serialnumbers gave customers the feeling that they would beable to strap something truly unique to their wrists. Lastbut not least, the familiar white star adorned the windingand hand-setting crown and the clasps of the handmadeleather straps, or served the practical purpose of acting asa counterweight on the center-mounted seconds hand.

Right from the start, each watch demonstrated lovefor the finest details, the striving toward unconditionalperfection and, naturally, also the endeavor to achieve ahigh degree of recognition. People who treat themselvesto a Montblanc watch also want to unobtrusively showthat time is too precious to be entrusted to just any in-strument with rotating hands for the hours, minutes andseconds.

VERSATILITY FOR ALL OF LIFE’S SITUATIONS Montblanc has also chosen equal rights for both gendersas its maxim. is is evident, for example, in the modelsof the Star Lady collection, which not only offersparkling diamonds, but also contain mechanical move-

Ladies’ watchesfrom the Star(left) and Profilecollections

MONTBLANC CAN BOAST THAT ITHAS MASTERED EVERY VARIETY OFCHRONOGRAPH TECHNOLOGY.

Two popular functionsare combined: the StarChrono GMT

MOTIONLESS HANDS, ROTATING DISKSe allusion to Rieussec, the inventor of the first genuinechronograph, presents itself on the front of the time-piece. No hands turn in the lower half of the dial: instead,two little disks rotate there. e le-hand disk indicatesthe elapsed seconds; the right-hand disk tallies up to 30elapsed minutes. e ordinary time is kept in the upperhalf of the dial, where three hands indicate the hours, theminutes and the date. Horological voyeurs will be de-lighted with hand-wound Caliber MB R110 and itspierced front. e unique disk counters of this chrono-graph, which includes 263 components, recall NicolasMathieu Rieussec, who is credited with the brilliant in-vention of the first time writer 190 years ago in Paris. etechnical specialties of the contemporary device includecleverly meshed gears that significantly reduce wear andminimize energy consumption. Two barrels storeenough power for 72 hours of energy. Aer a sportyweekend in the great outdoors — during which theowner of this precious and strictly limited anniversaryedition with its new, artistically guilloché-embellisheddials may have wisely chosen to keep it in a safe — the 190pieces in red gold, the 90 in white gold and the 25 in plat-inum will all be found merrily ticking, just as if they’dbeen taken along on the excursion.

TIME WRITERS AND WATCHES FOR CONNOISSEURSSuch careful handling would be a downright insult tothe steel, and thus significantly more robust Rieussecchronographs, which also contain the brand’s own Cal-iber MB R200. These watches are designed to accom-pany their wearers, regardless of gender, always andeverywhere — ideally all the way around the globe. Be-cause unlike hand-wound Calibers MB R100 and MBR110, Caliber MB R200 has a practical time-zone indi-cator with two hour hands: the upper one can be conve-niently reset in hourly increments by turning thecrown, while the lower one persistently continues tokeep track of the time in the wearer’s home zone or ref-erence zone. To prevent misunderstandings (and an-noying phone calls in the wee hours of the morning),it’s accompanied by a day-night indicator that informsglobetrotters whether their distant partners are asleepor awake. The date display on the right side of the dialfollows the local time zone’s hour hand. The basemovement corresponds to the MB R100, which meansa balance frequency of four hertz, a single button tostart, stop and return the chronograph’s hand to zero,plus a column wheel and vertical friction coupling inthe chronograph. A central ball-borne rotor conveysenergy to the two mainsprings, which, when fullywound, can store enough power for 72 hours. Like thehand-wound movements, 31-mm-diameter and 8.46-

whether the winding is manual orautomatic, the time writers at Mont-blanc encompass all the varieties ofchronographs. Considering thebroad spectrum, which ranges fromfine steel chronographs with auto-matic Caliber ETA-Valjoux 7750 tothe crème de la crème from Villeret,there is something for everyone. ishas been all the more true since 2008,the 100th anniversary of the signingof the contract that established theSimplo Filler Pen Co. in Hamburg,which became Montblanc. e an-niversary coincided with the debutof an unconventional time writerthat spectacularly paid homage toNicolas-Mathieu Rieussec and hisrotating dials.

Montblanc again upheld theprinciple of diversity in the“Rieussec” of the 21st century,which, in contemporary style, is de-signed to be worn on the wrist. ecustomer has the choice of either amanually wound or automaticallywinding model. Each method for re-plenishing the supply of energy hasits own specific appeal. Commondenominators are the many years ofdevelopment work that culminatedin two different calibers, each ofwhich measures 31 millimeters indiameter. Caliber MB R100 com-bines 286 components and needs at-tention aer about 72 hours — say,aer its owner has spent a longweekend without a wristwatch. Itstwo mainsprings must be reloadedby turning the crown a few times. Alittle “gas gauge” on the back of themovement counteracts the ten-dency to forget. e lucky owners ofthis model will no doubt consult thisdisplay from time to time. Behindthe protective pane of sapphire crys-tal in the back ticks a meticulouslyfinished caliber with a 9.7-mm-di-ameter balance, which has variabletorque and completes 28,800 semi-oscillations each hour beneath itswide bridge. 286 components: Caliber

MB R 100 for the RieussecHand-Wound Chronograph

mm-tall Caliber MB R200 has a 9.7-mm-dia meterscrew balance with a stately moment of inertia of 12mgcm².

Montblanc’s product developers are well aware thatnot all chronograph aficionados are enthusiastic aboutsingle-button control and rotating disks à la Rieussec.Many connoisseurs appreciate the conventional versionwith hands on the dial and two buttons on the case’sright-hand flank. On the other hand, they don’t want tomake do without exclusive mechanisms and the conven-ience of automatic winding. Ever since the SIHH watchsalon in Geneva in 2011, these demanding customershave been able to find what they’re looking for amongMontblanc’s products. e magic formula is called theTimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph. is eye-catchingwristwatch encases a brand-new self-winding manufac-ture movement designated by the alphanumericalmoniker “MB LL100.” is caliber was developed in cooperation with ValFleurier, the highly specialized sis-ter company. Among the attributes of the time-writingadditional function, which should not be taken forgranted nowadays, are energy-saving vertical frictioncoupling and a classical column wheel. Wholly different,innovative and outstanding because it’s intuitively legi-ble: these virtues distinguish the chronograph’s centrallypositioned counter for 60 elapsed minutes. New in the fa-miliar spectrum of Montblanc chronographs is also theoption of zero-return at any desired moment, betterknown as the “flyback” function. Connossieurs will ap-preciate the 24-hour hand with day-night display belowthe “12,” which offers temporal orientation everywherein the world. e philosophy of power reserve through-out a watchless weekend continues in this model, whichboasts a 43-mm-diameter titanium case coated withblack DLC. Sufficient energy for 72 hours, stored in twobarrels, doesn’t only enhance one’s peace of mind — italso ensures a regular moment of inertia and an accord-ingly accurate rate for more than two days. Montblanchas limited the edition of this distinguished black mem-ber of the frill-free TimeWalker line to 300 pieces, so po-tential purchasers would be well advised not to delay. estainless-steel version, on the other hand, is produced inan unlimited number.

TRUST IS GOOD, CONTROL IS BETTER This motto, attributed to Lenin, is also cherished byierry Junod, who has directed the manufacturing sitein Le Locle for over four years. “Quality, quality and morequality” is the slogan of the 38-year-old director, whodoes not come from a watchmaking family. is aca-demically trained economist acquired the qualificationsfor the directorial job in his leisure time, during which hetrained for and passed the examinations leading to a ca-reer as a watchmaker. is is also evident when one tours

clean atelier, compiled a special machine park. Cyclotestwatch-movers with built-in microphones are part of theequipment, as are tried-and-tested Witschi measuringstations. Nothing can escape detection by the “listeners”and the allied electronics. “We individually evaluate eachcurve,” the mechanical engineer explains. “is quicklyreveals any problems or irregularities.” Junod adds, “Ouranalysis mercilessly discloses shortcomings in a watchmovement so we can rectify any flaws and then retest theoptimized product.” Finally, the only watches that leavethe premises are those that, over the course of 23 days,have not deviated from perfect timekeeping by morethan minus-two or plus-six seconds per day.

e extra effort paid for itself in only one year’s time:“e number of MB R200 calibers that have been re-turned to the manufacture can be counted more or lesson the fingers of one hand,” Junod says. “Formerly, with-out this test, things looked quite different, as they do, in-cidentally, for every brand-new movement. It mightsound a bit harsh if I were to call it a nightmare, but theword accurately describes the reality.” Without a doubt,the brand-new automatic Caliber MB LL100, eventhough it has a seconds hand, also undergoes the brand’sown precision tests. e considerably large amount ofadditional effort ultimately pays for itself because itmarkedly increases customer satisfaction.

AT HOME THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Another newcomer, the Star World-Time GMT, has asteel case but no chronograph function. is self-wind-ing timepiece is designed for people who oen makelong-distance telephone calls or who need to keep an eyeon the opening hours of stock exchanges in far-awaycities. By purely mechanical means, its dial depicts thetime in two different time zones. e 12-hour hand,which is continually coupled to the movement, indicatesthe local time, while the smaller hand with the red tip canbe reset in hourly increments. e allied scale, contrast-ingly colored for unmistakable legibility, shows whetherit’s day or night in that distant time zone. An especiallyconvenient feature of this multifunctional timepiece: allits various functions can be controlled through the wind-ing- and hand-setting crown. ese include manualwinding of the automatic movement and resetting theouter hour ring, the 24-hour hand, the date and the time.Montblanc uses reliable automatic Caliber ETA 2893-2as the base movement. e time-zone mechanism wascreated in collaboration with Dubois-Dépraz in the Val-lée de Joux.

A CHRONOGRAPHIC MANIFESTOOne hundred and ninety years of time writers! An eventof this magnitude cannot be allowed to pass without be-ing celebrated by Montblanc, the watch manufacture thathonors the memory of the French watchmaker NicolasMathieu Rieussec. e first highlight came in 2008 withthe creation of the Star Nicolas Rieussec collection withexclusive Calibers MB R100 and MB R200. e greatesthighlight to date followed in 2011. e Nicolas RieussecHorological TimeWriter is an impossible-to-overlookchronographic manifesto and a horological statueerected to honor the great inventor. is table clockmeasures 13 inches in height, 13 inches in width andabout 9 inches in depth. Developed in collaboration withErwin Sattler, the Munich-based clock manufacturer,this mechanical monument weighs a hey 42 poundswhen fully equipped. e timepiece has multiple capa-bilities: first, it’s an unprecedented tabletop chronographwith time-measuring and stopwatch functions. For tech-nical reasons, Montblanc and Sattler opted for two sepa-rate movements. Let’s begin with the chronograph,which, entirely in keeping with Rieussec’s concept, indi-cates elapsed intervals via rotating disks and motionlesshands: rotating hands can be sought, but not found. eteeth on the gold-plated gears are individually and se-quentially milled from solid brass. is time-consumingprocess is followed by meticulous fine processing. ebig barrel transfers its energy to the oscillating and es-capement system, which has a screw balance and a bluedhairspring, via a chain and fusée mechanism. is en-sures an extremely constant flow of force for no fewer

the high-tech atelier, which began operations in 2010and in which all Rieussec models are submitted to a 500-hour test before they embark on the journey that will ul-timately unite them with their future owners. Carefulscrutiny of the chronograph explains why the job of cer-tifying the rate isn’t outsourced to the examiners at theneighboring COSC: the calibers, regardless of whetherthey’re manually or automatically wound, have no sec-onds hands. is absence disqualifies them from partici-pating in the COSC’s tests, but Junod isn’t disconsolateabout it: “Our testing procedure, which involves thecomplete watch, enables us to test much more preciselyand ultimately yields more detailed information aboutthe performance of each individual movement.” echeck runs according to a clearly defined procedure,which takes into account different temperatures, as wellas the various positions of the watch and its behaviorwith the chronograph function switched on and off. elaborious process accurately simulates the conditionsthe watch experiences on its wearer’s wrist. Hence, therequirements are stricter than those specified by theCOSC which, on the one hand, merely observe thewatch’s performance and, on the other hand, measurethe movement’s timekeeping in five standardized positions. For this purpose, Junod and 28-year-oldAlexandre Antoine, who co-direct the scrupulously

ALL RIEUSSEC MODELSMUST PASS AN ELABORATE500-HOUR TEST.

Easy to operate: the StarWorld-Time GMT shows thetime in two different zones.

Thierry Junod hasdirected the manu-facturing facility inLe Locle for morethan four years.

AlexanderSchmiedt is respon-sible for the entirewatch division atMontblanc.

WWW.WATCHTIME.COM

than 360 consecutive hours of powerreserve. Two buttons, positionedoutside the glass dome, control thestart, stop and zero-return func-tions. Incidentally: the zero-returncommand can be triggered while thechronograph is running. e sec-onds disk then instantly resumes itsmotion: this is a so-called “flyback”function.

e extra effort invested in thestopwatch mechanism continues inthe movement that animates thetime display. Fieen days of powerreserve, force conveyed via cam andcable, and the best and most finelyprocessed components: Montblanc

guidance electronics, selectable viaUSB connection, calculate the bestwinding intervals for each of themovements in the device. e bar-rels are automatically rewound untilthey have amassed exactly the rightamount of energy. When this work isdone, the inserted wristwatch stopsin the exactly vertical position. Onthe movement side, the watch-winder is preprogrammed for thewinding cycle of a Nicolas RieussecAutomatic Chronograph.

A dome of mineral glass protectsthis almost monumental-lookingopus technicum. A rechargeable gelbattery in the base provides the elec-trical energy to operate the watch-winder, the elevator mechanism thatlis the glass dome, the LED lightingand the chronograph’s buttons,while simultaneously avoiding theneed for unattractive power cords.

It goes without saying for Mont-blanc that this crowning inventionfrom Le Locle deserves to be deliv-ered along with a specially designedNicolas Rieussec Automatic Chrono-graph, available only in this exclusiveset, with a rose-gold case and CaliberMB R200. e limited edition con-sists of this synthesis of the horologi-cal arts: worldwide, only 19 connois-seurs will be able to adorn theirhomes and wrists with the two time-pieces that together comprise this opulent ensemble.

Many fans of chronographs willno doubt come up empty handed,but they needn’t despair. Instead,they’ll simply have to wait until 2021,when Monsieur Rieussec’s inventionwill celebrate its 200th anniversary.Anyone who is even superficially ac-quainted with Montblanc will nodoubt already suspect that this bi-centennial will not pass without thelaunch of a “crown upon the crown.”

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE What will Montblanc release as itsnext pleasant surprise for fans ofchronographs? e answer remainsa closely guarded secret. Neither

Alexander Schmiedt, who is responsible for the entirewatch department at Montblanc, nor Junod could be per-suaded to make any specific statements about futureplans. Nonetheless, it’s certain that plenty of interestingpieces are in the pipeline. e plans that chief developerGildas Le Doussal and his team already have in theircomputers are more than enough for the coming years.But advance planning is indispensable, because the mi-cromechanical engineer plainly states that “it takes atleast five years from the initial plans to the point where anew chronograph caliber is ready for serial manufactur-ing, especially if one wants to avoid breakdowns aer-wards.” is 40-year-old specialist knows exactly whathe’s talking about, because he can look back upon ahighly diverse career in the watch industry. ETA, Ronda,Ulysse Nardin and Louis Vuitton were a few of therenowned brands for which he worked before he ac-cepted his current job at Montblanc. “Our goal,” he says,“is to gain progressively more control over all develop-mental processes.” e preliminary studies and conceptsare currently worked out in Le Locle before the subse-quent work on the calibers is undertaken in Buttes by

ValFleurier, an affiliated company which operates themachine park for manufacturing plates, bridges, cocksand other components. On the other hand, there are alsothe Montblanc workshops in Villeret, where some of theprototypes are made today. Montblanc plans to give highpriority to investments in this area when the new prem-ises in Le Locle become available. “e machines,” GildasLe Doussal explains, “are the least of our problems. We’remuch more concerned about finding the necessary spe-cialists. Now that the crisis has subsided, the market hasbeen literally swept clean.” is technician views thechronograph as a genuine complication. And he uses thenew Caliber MB LL100 as an example to explain the ex-treme complexity: “Adjusting the flyback mechanismalone took half a year because this feature is far moreelaborate than many people think. Mastering the twocentrally positioned chronograph hands was a real chal-lenge, too.” But this Frenchman loves nothing more thantricky challenges. If that weren’t so, he would never haveaccepted a job at Montblanc: “e Rieussec theme in par-ticular, and chronographs in general, are so exciting thatI’m already looking forward to the coming years.”

Only 19 pieces: the NicolasRieussec HorologicalTimeWriter was developedin collaboration with ErwinSattler

IT TAKES FIVE YEARS TODEVELOP A NEW CHRONO-GRAPH CALIBER.

would settle for nothing less. edial, which is prominently posi-tioned in the center, calls to mind theRieussec wristwatch chronographs.All steel hands are convexly curvedand manually blued. To ensure thatthe extremely long-running powerreserve doesn’t lull the owner intoforgetting to wind this clock, a “gasgauge” serves as a reminder that thekey needs to be inserted to retightenthe mainspring.

e third function of the NicolasRieussec Horological TimeWriter isa winder for self-winding wrist-watches. Here, too, top-qualitymechanisms are used. Intelligent

Opened in 2011: Montblanc's boutique on Orchard Road in Singapore.