Montblanc SIHH 2014 New Releases Overview — WatchProSite Forum Digest

Ornatus-Mundi · 2014-02-09T10:53:51Z

Montblanc at SIHH 2014: Discover the brand's shift to serious watchmaking, new Heritage, TimeWalker, and Nicolas Rieussec collections, plus Villeret innovations.

Ornatus-Mundi

WPS member · Montblanc forum

32 replies16207 views1 photos

Ornatus-Mundi's report from SIHH 2014 highlights Montblanc's significant shift towards serious watchmaking, moving beyond lifestyle branding. The author details the brand's renewed focus on horological substance, showcasing key collections and the strategic decisions driving this evolution.

32 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

Let´s start with something good. Montblanc convinced with a strong statement in serious watchmaking and no we don´t speak about Haute Horlogerie this time. Their whole booth at SIHH was dedicated to watchmaking and showed mainly working people from the watch industry in their surroundings. Totally different to what it used to look in the past – less life-style and less art. We heard lots of praises even from very senior members of the industry.

Show only? No, not at all. To understand what was really going on we had the great pleasure to spent some time with Jerome Lambert, Alexander Schmiedt, a watchmaker … and of course some watches. We tried to listen, to ask and to look carefully and have been pleased to say the least.
The novelties shown have been developed/decided/finetuned in the last five months. Each detail (hands, indexes, cases, crowns …) has been discussed again and again. Some things have been kept; some things have been changed – sometimes several times. Everything had to fit the new approach. Quite challenging you may say. Yes, indeed and for sure a lot of work. In fact it was just possible because of the strong assets available at Montblanc, the new alignment and highly motivated people.
Quite a few pieces/complications are missing in the collections, at least at the moment. Mr. Lambert said it very clear that he will focus on this instead of offering new variants. It should be very interesting which kind of movements we will see in the (near?!) future.

Key Points from the Discussion

The Montblanc Heritage Collection, particularly the Perpetual Calendar, was a major highlight of SIHH 2014, exemplifying traditional Swiss watchmaking with details like dauphine hands, bombé dials, and differentiated case finishes.
The TimeWalker Collection, launched in 2004, continues to define a distinct design vocabulary with its architectonic lines, 43mm case, and skeletonized horns, maintaining its appeal a decade later.
The Nicolas Rieussec Collection, inspired by the 1821 chronograph, features an iconic display with two rotating discs. The 2014 'Homage to Nicolas Rieussec' chronograph in steel or red gold offers a charming and historically resonant new version.
The Twin Moonphase, a 42mm timepiece in the classic Montblanc collection, features an exclusive complication displaying moon phases for both Northern and Southern hemispheres, along with the moon's age.
Montblanc's Villeret 1858 collection, despite rumors, showed a strong sign of new life with the preview of the Villeret Chronographe Rattrapante Tourbillon, indicating continued high-end watchmaking.
Montblanc's rapid development of new product lines like the Meisterstuck Heritage collection within six months, coupled with their intent to share watchmaking passion across all price points, demonstrates their readiness to scale up in the industry.

The Discussion

Ornatus-Mundi

Feb 8, 2014

Montblanc Meisterstück Heritage Collection

The talk of the show was not only the booth, it was the Heritage Collection and in specific the Perpetual Calendar. More on this later. The collection exemplifies the traditional characteristics of fine Swiss matchmaking - in every detail. The time is shown by facetted hands of classic dauphine shape on bombé, silvery white dials finished with a soleil motif. The chapter ring comprises polished applique markers of three different lengths, also facetted in shape. The surface finishes, like the ho

amanico

Feb 9, 2014

Superb work, Magnus. Very nice global presentation. [nt]

jrwong23 (aka watchthebin)

Feb 9, 2014

Can't wait to see this Meisterstuck Heritage collection!

Thank you Magnus for your great post! I am getting more interested in the Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar. The bi-color of steel case and rose gold indices/hands (esp plated) affects me a bit as I would have preferred just steel or blued steel hands and silver indices. But the red gold piece at 1.7x the premium of the steel version sounds like great value to me. Maybe the bi-color effect is not bad. From your pictures of the various Heritage collections, I am starting to get warmed to t

Ornatus-Mundi

Feb 11, 2014

Bi-colour seems to be rising again...

if you look at other major brands including Patek and - yes - Rolex! Best, Magnus

Ornatus-Mundi

Feb 8, 2014

Montblanc TimeWalker Collection

With the debut of the TimeWalker Collection in 2004, Montblanc launched a new family of watches and simultaneously defined a new design vocabulary. The Extreme Chronograph ´s DLC (regular and special edition; the two watches above on the left) features include architectonic lines, 43-millimetre case, narrow bezel and elegantly skeletonised horns, plus a large, planar dial with Arabic numerals in a distinctive, clearly contoured typography and characteristic lancet-shaped hands. This innovative l

foversta

Feb 9, 2014

So Magnus, the price is a pro or a con?

Do you mean that the price is high (con) but rather reasonnable due to the horological contents of the watch (pro)? ;) For me, this chronograph was the most interesting Montblanc watch of the year. Thanks! Fx

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Montblanc forum with 32 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →