Jrwong23 (aka watchthebin) continues his in-depth review of the Montblanc 1858 Tachymeter Chronograph Steel with blue dial, focusing on the exceptional Minerva monopusher chronograph calibre 16.29. He emphasizes that the movement's traditional craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal were the primary motivators for his acquisition. This post also highlights the watch's growing status as a 'community watch' among PuristS.
Last week, we saw quite a few PuristS share live pictures of the Montblanc 1858
Tachymeter Chronograph on our Montblanc forum, including a new owner, M4, who
just received his watch! I know that very soon another Purist will be receiving
his, and I very much look forward to his incoming post. Never before has a
Montblanc watch become a community watch on this forum - but now the 1858
Tachymeter Chronograph in steel or red gold is becoming our first Montblanc
community watch here!
In
part two of my review of this watch, I will be focusing on the Montblanc
Villeret monopusher chronograph calibre 16.29, as well as some features of the
1858 Tachymeter Chronograph steel version (the red gold version has mostly the
same features except the case material and the dial and lume colors).
We
have seen many pictures of the blue dial on the 1858 Tachymeter steel edition —
how it plays with light, the subtle sunburst effect, and more recently, the
lume of the hour markers and cathedral hands. The last came via a picture
shared by fellow Purist Alex 007.
The
entire 1858 collection pays tribute to the year the Minerva manufacture started
operations. What is the best way to achieve this? It’s to have the most
beautiful, traditionally-crafted Minerva monopusher chronograph calibre
available power this watch!
The
calibre 16.29 is THE REASON why I purchased this watch.
A
macro shot of the calibre 16.29 on my Montblanc 1858 Tachymeter Chronograph
The
Montblanc Villeret calibre MB M16.29 is inspired by the original caliber 17.29
made by Minerva for wristwatches & pocket watches since the 1930s. The
illustration below shows a comparison between the vintage and modern calibres.
Of
course, the Minerva in the old days was not a haute horology brand and hence
the finishing of the calibre was industrial. The traditional horizontal disc
clutch architecture of the chronograph movement, the large V-bridge and slow
oscillating balance wheel are still very appealing to me, even with an
industrial level of finishing. With the calibre 16.2, we have the same
traditional architecture but with much more attention given to the finishing of
the movement including high-end techniques such as Côtes de Genève” patterning and sublime bevelling, use of
gold chatons, rhodium-plated german silver chronograph bridges, the
highly-finished Minerva arrow (which many of us adore), etc.
I
will share some more macro shots from my watch here.
I love column wheels and here is a highly polished one on the calibre 16.29. The column wheel on this calibre will be even more attractive if it were larger, as it looks quite small proportionately to the super-large balance wheel and V-bridge.
One
of my favourite features of high end watches is a large and slow oscillating
balance wheel. This calibre 16.29’s balance wheel, crafted in-house at the
Montblanc Villeret manufacture, with in-house manufactured hairspring (counted
and regulated by hand), is my favorite in my collection.
Another
shot of the V-bridge with gold chatons, highly polished screws and gears.
The
picture below shows the architecture of the vintage calibre 17.29.
And here is a picture with the technical specifications of the modern calibre 16.29.
Do
you think the calibre 16.29 is a worthy successor? Personally, I definitely
think so.
I had
shared this video before of the oscillating balance wheel. Here is a recap:
On
the dial, we all appreciate the beauty of the blue sunburst dial on our recent
posts here on PuristSPro’s Montblanc forum. It was good that Alex 007 revealed
the power of its luminous detailing, a feature I didn’t appreciate until his
sharing. There is another feature we seldom discuss, i.e. the Tachymeter
function.
The
tachymeter scale on the outer periphery of the dial facilitates the
computing of speed. Multiplying the value shown on the tachymeter scale via the
second hand by the measured distance results in the correct speed. For example,
if 1 kilometer is travelled in 30 seconds, multiplying the corresponding
tachymeter value of 120 by the distance of 1 km equals a speed of 120 km/h.
This works for miles too, for those few who still use that archaic unit (which
was more popular in 1858).
Ok,
I know most of us won’t be using the Tachymeter but to me, it is another of
those old school charms we have in chronographs which I find fascinating
especially as this is my first watch with a tachymeter scale.
Finally,
I would like to share one more feature of this watch, which may not be
important to everyone but it is to me. All Montblanc 1858 Tachymeter
Chronographs will go through Montblanc’s 500 hour laboratory test and each
watch will have its individual certificate.
Here
is mine.
Here
is a video on Montblanc’s Youtube channel on their 500 hour test.
Maybe
I am a geek but I really appreciate my watch having gone through such a rigour
and awarded a certificate to prove it. A fine detail and luxury if you ask me.
Hope
you have enjoyed this two part post on the 1858 Tachymeter Chronograph.
To
conclude, here are two pictures from the manufacture, on the hand finishing and
assembly of the calibre 16.29.
For
more details on this watch, you can refer to Montblanc’s website at:
And
the 1858 collection at:
Cheers
robin
