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Montblanc, writing time

Montblanc’s original founder formed the company so as to present the best quality of Europe to the world, which is why the famous emblem incorporates the top of the Mont Blanc mountain and its six valleys. As everyone knows, the brand is world leader in writing instruments and 12 years ago Montblanc decided to diversify into watches because of the synergies behind writing instruments and watches.

“Montblanc is all about craftsmanship, and timeless design, and this is all related to watches,” says Hamdi Chatti, Managing Director of Watches and Jewelry at Montblanc. “With the motto of the company being “Writing time”, the move from writing to watches was a natural progression. Montblanc is a true manufacturer. All the writing instruments are produced, designed, and crafted in Hamburg, which is the birthplace of Montblanc. So for us there was no way of making watches without mastering our own design and manufacturing.”

Montblanc bought a Villa in Le Locle in the heart of the watchmaking world and surrounded the Villa with an atrium where they have now over 100 people designing, creating and crafting their watches, making Montblanc watches an important pillar of the Montblanc brand. But to be a real watch brand you do need to have your own movement and for Montblanc this had to be connected with “Writing time”, which is why Montblanc has a natural affinity towards chronographs (literally, “writers of time”, from the Greek words chronos = time and graphein = write).

Two years ago Richemont and Montblanc took over the Manufacture Minerva, located in Villeret – a very old manufacture with small capacity because everything there is handcrafted and … they are specialized in chronographs. “We call it the artisan shop,” says Chatti. “It is a unique workshop, doing 150 pieces per year fully handmade – just chronographs and tourbillons. Then, one of the brand’s watch collector friends told them about Nicolas Rieussec and his chronograph invention that used an ink drop – in fact, “Writing time.” The patent awarded to Nicolas Rieussec in 1822 describes a timepiece with two rotating discs, on which elapsed times were marked using ink-filled, nib-like pointers.

“Our concept has always been,” says Chatti, “to stay with tradition and if something in modern technology is good you use it – for example, the movement of this unique Only Watch piece has been made using modern technology. The gears within the movement have been calculated with a new, very sophisticated, mathematical module, which reduces friction – but still keeping the spirit of the traditional monopusher chronograph with two turning disks.”

The Only Watch Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph Open Date

Platinum wristwatch with standard time, chronograph, rotating date disc, and power reserve.

The unique platinum Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph Open Date, which Montblanc has presented to Only Watch is based on the spirit of Rieussec’s original chronograph, with two rotating skeleton discs.

In making the watch mechanism an open secret, the two counter discs, the date disc and parts of the dial have extensive cut-out areas through which you have a direct view of the individual wheels and the movement’s main plate (decorated with Geneva stripes). Also visible – among other things – is the chronograph mechanism’s vertical disc clutch, which lies centrally between the three rotating discs for the seconds, minutes and date.

“Made entirely at the Montblanc manufactory at La Locle,” says Montblanc’s technical and development manager, Yannick Renaudet, “you read this watch by its hands that are fixed – it is the dials that turn and so completely change the way of reading the time, and there is a complexity connected with the discs and the linkage of the discs.”

The Montblanc manufacture caliber MBR110 is a hand-wound movement with an excentred time display, a rotating date disc and a chronograph with classical column wheel control featuring an innovative vertical disc clutch. It is operated using a monopusher in the side of the case at 8 o’clock, which is very practical because it ensures that the button is not pushed unintentionally and can be operated with the thumb of the right hand.

Standard time is shown on an off-center calibrated ring with Arabic numerals. This frames a cut-out in the dial in which the skeleton date disc rotates. The current date is shown by a fixed red triangle at 12 o’clock, which points to the date disc. Another very practical feature is quick adjustment of the hour and date when traveling through different time zones.

This can be carried out regardless of the position of the minute hand in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. The movement has two barrels, which generate a 72-hour power reserve. The remaining power reserve is shown on a display at the back of the movement, which can be seen through the sapphire glass cover.

The case, made of platinum with a special finishing and is crowned by a convex sapphire glass with antireflective coating on both sides, while a screw-in, see-through, sapphire glass back provides a view of the aesthetically designed and decorated movement, together with the power reserve display. The watch is manually wound using the solid, knurled crown, which is decorated with an inlaid Montblanc emblem.

 

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For more information contact:
Ita McCobb
Patrizzi & Co Auctioneers SA
Tel +41 22 318 28 38
e-mail i.mccobb@patrizziauction.com

Audrey Baylac
Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies / Monaco Yacht Show
Tel +377 93 10 41 70
e-mail audrey@monacoyachtshow.mc