Reaching for the stars before Villeret - the Montblanc Star Chrono GMT Perpetual Calendar
Montblanc itself - in spite of being 111 years old - is a fairly new hand at watch making. At least if you consider the original operation, prior to acquiring Minerva in 2006 (which dates back to 1858). The history started in 1997 and about 10 years later...
Glad you found it interesting, Alkiro!
Was by chance that I came across it - but then that's what our hobby is often like, I guess
one of the most interesting part of that particular watch is the patented crown locking mechanism
(US patent # 7404669B2). It allows the owner to have two fold control function with the crown in the same axial position making it possible, for instance, to control a timezone function when the crown is rotated in the first direction, and a date setting ...
Thanks for adding this detail, Mike!
Was not aware of it. Would you happen to also know who provided the movement for the watch? Have a great Sunday!
The common suspect ....
.... would be one of the huge variety of Dubois-Dépraz calendar moduls atop a 7750. Marcus
Thanks Marcus!
A modular movement appears logical, given the thickness. I unfortunately did not take a movement shot to have one of you pinpoint the origin... Will check if the seller still has it, and try and take a shot
Thx for this interesting read !.. Very nice pics as well. !.. So do I read you correctly, it is..
.. a rather new arrival for you or has it been yours & in your stable for a while ? If yes, pls bring it along next time we meet ! All Best, hs
Actually...
Not quite. It’s something I discovered in a watch shop recently and then decided to investigate, as I found nothing on it here I can give you a hint where it can be found, though. I guess personally I‘d be more likely to go for an 1858 Tachymeter, even if...
Let’s change the approach then...
We can meet for a drink when you return from the warmth of where you are now and have a look at it together beforehand
I was looking for a perpetual calendar watch in 2008
I think a watch buddy and I looked at this in Singapore when we both were looking for perpetual calendar watches. He was almost tempted because it is pretty and the price was reasonable. [This chap thinks A. Lange & Söhne Lange 31 and Zeitwerk are nor...
You are the third person here...
Who seems to have seen this one live Quite a rare bird and not nearly as well known as their Villeret pieces from the subsequent years. Could be that as we did not cover the brand back then...
We did not carry smartphones with cameras in those days
Well...we carried Blackberry but the camera resolution in those was inconsequential. Also, I lived in Singapore then and nearly every type of watch can be found there. Regards, MTF
That’s true :)
Seeing the offer in Singapore for the first time is quite overwhelming. Feels like there are as many watch stores there as there are in all of Europe