The Montblanc brand is inseparable from world-class writing utensils. Leaders around the world sign treaties, laws, and other important documents with the Hamburg-based company's pens. Montblanc has been producing watches in their company factory in Le Locle, Switzerland since 1997. Since the beginning, they have adhered to the strict quality standards established decades ago with the famous Meisterstück pen collection. It is then no wonder that their first mechanical watches were given the name "Meisterstück". The automatic caliber ETA 2000 or 2892, the automatic chronograph movement Valjoux 7750, or the hand-winding caliber Peseux 7001 power these timepieces.
Today, Montblanc's repertoire includes complicated in-house movements with chronograph functions or tourbillons. A horological highlight is the Montblanc Villeret 1858 ExoToubillon Rattrapante from 2013, which has split-seconds hands and a patented tourbillon with the balance outside of the rotating cage. It is the only one like it in the world of haute horlogerie. Additionally, this watch also displays a second time zone and has a day-night indicator. Never worn versions of this white gold watch from a limited run of 18 pieces cost around 215,000 euros.
Another top model is the Montblanc TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1000 . You can measure up to thousandths of a second with this chronograph. The manufacture movement MB M66.26 with two balance wheels is responsible for this enormous precision. Just as in the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 presented in 2017, one balance controls the time display and the other the stop mechanism. The latter swings inside the Montblanc watch with a frequency of 50 Hz, or 360,000 half oscillations per hour (A/h). The time display's balance frequency is a comparatively leisurely 2,5 Hz (18,000 A/h).
Once you press the start button located next to the lugs at 12 o'clock, the central stop-seconds hand races around the dial in only a second. The hundredths of a second can be read with the help of a scale on the edge of the dial. Thousandths of a second are shown in a small window under 12 o'clock. At its introduction, a watch from this run of 36 pieces cost $305,000. Since then, you can find examples of this high-performance chronograph for around 230,000 euros.