penfriend
3302
Purchasing that watch you will get really good care
They are absolutely serious with their Villeret line. Also with their artisan fountain pens but you will not find much of those on their website or media as well.
When you purchase, ask for a tour to Villeret. If Bucherer cannot help/handle, I will be happy to put you in contact with the right people.
Lasting impression (and needing your advice): A watch that almost knocked me off my chair...
Dear watch friends, last week I had the delight and honor of being invited to visit Bucherer in Genève (first day) and Girard-Perregaux in La-Chaud-de-Fonds (second day). After an interesting sightseeing tour through the city of Genève and a delicious lun...
What this one has got, but not the GP: an in-house balance spring.
To me, this detail is very appealing for a collector. I don't think that accuracy is a problem with this high level watch. The price? Well, I am sure a discount is in it and at the end of the day, if you can afford it than do ... .
No discount… 😏
Thanks a lot for your reply, Moritz. ☺️ A main point of the movement construction is that the large balance wheel is positioned outside of the tourbillon's rotating cage. It is raised 3.2 mm higher than the dial („Exo" stands for "external"). So the mecha...
Thank you, dear Jon.
But this MB still has to prevail against two wonderful GP neo tourbillons. So I'm still in the decision-making process
if you are worried about value retention I can tell you that Montblanc might not be ideal
" I still find it difficult to accept a 50 percent drop in value just because I just left the shop. What do you think of a brand like Montblanc in this price range?" As a Montblanc owner ( Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours) I can confirm as the valu...
Thanks a lot, Christian, for your
personal opinion. I am not so sure about “traditional watch brands” because this can always change. To hold the value is not the main point. Because if I buy a watch like this I think I wouldn’t want to sell it anyhow. It’s more of this vague feeling of n...
true, you should buy what you like and for less widely known brand like Montblanc
I would try to negotiate a good price 😁just in case as a buffer. But in general beside Rolex, AP and Patek, Journe and some independents everything else tend to lose value. I am talking also about less valuable pieces it is quiet possible that these very ...
One of the top tourbillon
I find this so beautiful. As for the other questions, very personal. I do think montblanc and their minerva villeret pieces (which is their completey handmade division that from what I could find makes 300 pieces per year) is special. I do think collector...
“Resale is starting to stabilize”
My feeling is that the whole market is heating up more and more and brands that are not usually in the focus of attention are also benefiting from it. Thanks for your interesting comment! Cordially Thomas
Some answers / thoughts
As I own nine Villeret pieces at the moment with another one on order I can tell you the following: 1. Resale values have been doing better in the last three years with respect to pieces in the 35-50 kEuro range. Also, the new models sell out rather quick...
Thanks a lot, dear penfriend!
9 and almost 10 Villeret pieces… Wow, I am impressed! If I were to buy this watch, I would do so with the intention of keeping it and not reselling it, either. But it might happen that you are... forced to sell the watch. Nobody can - especially in this d...
I have been interested in a Montblanc but have had a hard time with the idea of spending real money for one, not because of the watches, but because of everything else
My thoughts are overwhelmingly negative so let me make the disclaimer that none of the following has anything to do with the actual product, it is because the product seem so compelling that I really made these considerations: 1. Resale as you mentioned i...
don't want to sound like a fanboy cause everyone can have his opinion
but only because you don't market your product online does not mean you are not serious. Maybe it is rather because you don't need to market it online. I can assure you there is a lot of offline branding going on. Especially your comment on #2 is total no...
I would expect nothing less than all the fanboys in the Montblanc forum :)
Please note, and I said it multiple times knowing fanboys will fanboy, none of my comments had anything to do with the actual watches, engineering, or finishing of the final product and I distinguished the people making the watches from the brand as it's ...
Very interesting thoughts…
I admit that this is one of my insecurities. You can't even find anything published by Montblanc about this watch. All descriptions and further considerations are carried out by various online media. These reviews are all extremely informative and also co...
Purchasing that watch you will get really good care
They are absolutely serious with their Villeret line. Also with their artisan fountain pens but you will not find much of those on their website or media as well. When you purchase, ask for a tour to Villeret. If Bucherer cannot help/handle, I will be hap...
very well said, in this day and age to create a listing of all current and past high-end models
is trivial. It would build confident from past and future buyers with all the watch specs etc. If they want to sell only offline they can add a form "contact a boutique" or just visit your boutique (link to the listing of boutiques) to enquire about this ...
I can understand your point of view
The insight (not logical answer) to 1 and 2 is the following: they also have never marketed their artisan fountain pens on their website (online offline through events, booklets, ...). So to me as a really long-standing fountain pen collector this is no s...
Agree and disagree
Agree the website is terrible. They do have some information on minerva and the special touches here- www.montblanc.com If you contact a boutique they can get you information packet by pdf. I think when many of the editions are 18 or 58 range they...
Thanks for this tip.
I will try to get more information about this watch model from the dealer.
I also don't understand point 2
because they do have a section on the website www.montblanc.com but then don't list past or present models? I agree that this is usually not a good sign. I agree with some of your points and I think that there is some corporate conflict there - so...
On point two and three, Penfriend is, of, course right. I will elaborate on your point one...
GP suffers a lot, too. Some years ago, you could expect to loose some 2 Third of the retail for a Girard Perregaux, which is totally unfair, but this was the reality. As for many other watches from other brands, you loose money on watches. So, Point One i...
Excellent analogy Vlad,
In my subjective opinion, I would go with the 'too cool for school' GP . Cheers, Filip
Ha! 😁
I am after refinement AND coolness. I think the term "coolness" is very flexible and subjective, mon ami. The Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon (this is the full name) is definitely the more "classic" watch but no less "cool" for me. Look at ...
You are right.
I can’t go wrong. But this is a very „important“ decision for me. And it’s about a lot of money… so I don’t want to make a mistake. Like you I am not the greatest tourbillon fan. A tourbillon today horologically doesn’t not really make sense in wrist watc...
not enterely persuaded about technical superiority...
I would wait a bit and see if the watch still speaks to you after trying it a few times. One of the thing I realised (at least for me) is that watches infatuation is a thing. So you might love it very intensively but then, with time, you realise that some...
Service is very good
try to establish the relationship directly with Villeret. You could even ask them to go there for a visit before deciding on that piece. Not sure whether Bucherer can help but it is worth a try. And if not I can help but that would rule Bucherer out in th...
Thank you, dear penfriend,
that helps me a lot. Maybe I'll take up your offer. Anyway, thank you very much! Best Thomas
Thank you very much, that is really very kind!
I'll report as soon as I've finally formed my opinion. 🙏
totally agree on the GP Neo Tourbillon👏
value aside (in my humble opinion many Tourbillon pieces would lose value to some degree) I would feel more comfortable to buy such an expensive watch from a watchmaking company that is here to stay. Montblanc being a big group can simply decide to phase ...
Hahahaha.
You made a point. But I am sure you cannot compare these two pieces. The Villeret and especially it’s movement is a sublime piece of art.
Well, now I follow you curiously.
And how would you rate the movement of the GP Neo Tourbillon in comparison?
To me, the exo-tourbillon is much more beautiful in appearance than regular ones
but I am biased, having one myself. Any other comparison between the MB and the GP just does not work for me as both watches have totally different attitudes. What do you prefer to look at? Aventurine or three bridges, that is the question ...
And also another level of price
if you compare the Suspended Exo Tourbillon with the Exo Tourbillon Rattrapante of our friend penfriend. The Exo Tourbillon Rattrapante costs two and a half times more than the „Suspendu“ and was presented in 2013. The Suspendu was presented in 2021.
well, my latest entry is the best they ever did
and I have no idea what another brand like ALS would charge for that tbh, but surely more
yes, but I was comparing eco-tourb with regular tourb
and I have an ego-tourb ;-) what I prefer
What a fantastic watch, penfriend!!
But I think this is also another league than the Suspended Exo Tourbillon I saw.
more complicated in the caliber
but also the dial is important, one should never forget. and I love the aventurine dial
Interesting…
But how expensive is the processing of the raw material to achieve such a beautiful result? And: part of the dial is in enamel. Best Thomas
Sorry, just realized your last question today…
Isn’t the Tourbillon made by Villeret itself?
I'm still caught in the decision-making process…
Otherwise I would have written to you immediately anyway. ☺️ There are still some insecurities. And there is still my “GP Neo Tourbillon love” which would be the - even more expensive - alternative. I will buy ONE Tourbillon for my collection. Not two. In...
Zero discount strategy is the case with all artisan pieces, whether pens or watches. I would say that is good for value retention
Montblanc delivers fantastic customer experiences. Loads of nice international events in inspiring locations - the offer you got is for sure a great one.