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Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Limited Edition
The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Limited Edition for fashiontourbillon.com combines the best of vintage and modern watchmaking, taking inspiration from the no-nonsense cases, black dials with bright lume, and best-in-class movements of the 1920s and ’30s Minerva chronographs that it is paying homage to, and ushering those features into the modern era. Just 25 pieces have been made, and each purchase comes with an all-expense-paid trip to accompany fashiontourbillon.com on a visit to Montblanc in Villeret.
Minerva traces its origins back to H&C Robert Company, founded by two brothers in Villeret in 1858. The company assembled pocket watches using components manufactured in the surrounding Jura Mountains for 50 years before beginning to make its own chronograph and stopwatch movements in 1908, and ultimately renaming the company to Minerva in 1923. Over the following two decades, Minerva introduced several now-legendary calibers, including the 13-20. Minerva survived the Quartz Crisis thanks to the strength of its movement production – the manufacturer continued to make top-notch calibers completely in-house – and was acquired by the Richemont Group in 2006. Today, the Minerva workshop sits under Montblanc, and produces interesting tourbillons, unusual complications, and the top-tier chronograph movements for which its always been known.
The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Limited Edition for fashiontourbillon.com draws on the history, quality, and unique style developed over the course of Minerva’s more than 160 years of uninterrupted operations. We elected to use a 40mm stainless-steel case with a slim, sloped bezel and box-shaped sapphire crystal to maximize legibility and comfort. The black dial is complemented by large Arabic numerals and a tachymeter track; the Arabic numerals and pencil-style hands are lumed in a rich cream color that subtly recalls the hue of aged radium without feeling over the top. The matte sub-dials – one for running seconds and one a 30-second totalizer for the chronograph – are slightly recessed and offer a lovely contrast to the rest of the dial.
The dial features an extra signature at six o’clock that reads “Calibre MB M13.21” – this refers to the exceptional movement inside, visible through the sapphire caseback. The MB M13.21 is a modern interpretation of an early 20th century chronograph caliber, and is undoubtedly one of the best chronograph movements produced today. It has a column wheel and lateral clutch; the bridges are made of rhodium-plated German silver, and there’s a signature arrow-shaped tail on the column wheel lever. Every component is finished to the highest level, with chamfered edges highlighting both grained and polished surfaces, and everything except the jewels and a few of the screws is made and assembled in Villeret – including the balance spring, one of the toughest components to make.
Each purchase includes a special three-day trip to Le Locle and Villeret hosted by a few members of the fashiontourbillon.com team. The trip will take place in February 2020 and will offer an inside look at the Montblanc manufacture not available to the general public.
The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Limited Edition for fashiontourbillon.com is a limited edition of just 25 individually numbered pieces, and is available in the fashiontourbillon.com Shop and at select Montblanc boutiques. Each watch features a special engraving on the caseback, and is accompanied by a brown alligator strap and fashiontourbillon.com Bedford Strap in Olive Green.
Minerva was founded by two brothers in Villeret in 1858, and began by assembling pocket watches using components manufactured in the surrounding Jura Mountains before beginning to make its own chronograph and stopwatch movements in 1908. The company was renamed to Minerva in 1923, and over the next two decades, introduced several now-legendary calibers, including the 13-20. Minerva was acquired by the Richemont Group in 2006, and today sits under Montblanc, producing interesting tourbillons, unusual complications, and the top-tier chronograph movements for which its always been known.
