I would like to come back to one of the
Montblanc novelties of the year: the Meisterstück Heritage Moonphase.
The question you may have is to know why I wished to have a deeper look
on this watch. After all, when we do a quick summary of the
2014 Montblanc offer, the Hritage Moonphase is seldom
nominated. The reason is very simple: I like it! Actually and to avoid
any misunderstanding, I prefer this watch to the Perpetual
Calendar.
The great asset of the Heritage collection
is its timeless design which manages to combine very traditional
aesthetic details with very shy and subtle Montblanc
reminders. In fact, Montblanc wished with this collection to attract new
customers with a neat and classic style which avoids some "obvious"
Montblanc elements like the Star collection may contain. And the result
is pretty convincing. I will not tell you that everybody will be
surprised by these watches because they don't have any daring or bold
feature. But if you look at them carefully, you could be charmed by
their quiet elegance.
The challenge for Montblanc
was to manage to define a "spirit" or a "DNA" for this collection. The
Montblanc achieved this objective thanks to several common points that
are shared by all the watches of the collection from the two hands
automatic to the Pulsograph Limited Edition:
- the
large and thin applied XII on top of the dial
- a
well proportioned case with curved lugs
- a white
silver-coloured bombé dial with sunray finish
- the applied red
gold-plated or rhodium-plated indexes
- the dauphine
hands
- the domed sapphire crystal
All these
elements create the identity of the Heritage collection whose roadmap
is to become the vector of the new Montblanc watchmaking ambition. I had
the chance to handle the 5 watches which make the collection and at the
end, I think that one of the best option is the Moonphase one. I will
explain you why.
Without any doubt, the most
beautiful and the most interesting watch of the collection when it comes
to horological contents is the Pulsograph Limited Edition. But we are
not in the same price range. The two entry level watches (the two hands
automatic or the date automatic) are nice but a bit too much on the
understatement side. Two watches remain: the Perpertual Calendar and the
Moonphase.
We already spoke a lot about the
Perpetual Calendar and about its very affordable price. But a price is
not the only component which makes a watch desirable or not. In my mind,
a watch has to be appreciated without knowing its price and the
question of the budget which is required to purchase it comes later. The
Perpetual Calendar has its own charm but I found that the Dubois-Dépraz
module (powered by the Sellita SW300) too small for the case even if
the later was not that big (39mm).
The Heritage Moonphase uses
the same recipe with the same Sellita movement which powers the
Dubois-Dépraz module. But this time, the dial seems to be more balanced.
It is due to the larger subdial which bears at the same time the
moonphase and the date indicators. Even if the top of the subdial is
very close to the center of the dial, its own diameter is big enough to
make it also closer to the bezel. And I understood why the Perpetual
Calendar gave me this strange feeling: with the full subdial, the watch
is more balanced while the half-subdial creates a too large space at the
bottom of the dial.
I also appreciated the
complications of this watch, this combo of the date and of the
moonphase, a mix between a useful and a poetic indicators. The Heritage
Moonphase offers at a more affordable price than the Perpetual Calendar
the pleasure to have the moonphase which decorates the dial. But the
watch a similar issue than its more complicated sister: there is no
second hand. So if you like animated dial, forget
it.
On the wrist, the feeling of
balance remains thanks to the good diameter (39mm)/thickness (10,24mm)
ratio and I was quite seduced by its classic charm. To be frank with
you, this kind of watch is not on my radar screen, I look for something
more exciting. But thanks to its dial finishings which are good for the
price and its reasonable interpretation of a classic design, the
Heritage Moonphase may seduce customers who look for a sober
and a timeless watch without spending a very high
budget.
Thanks to the Montblanc team for the warm
welcome at the SIHH.
Pros:
+ nice dial
finishings which combine sunray finish with applied indexes
+ a
more balanced dial than on the Perpetual Calendar watch
+ a
timeless design
+ a reasonable price
tag
Cons:
- the lack of the second hand may
disturb people who look for animated dials
- the finishings of
the movement are basic