Montblanc

Ecrire Le Temps Exhibition report

Lucky for me, as the world tour of the Exhibition starts from Tokyo and now it is being held at one of the most famous, traditional, and trusted department stores of Japan - Mitsukoshi, that coincides with the annual World Watch Fair.  Nowadays in Japan, the big department stores are truly the major distribution channels of high-end watches along side the specialized retailers.  When or if you come to Japan and looking for watch shopping and don't know where to go (but you should contact me first in such case - I will most certainly help any PuristS member here, happily!), just go to a big department store in major parts of Tokyo.  You will find the cluster of most of the boutiques on one floor of the building.

Anyway, without further mumbling, here is the photo report.  I thank Montblanc Japan staff, Mitsukoshi staff, and those who generously provided (leased) their timepieces for this exhibition.


Tightly guarded...





Writing Time=Ecrire Le Temps=Chrono-graph





Panel 1 - 18th Century, the beginning...




Arnould Stopwatch -
- handwind stopwatch
- twin hairspring
- Cylinder escapement that ticks by a second
- Brass dial with index 1 to 48
- Brass case, diameter 92mm
- ca. 1780



Panel 2 - 1821: The big bang invention of Chronograph by Nicolas Rieussec



 
Patent by Rieussec of chronograph was approved in 1821.



The "appointment letter" by Louis 18th for Rieussec to be the Watchmaker.



Inking Chronograph with patent granted to Nicolas Rieussec.



Sorry for the bad lighting - those two are presumed to be by Rieussec: Pocket watches with ink-marking hands.




Panel 3 - 1844: The pioneer for the modern chronograph - Adolphe Nicole




Pocket watch with independent second hand, ca. 1850.



Two hour subdials with center second, ca. 1860.




Panel 4 - 1852: Simple, yet complicated chronograph





Pocket chronograph in the leather case for the men's belt.
- Crowns controls three functions
- ca. 1900



Double side pocket watch chronograph, ca. 1900



Chronograph pocket watch, cal. 19-09CH by Minerva.
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- ca. 1909



Chronograph movement cal. 19-09CH by Minerva
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- ca. 1930




Panel 5 - 1910-1920: from the pocket to the wrist








Braelet Stopwatch
Cal. 19-14
Minerva Al Ritorno
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/10 sec.
- 15-minute counter at 12, and center 30-second counter
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch
- Vibration 36,000 per hour, brass dial, rotating bezel
- ca. 1927



Pilot chronograph wrist watch
Cal. 19-09CH by Minerva
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch, vibration 18,000 per hour
- Rotating bezel, red indicator, brass dial
- Spiral pattern tachymeter in the center and telemeter on the outside
- ca. 1939



Chronograph wrist watch by Universal Geneve
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- Chronograph pusher at 6.
- 30-minute counter at 3
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- Pulsograph
- ca. 1920




Panel 6 - 1933: Chronograph with two pushers.




Warranty card:
- No. 172,129, in 1933-34
- Wrist watch chronograph by Minerva with cal. 13-20.  Two pushers, with tachymeter and telemeter.



Chronograph wrist watch with big date
- Handwind, Cal. Venus 211
- Cam-controlled chronograph, horizontal clutch
- Vibration 18,000 per hour, big date is shown by two discs



Chronograph wrist watch with Cal. 13-20CH by Minerva
- Handwind monopusher chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- 30-minute counter at 3
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- Brass dial
- Steel case plated with nickel
- ca. 1940




Panel 7 - Dial of Chronograph








Chronograph wrist watch
- Handwind cal. Venus 12
- Column wheel and horizontal Clutch, vibration 18,000 per hour
- Enamel dial
- Tachymeter based on 100mm and 300mm
- No counter subdial
- ca. 1940



Chronograph wrist watch
- Handwind, Cal. by Hahn Lantheon
- Column wheel and horizontal clutch, vibration 18,000 per hour
- Metal dial, tachymeter, telemeter, no counter subdials
- A pusher with three functions at 2
- Chrome plated metal case
- Steel case back
- ca. 1940



Chronograph wrist watch
- Handwind cal. Venus 170
- Column wheel and horizontal clutch, vibration 18,000 per hour
- Metal dial, tachymeter and telemeter
- 60-minute counter at 12
- Chrome plated metal case
- Display back
- ca. 1940




Panel 8 - 1972-1980: the time of electronics revolution and then the revival of the mechanical watch








Quartz caliber (1969)



Caliber ETA 7750 Squelete (from private collection)



Montblanc Star Meisterstuck
- Automatic Chronograph
- 12-hour and 30-minute counter, center chronograph second hand
- Vibration 28,800 per hour, 25 stones
- Gold PVD coated SS case
- 38mm, 14.1mm thick
- ca. 1997



Chronograph wrist watch by Kelek
- Automatic Chronograph, can measure 1/5 sec.
- Second, date and season subdial at 12
- Day subdial and hour counter at 6
- Moonphase and week subdial at 3
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- Brass dial, YG case
- ca. 1990




Panel 9 - 2100: Chronograph Today
No need to give much narratives from here













The rest are in the display boxes in the center stage of the exhibition:

1. Le Locle



















2. Villeret



Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858
Grand Chronographe Regulateur
LE of 8



3. Montblanc Manufacture movements



Montblanc Cal. MB M16.29
- Monopusher chronograph











4. Rieussec




5. Scientific instruments

Chronograph wrist watch, cal. 13-20CH by Minerva
- Handwind Monopusher chronograph
- Column wheel and horizontal disc clutch
- Vibration 18,000 per hour
- Brass dial
- ca. 1930



Chronograph wrist watch for ladies
- Cal. Excelsior Park 42
- Column wheel and horizontal clutch, vibration 18,000 per hour
- Metal dial, tachymeter and telemeter
- 45-minute counter
- ca. 1950











6. For sports

















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Now, away from the exhibition, there were some you might be interested.

The copy of the original "Chronograph" said to be made by Riessec



Wow!  This my first in-person encounter with this (although this is sample, FYI).  The dial is as enamel as the actual ones.



BEAUTIFUL!



39mm, maybe a bit small.  P10 might be better for most of us.



















Sorry for multiple similar pics



Wow, this, too?  Black enamel dial, LE of 8







Whoa, this is the beauty.







And here is the Anniversary Edition LE Rieussec in WG case



43.5mm - nice size actually....



SS











Still prototype - Time Walker in Titanium



























And now, this is the LE for Montblanc Ginza boutique 5 year anniversary special of STAR 4810.  LE of 5.  Blue black dial (just like the Montblanc pen ink) with PG case, and.....















...this.  "V" of "VIII" is WG, while others are PG.  Why?  Because this is for the 5th anniversary!



The SS version of LE is opposite.  "V" is PG while others are SS....







That's it.
Sorry for the very longish post.  I hope you enjoy as much as I did.  If the exhibition tour goes to near you, you should definitely visit.  This shows lots of MB's endeavor and the tradition, history of MB/Minerva.  Very informative.  Hats off to MB's passion for horology.

Best,
Ken

This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-08-24 09:45:15

Thanks for the comprehensive look at what's at the MB booth. I hope to be able to check out the fair this weekend. Domo-ne!

No message body

Thank you for the impressive coverage Ken!  This certainly resembles a huge culmination of an incredibly large selection and collection of historical Montblanc and Minerva timepieces. 

Still trying to figure out which one is my favorite.

.. I myself don't know either.  Both have own strength and attraction.  Villeret has traditional way while Montblanc strives to go ahead and make progress by innovation.

Ken

That's a lot of work to have to reproduce this exhibition in all the different languages that the show will travel to... 

It looks like the panels were made especially for the Japanese shows and so I suspect that this will change depending on the country. 

I am not suprised at your comments about the Minerva Pulsographe.  I would have thought 39mm would have been the perfect size for my wrists as well but I found that it wore small.  I wonder if it is the thicker bezel that causes this.

I really like that limited edition   Never see any of this in the catalogs.


Thanks again for that comprehensive report.

Best, Mike

a lot to absorb--must return to it

J