Tick Talk
[Moderator Emeritus]
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The breakdown
4 hours – winding performance.
80 hours – accuracy in all positions; -6.0 to +4.0 required (COSC standard).
336 hours – "Cyclotest" (14 continuous days); simulates real-life wear including wrist motions and laying overnight. For chronographs, two cycles are run; one with chrono running and one with chrono off.
80 hours – General performance; includes instantaneous rate (not average as per COSC) in positions and temperatures, functions in all positions, power reserve, date switching, additional complications, push-piece function.
2 hours – Watertightness; using new water-resistance standard NIHS 92-20, version 2010.
Total - 502 hours
Kudos to MB for describing the process. Oddly, I haven't found this level of detail for the JLC Master Control 1000 Hours testing...can anyone help with this?
Montblanc's 500 hour testing certificate...now for all watches?
A few months ago I wrote: "2% of all watches are pulled randomly out of production and tested in various manners for 500 hours" Imagine my surprise to learn, from Montblanc's website, that the testing protocol is now being expanded to include EVERY Montbl...
Wonderful news!
So glad to see Montblanc contimuing to make efforts to establish the brand.
Mike, is this a continuous 500 hour testing?
If yes, will it cause immediate wear and tear on the parts even before the watch is delivered? Regards Ling
The testing program is in several phases
over the 500 hour duration so I guess by definition a single watch is not tested continuously because at some point one test will be terminated and the watch examined and then moved on to the next. But, according to MB, each watch will be tested for almos...
Not much
Thinking about it, its only the equivalent of 42 days on my watch winder, which operates 8 hrs on/8 hrs off. Like marcelo, I'm very interest in why, when they mapped out this marketing strategy, did they not go up to 1000 hrs or more, as the comparison wi...
Thanks :-) Additionally...
re the concerns about buying a worn-out movement; back in the day, boxed marine chronometers were routinely "run-in" for months before being sold. Also back in the day, ie before COSC, Observatory testing was considered the mark of a reliable timepiece. T...
Good news!
Mr. Jerome Lambert is seriously bringing spirit of JLC into his new job! hope Montblanc would step upward!
I immediately had JLC in mind, when I read your title, Mike.
A good thing it will be able to communicate on all the serious of the brand, the tests, the rssistance of their watches, and so on. Thanks for the information. Best, Nicolas
I hope we can get a detailed explanation of the complete testing protocol soon
Like JLC. If MB will actually keep these type of detailed records and provide owners with a copy that would be spectactular! BEst, Mike ...
Mike, you mentioned a certificate but
I can't find any info on such a document. What have you heard from MB? I had no luck with their website...
No replies yet from MB. But I know it exists...
From Montblanc's press release for the Only Watch2013 Rieussec: "The timepiece is presented in a special packaging and equipped with a 500 hours quality certificate" Now if the winner of that timepiece would graciously post an image of his certificate... ...
Nicolas and Mike, I have no intention to create war here.
Does it mean that JLC's 1000 hours test is the "double effort" more than the MB's 500 hours test? Or 500 hours test is more than sufficient and 1000 hours test is overdone? Regards Ling
The breakdown
4 hours – winding performance. 80 hours – accuracy in all positions; -6.0 to +4.0 required (COSC standard). 336 hours – "Cyclotest" (14 continuous days); simulates real-life wear including wrist motions and laying overnight. For chronographs, two cycles a...
fire away! Anyway you look at it 1000 hours is twice as long
as 500 hours :-) The question is: Does the extra 500 hours make a difference? I think most collectors would still choose, if forced to pick, JLC over Montblanc even if the Montblanc matched the 1000 hours. But eventually the tide will turn and more collec...
Mike, your question is certainly relevant.
Another question: Do customers determine the purchase by looking at the length of testing hours? Answer: Majority of the customers don't. Regards Ling
Actually I disagree...I think most customers do care
especially if they are spending a lot of money on their purchase. Assume that these customers are not uber-rich Assume that these customers are not collectors I think your usual customers will care. Like you said, they may not care whether the testing is ...
MIke, if you ask the members here, I think 9 out of 10 will say: we do care.
However, we only represent a very small fraction of the market out there. Many new and inexperience buyers will not inquire about testing hours and many sale staff will not take trouble to explain the same or they may not even know about the testing hours...
Really? I would think the testing certification would be one of the first
lines out of my mouth to impress new or inexperienced buyers...I think their minds would be more easily influenced by this certification than collectors who would be more skeptical. MB is a large corporation with very detailed and specific training progra...
The problem with these indicators
is they obfuscate the difference between process and outcome. "Hours" only measures the duration of an activity, not its effectiveness in producing an outcome. In fact, does twice as long on the test bench result in service intervals and warranty periods ...
Yes, the tests selected have to adequately represent "real life"
wear and tear. If you accept the tests chosen by MB as adequate "substitution" then the hours tested in simulation should reproduce the wear and tear during 500 hours of ownership. My MB sport had a 2 year warranty starting at the time of purchase. My JLC...
This has Jerome Lambert written all over it...
It's kind of like Jaeger LeCoultre's 1000 hour test. But why only 500 hours? JLC does 1000 hours... Still, 500 hours is a lot of hours for testing. Three weeks! I hope it doesn't need three weeks of testing every time it's serviced...
Sounds great...
but will it cause some wear and tear before I even buy it? Not sure how JLC does this either. If MB does this for all watches, it will be amazing! cheers robin
I just bought a Rieussec
I am traveling this week, but when I get home I will look for my papers to see if there was a testing certificate in the box.
Congrats on your Rieussec!
Lovely watch! Pls post some pictures when you get the chance. Enjoy the monopusher chrono. it's a joy to watch the discs move. cheers robin
No test certification for the Rieussec ?
Hi, I also have a Rieussec on my collection and I can testify there aren't any piece of any certification supplied with the watch. Still, mine was bought 3 years ago. I don't know at what stage the 500h test was applied to MB220 at that time...?? It will ...
Hi Oliver, this is a new initiative...
I don't know for sure but I suspect that only a certain number of Rieussecs (not all) went through the testing three years ago. I'm still waiting for a sample of the certificate. Best, Mike