Montblanc

mkt33
[PuristS]
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Asqwerth's review of Montblanc's Complete Calendar watch

In my previous post I mentioned that I had won shopping vouchers to spend at a shopping centre with some nice watch shops. The vouchers are expiring early next year so I was mulling over what to buy. I visited all the watch shops and viewed many watches, finally coming up with a short list of the following:

- the Longines Worldtimer (38.5mm),
- the Zenith Elite Ladies' Ultra Thin Moonphase (33mm) in blue, and
- a watch I didn't expect to like or to fit nicely on my wrist, the 42mm Montblanc Full Calendar.

After much deliberation, I chose the Montblanc Full Calendar.

The blue Zenith has been discontinued, so while I will continue to keep an eye out for one, I went back to my surprise no. 2 favourite. With my vouchers and a discount on the RRP, I paid less for the Montblanc than I did for my Ball EH! So a very satisfactory deal.

It's a beautiful watch, IMO, in a classic/traditional style that isn't found in the rest of my collection. Plus, I now have a watch with moonphase, as well as a date pointer, which I'd always liked on the Oris Big Crown.

The blued hands really glow at certain angles under the light, and I like the detailing on the silver dial. For instance, the bottom half of the moonphase window has part of the Montblanc star (flower?) etched into it. Despite the many functions, the dial is very legible and set out cleanly. There are no numbers half-eaten by any sub-dial or display window, which I know irritates many of you.



As seen in the above pic, the 42mm case does fit within the width of my wrist, and it wears surprisingly smaller than the C60 Trident. Maybe it's the less chunky style without the big bezel. I like to wear my big watches a little loose like a bracelet, where my wrist meets my hand.


The case is fairly slim, which probably helps with it wearing smaller than expected.




The official specs list the case height at 12.17mm, but that includes the curved dome of the sapphire crystal. The case alone is approx 10mm high, as measured with a ruler.




The Day, Month, Moon phase and date functions are each set by a separate inset button found on the 4 "corners" of the case. Quite straightforward. That means the crown is only used for winding and setting the time.

The moon in the moonphase display is a metallic, reflective yellow, so depending on the lighting and viewing angle, the moon will be a cheery yellow, a reflective silver, or not so visible (when it reflects something dark). The pic below shows the moon at maybe 70% cheeriness.

Movement-wise, it's a modified ETA. There's a display back but it's not very decorated. There are Geneva stripes on the rotor, and the surfaces of the movement bridges have an overall swirly brushed finish (not perlage). Screws aren't blued. Quite utilitarian when you consider the front.

initially posted here and reposted with Asqwerth's permission:

http://www.christopherwardforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=21469&hilit=montblanc