als1678
876
An outstanding chronograph, the quality feel and the attention to detail is just on another level.
Jun 18, 2022,19:43 PM

I had to catch up on various heated discussions on Minerva as MB, lack of marketing etc, value retention etc
So few very personal opinions.
I think it is time to move on on the branding and focus on the watches. Right or wrong a decision was made to not use the Minerva brand. MB or Minerva - the villeret line watched are extremely low production, largely hand made / finished, truly high end pieces. Yes, they can stand up to Lange or PP - no question about it.
They have made the decision to market them in a very under the radar way. Because of the small production, because they are looking for a personal relationship with the collectors and are focusing on the long term. But as others pointed out - MB is dead serious about the line and super proud of their manufacturing capabilities at Villeret.
As a result of that approach virtually no pieces are getting into the gray market, collectors who can see the attention to detail and experience the watches in person are very unlikely to sell them. The watch market as a whole goes through ups and downs, but having that in mind - the villeret line is only getting better and better in terms of value retention.
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Yes, the MB Minerva line..
By: jp884 : June 18th, 2022-20:50
Is for true connoisseurs of high horology not the ones seeking the hype. Their finishing is on par with watches commanding 2-3x in comparison to what you pay for a MB. And like you said, few are made and few are seen on the grey market.
Nice watch!!
By: Thomas_3 : June 18th, 2022-21:53
Love Mont Blanc, anything and everything.
Congratulations
By: penfriend : June 18th, 2022-22:14
As a long term fan of the brand I can only concur to your opinion
very kind, thank you
By: penfriend : June 19th, 2022-12:49
and if would not have received an allocation for the LE18 unveiled secret this red arrow would have been my choice from this years w&w. Enjoy it thoroughly!
The unveiled secret - a masterpiece, especially the lime gold version!
By: als1678 : June 19th, 2022-15:23
I was very tempted, but at the end decided that I needed a "casual" villeret, also I already have a Moritz Grossman backpage which is kind of a similar concept ... In any case - congratulations on getting the unveiled secret, really looking forward to you...
Still.. it would have helped if..
By: chintu : June 19th, 2022-01:46
They had created the Minerva line as a distinct sub-brand for better identity and recognition of these fantastic calibers. Similar to the Toyota and the Lexus categories Grand Seiko also suffers from an identity crisis as it is not very differentiated fro...
Top notch
By: TeutonicCarFan : June 19th, 2022-01:48
Glad to see one in the wild!