Watches / STYLEWhat sets Montblanc’s watches apart from
the competition?
Our unique unifi cation with Minerva, a company
famous for manufacturing groundbreaking
professional chronographs used in the Olympic
Games, truly sets Montblanc apart. Minerva was
also the offi cial timekeeper of the legendary
Le Mans race in Paris, which means we have
161 years of history in watchmaking savoir faire.How is the legacy of Minerva refl ected in the
new ladies timepieces?
Although the infl uence of Minerva is seen in
all our novelties, I think it can be especially
appreciated in our Bohème Manufacture
Perpetual Calendar. It took three years to
develop a brand-new in-house perpetual calendar
movement for this piece, which operates solely
on wheels compared to most perpetual calendars
that use levers. This enables the user to adjust
the watch via the crown in both directions,
making it far simpler to set.How do the new Bohème and
Star Legacy ladies timepieces enhance
their existing collections?
The Bohème product line blends simplicity with
timeless design and refi ned complications. The
inspiration behind the collection comes from
the many facets of today’s woman. Apart from
our Bohème Manufacture Perpetual Calendar,
we are also releasing our Bohème Full Calendar,
which features a full calendar complication that
indicatesthemonth,thedateanda moonphase.
OurtwonewBohèmeDay&Nightmodelsallow
thewearertoknowwhetherit is dayornight
justbyglancingatthedial—thiscomplicationis
asromanticasit is practical.
AsfortheStarLegacyMoonphase,weare
incorporatinga moonphasecomplicationthat
followstheprogressionofthemoonthroughits
differentphases,highlightingtheilluminated
portionofthemoonasit wouldbeseenfrom
earth.Thedialis highlightedbya diamondring
encirclingthesmallsecondscounter.Thisis not
onlya newfeatureforus,butalsorarelyseen
inwatchmaking.To showcase its watchmaking expertise,
Montblanc introduced the moonphase
complication to the new Star Legacy watches
and, in a subtle touch of elegance, it encircled
the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock with a
ring of diamonds. Judging from the reaction
of the crowd at the launch in Shanghai, the
Star Legacy Moonphase & Date, which comes
in either 32mm or 36mm, looks set to be a hit.
We spoke with Nicolas Baretzki, CEO of
Montblanc, who shed light on the crucial
role of Minerva in crafting Montblanc’s
watch legacy, and how the brand plans
to prevail in the luxury watch race that is
currently unfolding.The gold version
of the Montblanc
Bohème Manufacture
Perpetual Calendar is
limited to 100 pieces
The new Bohème Day & Night
timepieces feature red gold
elements on the dial, and the
option for a new blue grene
calf leather strap“OUR TWO NEW BOHÈME DAY
& NIGHT MODELS ALLOW THE
WEARER TO KNOW WHETHER
IT IS DAY OR NIGHT JUST BY
GLANCING AT THE DIAL—
THIS COMPLICATION IS AS
ROMANTIC AS IT IS PRACTICAL”
singapore tatler. october 2019 127