Montblanc - Passion

Passion

Why are you saying that Jean-Jacques Frey didn't have the passion to continue his family's business?

Have you read the interview on Timezone from 1998? Have you read what Jean-Jacques Frey wrote on the Timezone Minerva forum about the sale to Emilio Gnutti, or what he wrote a month after he left Minerva?

Have you ever met or been in touch with André or Jean-Jacques Frey?

My watchmaker met both André and Jean-Jacques Frey in Basel in 1998. Many Minerva collectors got in touch with them, either personally, by phone or by letter. They were all met by a great passion and enthusiasm for watchmaking and the Minerva brand, by both André and Jean-Jacques Frey!

I wrote to Minerva after I bought the Pythagore and I received a very personal letter from Jean-Jacques Frey. The letter was sent a week before the he left Minerva. He also sent me the Minerva catalogue, with a personal regard from André Frey under a drawing of the calibre 48 movement.

Jean-Jacques Frey had no intention to leave Minerva. When he sold to Emilio Gnutti, the agreement was that he should continue as Managing Director for Minerva. Mr. Gnutti sent Guiseppe Menaldo to Villeret to get an overview of what he had bought. Two month after the sale, the Frey’s were told by Menaldo that “the cooperation of the Frey’s was no longer requested”. Jean-Jacques Frey wrote on the Minerva forum: “I got quickly the feeling that he “wanted my skin” – was may name Trosky in anther life…?” He described the conflict as a radical cultural difference between the Swiss and the Italians.

After the Frey’s left Minerva, the Minerva collectors were met by a wall of silence from Minerva and the Italian owners, no information at all! They didn’t answer phones, letters or mails. A lot of bad things were written about them on the forum, they never answered anything, and they even tried to close down the Minerva Forum. The Frey’s got all the sympathy.

In Magnus Bosse’s review and interview with Guiseppe Menaldo you find a very different story about what happened. Menaldo told a lot of bullshit in this interview!

Btw: Jean-Jacques Frey was involved in the establishment of a new watchbrand called Hora in 2004.

Best regards

Livius

💰14 Marketplace Listings for Minerva›Minerva Pythagore · 1 for sale · 177 discussions›

Manufacture Minerva …

By: AndrewD : September 15th, 2009-20:16

We all recognise that we pay for the finish of our haute horlogerie pieces and, relatively speaking, the more hand finishing the more we expect to pay. Minerva was always considered a ‘value for money’ brand; not high horology, but good design with finish...

Bon092 has a Minerva chronograph from the . . .

By: Dr No : September 16th, 2009-08:39

. . . period after the company was sold by the Freys to a private investment firm, and before it changed hands again to Richemont . . . I was able to view Minervas from this intermediate period once about four years ago, and was impressed with the level o...

Thanks Art

By: bon092 : September 19th, 2009-09:28

Yes, Indeed this Cal 13-20 Chrono is really a beauty and was assembled from new and old parts. It still performs flawless and the pushing chrono buttons is feeling as soft as butter. Regards Wim...

Significant changes were made

By: mkt33 : September 16th, 2009-09:40

Hi Andrew, great question! I don't think anyone realized how "defunct" Minerva was during the last days of the 1990's before it changed hands. "Minerva was always considered a ‘value for money’ brand; not high horology, but good design with finishing wher...

Thanks for your detailed answer, Mike.

By: AndrewD : September 16th, 2009-16:41

Very interesting history and progression of the company. It seems to be both an iterative process with jumps in quality when the ‘Italian investment group’ and later Richemont took over as well as continuous improvement under the guidance of M...

Yes, I do

By: Meehna : September 17th, 2009-06:16

Hi Mike, I'd like one. Were you offering? m

Minerva Pythagore

By: deBalzac : September 17th, 2009-13:24

The Minerva Pythagore was never a high end watch, and Minerva never clamed it to be. When I compare the Minerva with my Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Taille, the quality of case, dial and hands are similar! The JLC has a much better movement, but it was ...

deBalzac, my post is in reply to Andrew's request to understand the

By: mkt33 : September 17th, 2009-17:47

transition between the Minerva of the 1990s to now. It is in no way meant to degrade your watch nor those which Minerva produced in the 1990s. I've owned several. They are fine timepieces and I am glad you enjoy yours, I've enjoyed mine and I continue to ...

Minerva

By: deBalzac : September 18th, 2009-07:02

Minerva was an old factory with old and worn production equipment. They needed new capital to upgrade the factory and to develop new models, this was the main reason for the sale to Emilio Gnutti. The Italians turned Minerva to a very expensive, high end ...

Yes, now at least 20x

By: mkt33 : September 18th, 2009-15:34

but the watch market was quite different in 1999, thankfully it is beginning to have some sense again. But this is our passion, our hobby. The other reason why Frey sold was he didn't have the passion to continue his family's business. He had other passio...

Passion

By: deBalzac : September 19th, 2009-05:11

Why are you saying that Jean-Jacques Frey didn't have the passion to continue his family's business? Have you read the interview on Timezone from 1998? Have you read what Jean-Jacques Frey wrote on the Timezone Minerva forum about the sale to Emilio Gnutt...

Livius, you obviously have a lot of passion for Minerva

By: mkt33 : September 19th, 2009-12:06

Peace brother, let's just let old Minerva be where it belongs. Minerva is in a whole new chapter now. I truly believe all Minerva enthusiasts should be happy where the current brand is...the history continues, the manufacture updated, and the past preserv...

Passion II

By: deBalzac : September 19th, 2009-16:04

Yes, I have a passion for Minerva, but I also bought a JLC five years ago. I bought the JLC because I wanted a watch with a high quality movement, something the Minerva didn’t have. For what I paid for the Minerva, I don’t think that the quali...

Excellent post, Mike. And to think...

By: BDLJ : September 17th, 2009-23:56

..that they used to use those old machines as examples of their historical roots. Contrast with the new spotless workbenches.....I know which one impresses me.

Thanks …

By: AndrewD : September 19th, 2009-17:00

Very interesting perspectives on a tumultuous period in Minerva history. You have all given some great information and personal opinions on the changes at Minerva and it is much appreciated. Thankfully the Minerva Forum, despite being closed, is available...