The Montblanc Villeret 1858 Exo-Tourbillon Rattrapante

This Montblanc timepiece comes from the Villeret collection where the manufacture was born in 1858. Only then, it traded as Minerva. Minerva was well respected through its crafting of the some of the world’s finest complications. Among these are the Rattrapante and the Tourbillon, which come together wonderfully in this Class A timepiece from Montblanc. This watch is made in a very exclusive series of just 18 watches. Needless to say, this timepiece will be found only in Montblanc boutiques across the world.

The tourbillon is probably the highest complication manufactured and the Exo-Tourbillon is one of its most stunning interpretations to date. The difference is the large balance wheel that alternates outside of the cage that holds the tourbillon at the 12 position. The reason for this is so that the rotation of  the cage doesn’t interfere with the oscillations of the balance wheel.

The Rattrapante or double chronograph has the ability to make interim readouts while the chronograph is still running. The Minerva factory has been making these types of chronographs since the 1930’s. Rattrapante chronographs require as much as 70% more components than regular chronographs. To this end, this prestigious and often underrated complication is made by only a handful of watch manufacturers.

The dial is made from solid gold, which has been rhodium plated. The dial is decorated with Grainé Décor and Grand Feu enameling appliqués on the subdials. There is a large flange that features a fifth of a second scale that displays for the chronograph seconds and continuous minutes. The hours are indicated at the 6 position, with a second time zone. At 4:30, there is a day/night indicator. The large subdials at 3 and 9 feature the chrono minutes and continuous seconds respectively. In this way the dial is of the Regulator variety where each function has its own subdial.

The case of this watch measures 47mm and is crafted from 18kt white gold, which has been polished to a high luster. The sapphire crystal over the dial is domed for a pleasantly robust aesthetic. The case back also carries a sapphire crystal, which gives a superb view of the expertly crafted manufacture movement. The Montblanc Villeret 1858 Exo-Tourbillon Rattrapante is fitted with a black alligator leather strap, which fastens with classic pin buckle made also from 18kt white gold. This handsome timepiece is protected with a 2 year international warranty.