Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Review

Oct 06, 2008,15:04 PM
 

Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Review

by Anthony Tsai & VL Kong

© October 2008


 

 

History of Montblanc
Montblanc was founded in 1906 at Hamburg, Germany by 3 people from diverse backgrounds - a stationer, an engineer and a banker - solely to manufacture fountain pens.  Initially, the company was named the 'Simplo Filler Pen Company' in 1908.  They focused on producing technically better pens; and in 1909, the improved pen 'Montblanc' was introduced.  The 'Montblanc' name was then registered as a trademark and later used for all their writing instruments.

The iconic 6-pointed white cap logo that represented the snow-covered peak of Montblanc was introduced in 1903.  It symbolized the brand’s commitment to the highest quality and finest European craftsmanship.  After the launch of the legendary Meisterstuck (Masterpiece) 149 writing instrument, Montblanc continued its expansion plan, setting up representatives in 60 different countries.

In 1988, Montblanc was integrated into the Richemont Group; and by 1990, there were 300 boutiques in 70 countries. Then, Montblanc entered the jewelry field in 1996.

In 1997, Montblanc surprised the world by participating in Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) Watch Fair for the first time.  At the same time, it established the Montblanc Montres S.A. in Le Locle (the heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry).



Montblanc Montre S.A., Le Locle  

In 2002, Montblanc introduced the first rectangular 'Profile' watch collection followed by the 'TimeWalker' collection in 2003. 

In 2006, to celebrate Montblanc's 100th anniversary, the Star Chrono GMT Perpetual Calender was launched.

In 2007, another landmark event, Montblanc joined hands with Minerva (founded in 1858) to form "Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie".  The spectacular “Collection Villeret 1858” was launched for the first time at SIHH in April 2007.

On 7 April 2008, the Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Chronographs with Calibers MB R100 and MB R200 were introduced at SIHH.

Rieussec: a name that writes the history of time
The Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph is dedicated to Nicolas Nieussec, a Frenchman who invented the chronograph in 1821.   



Nicolas-Mathieu Rieussec's inking chronograph
(Credit: Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie)
 


It was a wooden case containing a clock movement that drove two rotating dials on the lid.  Above them was a fixed index that left a drop of ink on the rotating dials whenever a button was pushed; and for the first time ever, the device made it possible to record the exact times put up by individual horses at racing events.



Théodore Géricault (September 26, 1791 – January 26, 1824) was an important French painter and lithographer  (Reference: Wikipedia)

The principle used gave the chronograph its name and comes from the Greek: 'chronos' for time and 'graphein' for write, and the two rotating dials provided the inspiration for the design of the new Montblanc Chronograph.  It seems only logical that the first watch movement to be developed by Montblanc, which has established itself as the world's leading manufacturer of top-quality writing instruments, should be one that 'writes time'


Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Review

The Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec that we will review is the limited edition yellow gold version of 75 pieces.  Other precious metal limited editions are available in platinum (25 pieces), white gold (75 pieces), and rose gold (125 pieces). The regular production pieces are offered in stainless steel.

 

Case, Lugs, and Crown

The 43mm polished yellow gold case of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec is elegant, beautiful, well-designed with fluid lines, and exhibits gratifying heft when on-the-wrist.  The bezel is polished as well, and the case is a perfect height (14.7 mm) for a dress watch that easily fits under dress shirt cuffs.



 

The lugs do not protrude straight out but curve downwards.  In addition, the Rieussec case has a well-proportioned lug width in relation to case size which ensures comfort and wearability.

 

The moulded edges of the lugs line up with those of the case band.  These moulded edges increase the visual interest, accentuate the forms and are quite pleasing.  Such attention to minute details by the designers make this case as perfect as it is.



 

The onion crown was deliberately truncated and topped off with a mother-of-pearl Montblanc Star inlay commonly found on the caps of Montblanc pens; it has matching slits to complement and create a uniform look.



 

Manually winding the watch by turning the crown is very easy and not an arduous task.  In some watches, the crown is too small, which makes manually winding the watch for anyone with large fingers a formidable task.  You won’t have this problem with the Rieussec crown.  The winding feels very smooth and there is great feedback since you can hear the ratcheting.

 

The monopusher chronograph button located at 8 o’clock is not adorned with any motifs and is a normal looking rectangular pusher.



 

The case, lugs, and crown are superbly executed and designed, and we did not find anything to improve upon.

 

Dial

We are unsure if it could be described as a true multi-layered dial, but it does have 3 levels and exhibits pleasing visual depth.  The Arabic numerals are not 'standard' but look more like olde worlde script.  Numerals 4 and 8 are partially cut off, and difficulty reading the precise time aroud the 20 and 40 minute markers is an unfortunate result.  Strangely enough, the combination of all these elements along with the chronograph subdial bridge contribute to the fresh and unique look of the Rieussec.  



 

The 2 red rubies on the chronograph sub-counters provide both an unusual complementary and contrasting subtle splash of color to the prominent blue, black, and silver colors on the dial.

 

The Côtes de Genève at the bottom of the dial looks well finished with the exception of a visible blemish directly below the 6th hour numeral.  It looks like two slight indentations and we postulate a slip of tweezer tips by the watchmaker...



 

The two steel chronograph sub-dials with stationary blue chronograph hands and polished yellow gold bridge look like a raging bull staring at the viewer.  The 2 blue screws make up the bull’s snout.  Do you see the resemblance?



 

Hands

There are 6 non-luminous blue hands in this watch – hours, minutes, date, chrono seconds, chrono minutes, and power reserve on the back.  There is no ambiguity with the Rieussec because the hands are of sufficient length to read their registers.  With the combination of the hour hand tickling the Arabic hour numerals, the minute hand barely overlapping the minute railroad track markers, and the distinctive sickle-shaped date hand, the layout of the upper part of the dial for time and date displays is well executed, balanced, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye.



 

Chronograph

The 30-minute chronograph is activated by pushing the monopusher button at 8 o’clock that has a pleasant tactile feedback.  The first press activates the chronograph, second press stops the chronograph, and third press resets the chronograph.  The first press requires the most pressure of the three functions. All the chronograph functions are controlled with a single pusher, hence the term monopusher chronograph.  



 

The chronograph display takes some getting used to because, not only are the chronograph minute and hour hands fixed, you also need to “re-train” your brain to read the number of minutes that have elapsed.

 

“Re-train?” -   The 2 chronograph sub-dials (seconds on left and minutes on right) rotate clockwise, but in order to read the minutes elapsed, one must read counter-clockwise.  Take a look at the video below which should help explain things visually.

Our eyes have been trained to read time by looking at 12 o’clock and then moving clockwise; but with this chronograph, your eyes need to look at 12 o’clock and then move counter-clockwise.  We think the Rieussec design team should have considered how our eyes read time and should have made the sub-dials rotate counter-clockwise.  Then, our eyes can read the chronograph in the 'normal' way.



 

Quick Set Hour

The Rieussec has a quick set hour which is extremely useful for those who travel frequently to different timezones.  There are 3 positions of the crown:
Position 1 – The crown is flush against the case, and turning the crown clockwise winds watch.

Position 2 – Pull the crown out 1 notch, and this position sets the hours and date.  You can set hours and date in both directions without stopping the movement even though the seconds hand hacks when the crown is set to Position 3.

Position 3 – Pull the crown out 2 notches, and you can set minutes, hours, and date in both directions.  The movement stops immediately after you pull out crown to position 3.




Movement and Display Back
This Nicolas Rieussec houses Montblanc’s first proprietary manual wind caliber MB R100 movement (the self-winding version is the MB R200) which was conceived, developed, and manufactured in-house at Le Locle by the Montblanc team.  Incorporated into the MB R100 caliber are twin barrels and a 3 bridge design.  The 3-days (72 hours) power reserve display is located at 12 o’clock with the power reserve markers interestingly etched in the rear bezel, something rarely seen for a power reserve display.



 

 

When manually winding the watch, you do not have to worry about breaking off the winding stem because there is a slipping bridle which is found in automatics watches.  You won’t feel any increased resistance from the crown once at max power.



 

The movement is traditionally finished; and at first glance, you notice the beveling and beautifully applied Côtes de Genève, along with the exposed column wheel and blue screws.  The beveling on the plates and bridges, as it is, looks a little too raw and machine finished.  If you examine the bezeling in the next photograph, you can see each revolution of the cutting tool in the industrial-looking finish of the beveled surface. 


 


Montblanc could have improved the beveling by increasing the spindle RPM's or slowing the advancement of the tool along the bevel edge.

 

In the picture below, you will also notice there is a very sharp transition line of the bevel that once again looks too machine-like.  We really hope that Montblanc kicks it up a notch and hand finishes the beveling in the future.


 

With this specific piece, under intense scrutiny at certain viewing angles, you may notice, even to the naked eye, the Côtes de Genève is not perfectly finished and uneven in two small areas; but nevertheless, Montblanc’s Côtes de Genève finishing seems to be applied better than the norm because the movement seems to radiate and “glow” more than many other brands.  Readers should keep in mind that with today’s digital capture equipment, the ease of macro photography makes finding any finishing flaws relatively easy.



 

There is also perlage applied to the bottom plate (sorry not pictured) but only visible when looking through the balance wheel.  Overall, I prefer the finish on the MB R100 to IWC's finish and seems comparable to JLC's. 

 

Deployant, Strap, and Comfort On Wrist

Let’s now examine the deployant clasp and alligator strap.  The double-fold deployant clasp has a 2 button release clasp mechanism instead of a snap push release.  For those with small wrists (less than 6.75”) we would recommend choosing the short strap because that will ensure the correct deployant clasp position on-the-wrist for better comfort.



 

Despite the Rieussec having a gratifying heft to it, the deployant clasp secures the watch on the wrist so it does not "flop around".

 

It is possible that whoever designed this deployant buckle overlooked the fact that the Montblanc logo is upside down when the watch is strapped on. 


 


 

The underside and inner surfaces of the deployant pin are matte-finished.  Why did Montblanc not polish the undersides to match the rest of the polished deployant clasp and between the deployant release pushers – a strange and insignificant observation. J

 

Montblanc should be commended for choosing this beautiful brown croco strap, with slight contrasting stitching, to match this YG Rieussec – an impeccable combination.

 

 

Final Words

There is no doubt the YG Rieussec is definitely a dress watch, and it felt awkward having the watch strapped to my wrist while dressed casually for sunny California. 

 


 

While this watch represents significant strides for Montblanc in achieving its goal to establish itself as a signficant brand in the high horology segment of the watch market, we encourage them to pursue higher quality control on finishing, and to implement more of the traditional hallmarks of high horology finishing, such as more hand finished anglage. This should drive Montblanc indisputably into the highest levels of watchmaking.  The base is already there, and there is no question Montblanc is now a force to be reckoned with.

 

Having said that, the Nicolas Rieussec definitely has its own unique look, flavor, and design so anyone who is looking for a dress watch with an in-house movement but doesn’t want something common, should take a look at the Rieussec.  It is priced accordingly for a watch with an in-house monopusher chronograph movement.

 

The limited edition versions are only available in precious metals and manual wind while the regular editions are only in steel and are self-winding.  We have not seen the regular production Rieussec pieces, 'in person' yet but if they have the same levels of finishing, owners should get a lot more value for money.

 

[AT note}: As stated before in a previous SIHH 2008 Montblanc report (CLICK HERE ), the Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher was the favorite watch during the entire show; and after having the opportunity to do a wrist 'test drive', I have often caught myself gazing at the dial when waiting for the traffic lights to turn green whilst driving.  Another gauge that I use to measure the enjoyment of a watch is how big my smile is when I strap it on; let me say that my smile was as large as my daughter’s when she’s licking her chocolate ice cream cone.



 

We believe the Nicolas Rieussec will introduce many watch aficionados to the Montblanc brand as it tries to move on from the sole image of a fine writing instruments maker to that of an upcoming watch manufacture, and we can’t wait to see what Montblanc has to offer at SIHH 2009!

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2008-10-08 06:19:25 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2009-04-06 20:05:01



Comments: view entire thread

 

Thanks Anthony

 
 By: SJX : October 6th, 2008-20:45

Counterpoints

 
 By: MTF : October 6th, 2008-21:41
Anthony and Kong, First - thanks for an in-depth review and on-the-wrist test drive. Next - as you mentioned, the power of digital macro photography is too scary for regualr consumers. We are not surprised to find flaws even on pieces by "acknowledged" ma... 

Counter-counterpoints

 
 By: Jos. : October 7th, 2008-03:15

Great review!

 
 By: Peter  : October 7th, 2008-03:07
Thks for sharing

Great Review Anthony, Thanks

 
 By: NJ_Mark : October 7th, 2008-07:33
Do you know if these have been released to the Boutiques yet?

Fantastic review gentlemen.

 
 By: MichaelC : October 7th, 2008-09:11

Thanks a lot for this superb review !

 
 By: foversta : October 7th, 2008-13:32
...  

A mighty dress watch…

 
 By: AndrewD : October 7th, 2008-17:17
Great review, guys. Although the Nicolas Rieussec has the more formal appearance of a dress watch (given the RG case and the fonts used on the dial), saying that a 43x14.7mm watch is a dress watch and that “the case is a perfect height for a dress watch t... 

I agree BUT

 
 By: MTF : October 8th, 2008-01:56
Andrew, I agree that "dress watch" may be a stretch because of the chronograph fucntions irrespective of case size. About size acceptability.......Anthony is a Panerai and AP Offshore fan......so I guess his idea of "dress watch" size may be skewed! Regar... 

I should have put a smiley face in there..

 
 By: AndrewD : October 8th, 2008-04:01
Thanks for your comments, Melvyn. You're right about dress watches and 'complications' of course. Actually the case of this Montblanc chronograph is rather elegantly shaped, and I can forgive Anthony describing it as a "dress watch", particularly if it wa... 

Exactly what MTF said

 
 By: AnthonyTsai : October 8th, 2008-06:20

impressive writeup..

 
 By: rijowysock : October 7th, 2008-19:45

Wow, Anthony, that's what I call a Review!

 
 By: amanico : October 9th, 2008-13:08
Informative, detailed, with very nice pics and a superb text, that's a great work, here.. Congrats to you and Kong! As for the watch, I still don't know what to think. The finish seems ok, the design is not bad, so what does this watch miss??? Legitimity?... 

If MONTBLANC was NOT on the dial?

 
 By: MTF : October 16th, 2008-22:39
What if this watch was presented to you with an established watch brand name on the dial? Would that give it more legitimacy? Interesting "thought experiment"............ Maybe we should review watches without brand names printed on the dial: a bit like b... 

Awesome review! [nt]

 
 By: Davo : February 26th, 2009-04:09