Montblanc's Peak-- The Villeret 1858 Collection unveiling in New York City

On November 18th,  Montblanc hosted a dinner for PuristSPro enthusiasts to showcase the gem of their timepiece segment: the Minerva Villeret 1858 collection.  For a large luxury goods company like Montblanc which usually relies on a semi-industrial manufacturing process, the Villeret timepieces represent a return to the best which traditional watchmaking could offer.

A simple way to highlight the Minerva Villeret difference is to compare these two pictures.  Again, not that one way is better than the other, the processes are just different.

The first is the modernized Montblanc workshop at Le Locle where the Timewalker, Star, and Nicolas Rieussec collections are produced.

 

Here is the Institut Minerva atelier

 

For each Villeret 1858 timepiece, only one watchmaker is involved with its assembly from begining to end.  As a result of this individualized attention to detail, the entire production from this workshop is limited to 250 completed examples per year: a mere 0.25% of Montblanc's total annual watch output!  As our guest Montblanc speaker of the evening declared: " If we ran Minerva Villeret like any other aspect of our business, our bankers would make us shut it down. Luckily, our actions are not dictated by our bankers but by our passion."

To accentuate the old world philosophy behind the creation of these watches,  the staff of Montblanc USA chose a most appropriate venue.  La Grenouille is a well know traditional French restaurant located in Midtown Manhattan, actually right across the street from the USA headquarters of Richemont.

I arrived early and was escorted to the dining room upstairs. This simple doorway betrays the elegant, warm, and magestic surroundings which I was about to enter . 

 

 It is a large double tiered loft, an area once used as a workspace by well-known NYC artists and poets.

 

The memories left behind by these masters (the best known is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) are evident throughout the dinning room.

Augmenting the old world charm was the numerous bouquets of fresh flowers for which La Grenouille is also known for.  These are changed daily and there is even a book published on the various flower arrangements found at the restaurant.  The additional colors and fragrances firmly establishes in my mind that there is nothing more beautiful than mother nature herself.  Is it suprising to hear that this private room is a favorite of Hillary Clinton and where she hosts social events?

 

I arrived early to watch MB staff setting up.  There were gift bags for all the guests.

The main Villeret display was being prepared on the loft.

 

 

 

This was also the area where Florian Broussard, a Villeret watchmaker, set up his bench for demonstrations.

Eventhough this was the first time I've met Florian, he has been extremely helpful during several email exchanges. 
I felt like we have known each other for years and perhaps this is true whenever PuristS meet.

Really when I saw Florian,  I thought I was meeting Heath Ledger's lost sibling. 

Am I the only one to see this resemblance?

     

This balcony was also the area where the PuristS gathered for some champagne, wine, and hors d'oeuvres

Downstairs in the main seating area, the guardian frog sits in charge of the guests surrounding by bottles of excellent wines.

Our guest of honor this evening was Mr. Jean Patrick Schmitz, the CEO of Montblanc North America

The dinner card neatly tucked inside

I must apologize for not taking photos during the actual dinner and event.  As I was seated next to Mr. Schmitz, I felt uncomfortable pulling out the camera and disturbing the intimate atmosphere and the friendly conversations.  Surprisingly, Mr. Schmitz found out that he lived right down the street from the Purist who was seated next to him.  It truly is a small, small world.

I am glad that my friend Adrian was able to capture the spirit of the event with his coverage!  click here

After dinner and a short narrated movie on the Insitut Minerva,  the guests retreated upstairs to view the watches from the Villeret collection

A vintage Minerva stopwatch from the archives made it across the pond as well!  I love the little touches and attention to detail which Montblanc has put into its presentations.  Look closely at the polish cloth... an image of the old Minerva Villeret manufacture is embossed on the front.

Florian brought with him some of the smaller components for close inspection and to demonstrate the subtle differences between the Montblanc Villeret technique and other watches from respected brands.

"extra tourbillon bridges"

 

Where once I got only a chance to marvel at the V-shaped chronograph bridge through a sapphire window

 

Now I had a chance to see this up close and inspect it from all dimensions.  This bridge started out as a stock sheet of german silver.  Notice the three different types of finish:  Cotes de Geneve at top, the mirror polished anglage, and the brushed sides.  The inside surface of the screw hole is polished as well as the non visible underside.

 The swan neck fine adjustment mechanism

 

The balance wheel (not finished to production standards).  Again this is machined from stock material on site within the Villeret manufacture.  I tried to place a screw and failed miserably.

The solid gold and platinum washers used to counter balance the screws

The completely assembled calibers. 

A few of the watches present:

left to right:  the Seconde Grande Authentique (47mm), the Grande Chronographe Email Grand Feu (41mm), and its larger cousin (47mm).  The dials are all created by Stern Cadrans and Florian told me that it takes 20 firings to get the black enamel dial. 

I know everyone was captivated by the Montblanc Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses.  For those of you who thought the global financial depression would adversely affect the ability of collectors to appreciate quality and purchase something as extravagant as this tourbillon, think again.  The limited edition of 16 ( 8 white gold , 8 rose gold ) is sold out.  In fact they have orders for 18 pieces all paid in full.  All this in ONE YEAR. 

 What really caught my eye was the Grande Regulateur Chronographe released just this year which utilizes the first novel movement created by the Minerva Insitut the caliber 16-30.  At 47mm, I was surprised because it didn't feel that much larger compared to the 38mm watch I was wearing.  The dial design is much more subtle than I imagined and the layout is good.  

The chronograph is activated by the co-axial pusher located in the crown. The button located at 10 O'clock advances the blue GMT hand by 1 hour ( the seconds hand continues to run independently so resetting the time is not needed).  The power reserve display utilizing two hands is just cool.

 "If we ran Minerva Villeret like any other aspect of our business, our bankers would make us shut it down. Luckily, our actions are not dictated by our bankers but by our passion." So do I really believe this statement?  Yes, the passion is genuine, the quality is absolutely there. 

However a business is a business and Montblanc has been successful at it since 1906.    A lot of resources were utilized to preserve Minerva and to keep the brand moving upscale.  I am not shocked, nor should my fellow PuristS be shocked, at the level which the Villeret collection is priced at. 

It's worth it in my opinion and that is why I'm saving every penny.  I'm even going to pass on a Rieussec!

My sincerest thanks to the North America Montblanc staff: Mr. Szulc and Ms. Mayo for all the hospitality.  Most importantly to my fellow enthusiasts in attendance, your presence and friendship reaffirms why I enjoy PuristSPro so much.

I hope you enjoyed this brief report and make your way to a nearby Montblanc boutique to see and judge the Villeret collection yourself.

Mike

This message has been edited by mkt33 on 2009-11-24 20:22:21