Montblanc

Dear all,

I need some honest opinion here between a Montblanc Timewalker Twinfly vs a Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec.

Some context: I have 2 Montblanc watches now. Both white metals, black dials. 

One is the Montblanc Star Worldtime, see below:

The other is the Montblanc Villeret grand feu black enamel (see below).

The Montblanc Star has a Sellita, non in-house movement. The Villeret has a Montblanc Villeret Minerva 13.21 calibre, one of the finest chrono movements around.

So I have 2 out of 3 pillars in Montblanc's watch category - non in-house movement at the base and Montblanc Villeret's Minerva movement at the top.

I lack the middle pillar, an inhouse Le-Locle movement Montblanc watch.

That leaves with me 2 collections to consider. The Nicolas Rieussecs or the Timewalker Twinflys. The problem is both of them are 43mm and a tad big for my small wrist. I made a trip to the boutique today to compare the 2. Here are some pictures and my thoughts.

I start with the Timewalker Twinfly, which is seldom discussed here I noticed.

Initially, I like the Limited Edition Twinfly Greytech but after months of looking at it, I find the Black Dial Twinfly being my favorite now. Here's a picture of the white and black Twinfly. I will only consider the black Twinfly to complete my white metals/black dial trilogy. 

The black Twinfly has a very modern and sporty look, with a nice splash of red (on the chrono minute hands and the tip of the chrono seconds hands) on the black dial. The red has a bright "blood" color and contrasts extremely well on a black dial.

The Twinfly has the in-house MB LL100 movement. Very unique as it has a twin flyback function (both the chrono seconds and min hands have a flyback function), with a GMT function. Pretty well finished LL100 calibre as chronograph with a column wheel. Not the standards of a Montblanc Villeret movement of course but pretty enough to look at and admire with the column wheel, the movement layout and bridge and blued screws. 

Next, I go on to the Nicolas Rieussec. I REALLY love the new Homage to Nicolas Rieussec but I just cannot carry that as it looks too big on me (I am very sure it will sell very well being Limited Edition and at a price only slightly higher than the regular Rieussecs... why is my wrist so small?!!). 

Anyway, to stick to my black dial rule for the trilogy, I have shortlisted a black dial Gen 3 Nicolas Rieussec. I am not a fan of the open hometime or open dates as I find them too cluttered. The Gen 1 looks oldish on me. The Gen 3 black dial is a perfect blend of classic looks with a bit of sportiness.

The day night indicator, with the blue and white adds a very nice contrast on the black dial. Many have said the new Homage's chrono bridge is neater than the usual Nicolas Rieussec's  chrono bridge (which resembles the face of a bull). But here on the black dial Rieussec, I feel the chrono bridge stands out very well against the black dial. The blued screws on the bridge also reflects light very nicely and when coupled with the blue on the day/night indicator, really brings out some blue colors amongst the black dial. 

Compared to the Timewalker Twinfly, it is more classical and I will prefer its design cues. Problem is the lugs extend out more and the watch does not sit as well as the Timewalker on my small wrist (although amongst the Nicolas Rieussecs, this is my best chance as it looks the 'smallest' being black).

What do you think? Is it too big for me?

The movement is the well known MB R210. Personally, I prefer this movement to the Twinfly's. The movement is bigger and fills more of the caseback, it has more "sexy curves", a larger and more visible column wheel (I have a fetish on them) and a very nicely sized and positioned balance wheel.

Looks wise (dial and movement both), I prefer the Nicolas Rieussec. I prefer classic watches so that's the main reason why. It is also more iconic than the Timewalker imho. It is more expensive than the Twinfly, which has a value hard to beat. The big problem is I still find the Nicolas Rieussec a tad too big for me.

The Twinfly on the other hand fits my wrist much nicer. It can also diversify my collection with a more contemporary look (I have too many classical watches).

It also has tremendous value, being 30% lower in price than the Gen 3 Nicolas Rieussec. To be fair, it also looks very nice and sporty.

One of these 2 can complete my black and white metal Montblanc watch trilogy... isn't Black and White Montblanc's colors?

Which will you recommend for me?

And if it were you, will you choose the Twinfly or the Nicolas Rieussec collection (any variants, not just black dials).

cheers

robin

More posts: CalibresCollection VilleretGreyTechHomage to Nicolas Rieussec MB LL100MB R210Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec CollectionMontblanc TimeWalker CollectionNicolas Rieussec Chronograph AutomaticNicolas Rieussec CollectionTimeWalker CollectionTimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph GreyTech

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