How do you make a brand which is arguably more famous for its high class writing instruments, become equally well known and admired for its haute horology watches? It’s no easy feat, but it is one which Montblanc CEO Jerome Lambert seems to have pulled off with much aplomb following the brands’ highly successful reception at SIHH 2014.
In terms of watches, Montblanc is perhaps best known for its Nicolas Rieussec chronograph, however, one of the watches to grace the Montblanc event stand was the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph from the Meisterstuck Heritage Collection. The watches are made in dedicated observance of the finest Swiss watchmaking traditions, so look not for trendiness in this collection, but the elegance and savoir faire of what Swiss watchmaking can be at its best. And what exactly is that? Well, like the Swiss themselves, conservative, sober, discreet, but effortlessly elegant and exactingly precise.
Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph
The Meisterstuck watch series takes its name from a writing instrument launched some ninety years ago.
The Pulsograph is a rose gold encased watch with a chronograph developed fully in-house, and powered by an in-house chronograph movement. The watch also features a pulsometer running around the dial, so if your son has recently passed his medical exams, this could be the watch upon which his medical career can be founded.
The pulsometer is calibrated for 30 pulse beats. This means a doctor can get an accurate pulse reading without having to count for a full minute. Besides being able to read a pulse, the watch can also serve admirably as a smart and formal dress watch. It’s sensibly sized at just a shade over 41mm. Some complain that with a white dial anything over 42mm shines out like a beacon, so this watch slips unobtrusively under the shirt cuff. The Dauphine dial hands are designed to catch the light, while the silvered dial is clean, and uncluttered, even with the pulsometer graph. Subtly tucked away on the rose gold case just under 6 o’clock is a discreet Montblanc diamond which, with its six-sided cut, luxuriously echoes the famous Montblanc star on the top of the brand’s writing instruments.
Montblanc Minerva Movement (Calibre MB M13.21)
The excellent in-house hand-finished Montblanc Calibre MB M13.21 movement features a monopusher column-wheel chronograph, based apparently on a Minerva Calibre dating back to 1923. The immaculate finishing work, with more polishing going on than a military barracks before kit inspection, was overseen and conducted by the Minerva Institute which was acquired in 2004 by the Richemont Group who also own Montblanc. This happy association has certainly helped Montblanc to gain some serious footholds in the world of high-end watchmaking, and the involvement of the Institute lends the watch that highly desirable asset of provenance for future years.
As with many watches of this calibre, the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsometer is going to be in deliberately short supply. Due to be released in the autumn of 2014, only 90 pieces will be released worldwide, so rare is the doctor who will be reading your pulse with this particular timepiece, and he will no doubt be charging for his time too, as the watch is priced at 27,000 Euros; expensive, but certainly not ridiculously so. If you want to accessorise the watch, Montblanc also offers the Meisterstuck pen and cufflinks.
Montblanc recently announced the appointment of Wolverine and X-Men star Hugh Jackman as their new Brand Ambassador. Some have questioned whether Jackman’s mainstream persona is suitable for what is a well-respected and somewhat rarefied brand, but CEO Jerome Lambert has no such misgivings. He recently declared; “We are delighted to announce this partnership, and welcome Hugh Jackman into the Montblanc family. He represents all the attributes of the Montblanc brand: elegant, talented, pioneering and committed to the arts. He inspires and enthralls audiences worldwide with the quality of his performances.”
More resources about the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph available on Watch-Anish (Hands-On)
