Congratulations on the Twins!

Feb 28, 2012,09:42 AM
 

First things first; and I have to congratulate you upon your twins more than anything.  


An interesting watch!  A little surprised to read and see that much force is required to actuate the chronograph buttons.  It seems that the vertical clutch examples I've been in recent contact with also exhibit this large amount of force required (the Patek Philippe 5960P and 5980 both require some force at the pushers).  

The GMT mechanism on this watch does make it more indispensable but I wished it had greater than 30 meter water resistance.  Such a black sports watch implies some military capabilities, but it still functions beautifully as a modern urban timepiece, or even a futuristic one perhaps from the world of TRON.  

Hope to see one in person at my local Montblanc boutique and try it out for myself.  One thing is for certain, the watches from Le Locle are certainly high-tech timepieces; don't see many chronographs with a column wheel and vertical disc clutch from a luxury manufacture at this price range.  

Thank you Mike for the objective review!  Much appreciated.  

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Montblanc Timewalker Twinfly Chronograph: On the wrist review

 
 By: mkt33 : February 26th, 2012-17:16
Montblanc Timewalker Twinfly Chronograph Review by Michael Ting © February 2012 At SIHH 2011, Montblanc unveiled the TwinFly chronograph. This was the first substantive change to the Timewalker model line since its introduction in 2003. Previously Montbla...  

You may want to try

 
 By: japandeals : February 26th, 2012-19:43
a croc deployant strap to keep the twins in place without too much lateral movement- on some of the third party sites you may be able to buy ones that are fluid proof or even a Panerai OEM strap will do the trick. Congratulations on your "acquisition"!

Thanks! :-)

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-17:50
At this point I think I need a croc straight jacket Best, MIke

Excellent review!!

 
 By: monochrome : February 27th, 2012-10:00
Thanx for a great review of a watch that I already like a lot. The new TimeWalker TwinFly GreyTech that was launched this year, is also a lovely timepiece with the same magnificent movement. I'm quite impressed by the movement, caliber MB LL100, and the p... 

Your words are much appreciated Frank

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:15
and you are doing a great job for MB at SIHH too. I will go out on a limb and perhaps get into a bit of hot water for the following comments but afterall this is the PuristS I agree that the caliber LL100 is an incredible achievement for Montblanc. Howeve... 

Indeed

 
 By: monochrome : February 28th, 2012-23:23
The in-house movements are of course created for multiple reasons. First the cat that Swatch/ETA plans to stop delivery. Secondly because this gives the more control over production and they're not depending on a third party. And of course also the name/f... 

This is a MB I really like.

 
 By: foversta : February 27th, 2012-13:06
I also like a lot this version, maybe one of the top watches of SIHH: Thanks a lot for the in-depth review! Fx...  

Same here, Francois Xavier..

 
 By: monochrome : February 27th, 2012-22:37
...  

See...you can see Montblanc but you can't read the date

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:16
There are truly marketing geniuses at Montblanc! Best, MIke

On photos, I like the monochromatic grey version

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:17
better too. Perhaps this is because I have too many all black watches already Thanks for the photo, Mike

Thanx

 
 By: monochrome : February 28th, 2012-23:17
I like both coated version, however slightly prefer the GreyTech that was released this year.

I like this one

 
 By: SJX : February 27th, 2012-18:07
The TimeWalker Twinfly (this one or the grey one) is a good product at a more accessible price point. Plus I very much prefer this design to the Rieussec. Thanks Mike. - SJX

I am opposite

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:23
If I had to choose, I would pick the Rieussec. But either way that is good for MB... Attention to the brand is paramount. If MB can continue to create new successful watch models, the more collectors will be willing to investigate the brand and hopefully ... 

Thanks for the review Mike.

 
 By: RJW : February 28th, 2012-03:08
Too bad its a limited edition. Regards, Richard.

My pleasure Richard (nt)

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:23
.

Congratulations on the Twins!

 
 By: patrick_y : February 28th, 2012-09:42
First things first; and I have to congratulate you upon your twins more than anything. An interesting watch! A little surprised to read and see that much force is required to actuate the chronograph buttons. It seems that the vertical clutch examples I've... 

Thanks Patrick for the nice words. I didn't need as much

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:25
strength to activate the monopusher Rieussec chronograph which also uses a column wheel and vertical clutch. I suspect that this was just something not quick calibrated right with the sample that was loaned to me. Best, Mike

What I found most interesting, Mike, was . . .

 
 By: Dr No : February 28th, 2012-12:25
. . . the contrast of surface finish when compared with the other DLC treated cases and buckles you've reviewed in the past. All of them (to the best of my memory) had shiny, lustrous surfaces, which I took as an inherent quality of the material. Apparent... 

That difference, Art...

 
 By: monochrome : February 28th, 2012-12:31
is because of a different finish of the surface below the DLC coating. If a watch is polished and afterward coated, it becomes shiny. No matter if it's stainless steel or titanium. However polishing titanium is rather difficult, so titanium is usually pol... 

Yes, like the dual carbon coating on the MB sport

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:41
There are actually 2 "polishing" steps during the coating processes. The first after carbon hardens the steel, followed by additional polishing before the final DLC coating Best, Mike...  

Interesting!

 
 By: monochrome : February 28th, 2012-23:05
This means the case is polished, partly by hand, before the hardness treatment. Afterwards, and before the coating, it is cleaned by means of machine and more important chemical. This is to make sure the coating will "stick"

It does have more of a flat finish

 
 By: mkt33 : February 28th, 2012-18:37
see Frank's explanation below. You are right, I've been doing a lot of reviews on coated watches...I never noticed! Probably because I am incredibly rough with my watches that MB sends me the ones that are most "Ting-proof" Best, Mike

Thanks for showing us this Montblanc TimeWalker Twinfly chronograph

 
 By: AnthonyTsai : March 4th, 2012-20:37
It looks like a very interesting watch, and the regular edition stainless steel's $7,500 retail price seems to be a good price for what you get IMO. Regarding the GMT function, it's a shame that you can't read the GMT all the time since the regular time h...