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 smile 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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What a great watch, I handled a Rattrapante last week...

 
 By: RayStantzPhD : June 18th, 2022-19:49
... they are marvelous, MB has any right to be proud. And you as an owner too, of course!

A very special MB indeed!

 
 By: KCLQMULKU : June 18th, 2022-20:26

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.

Completely agree!

 
 By: als1678 : June 19th, 2022-02:43

All the Villeret pieces are winners!

 
 By: patrick_y : June 18th, 2022-21:01
What an exquisite piece of horology!

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... 

Amazing chrono! Unique with lots of character

 
 By: Chronometer (aka yacomino) : June 18th, 2022-22:41

Thank you, and thank you for the wonderful review you did!

 
 By: als1678 : June 19th, 2022-02:49
This watch went a bit under the radar but it is also for me one of the best releases of the year. And after a few days on the wrist I am even more impressed than I expected.

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... 

You are right, but it is also clear why they folded Minerva into MB at the time.

 
 By: als1678 : June 19th, 2022-02:56
They wanted to elevate the whole brand while expanding into watchmaking. In their defense they really didn't compromise on the quality nor massively expanded production at Villeret. For me that's the most important thing. Also they decided to avoid pushin... 

imho the assessment of the brand has changed massively over the last 5 years

 
 By: penfriend : June 19th, 2022-12:54
Villeret / Minerva allocations are much harder to get nowadays - there are private collectors and international ADs who are eagerly ordering all new editions. There is nearly no time for consideration when they present the new pieces to me (like 2-3 days)... 

Top notch

 
 By: TeutonicCarFan : June 19th, 2022-01:48
Glad to see one in the wild!

The dial execution is excellent

 
 By: MiguelFlash : June 19th, 2022-13:06
A beautiful watch!