Grand Chronographe Email Grand Feu

Exclusive chronograph with genuine enamel dial and the last of the 16.29 calibre movement
Wristwatch with genuine enamel dials are highly sought-after rarities. Nowadays, these are made by only a handful of manufacturers with an especially rich tradition. This fact alone underscores the significance of the chronograph in the Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858 Email Grand Feu, which is being launched to mark Minerva's 150th jubilee. Its most outstanding feature is a dial with genuine champlevé enamel work, beneath which ticks a movement made in accordance with true haute horlogerie tradition. An extra touch of exclusiveness is added by the fact that this is the last of the 16.29 calibre movement.

Grand Feu enamel dials for the limited edition and exclusive unique pieces
The precious Grand Feu enamel dials will be used to highlight the last remaining examples of the haute horlogerie 16.29 calibre chronograph movement. For the limited edition to mark Minerva's 150th jubilee, it will be featured in a unique platinum model with a blue Grand Feu enamel dial, eight white gold watches with a white or black dial, and 58 rose-gold watches with a white Grand Feu enamel dial. In the course of the years ahead, the few remaining movements will be used for exclusive, one-off pieces, which will be designed and manufactured to meet the customer's requirements. As soon as the limited jubilee editions and individual models have been sold, the exclusive chronograph movements will no longer be available.

Watches made with all the finesse of traditional Haute Horlogerie
The 16.29 calibre chronograph movement is manufactured in accordance with all the tenets of traditional watchmaking; the unusually high proportion of finishing work carried out by hand is particularly noteworthy. The plates and bridges are made of rhodium-plated German silver, the bottom plate is circular-grained on both sides, while the bridges are chamfered by hand and decorated with circular-graining and Geneva stripes (Côtes de Genève) on the top surface. In keeping with traditional watchmaking practice, the chronograph is controlled with a column wheel, which the chronograph lever moves into position for each function and locks. A horizontal wheel train mechanism with a large chronograph wheel serves as the clutch. The chronograph's “Mise en function” is carried out meticulously by hand, every single part of each movement being aligned with the others to tolerances of a hundredth of a millimetre. One eye-catching feature is the large screw balance with its high moment of inertia, which guarantees a steady, solid rate. These balances are manufactured in the company's own ateliers, and even the balance springs are specially made. The counting of the active length of the spring and the forming of the Phillips curve are likewise tasks that are carried out by hand in the workshops of the “Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie”. The frequency of the chronograph movements is 2.5 Hertz, or 18 000 beats per hour, which enables it to record short periods of time to an accuracy of one-fifth of a second.

Artistic cases made of platinum or gold
The cases, made of platinum or 18 ct. gold, are polished on all sides and feature a convex bezel securing high-domed sapphire glass with sharp vertical sides. Closing firmly over the screw-in sapphire glass back cover is a hinged cuvette that is released using a patented mechanism that is invisible from the outside and mounted on the horns for the wristband. On the outer surface of the cuvette are the engravings “Edition Limitée”, “Montblanc” and “Fait main à Villeret” (handmade in Villeret). The inner surface of the cuvette bears the signature of master watchmaker Demetrio Cabiddu. The movment can be seen behind the sapphire glass back cover, with its gold-plated engraving: “Minerva Villeret”. The Montblanc symbol, in genuine mother-of-pearl, adorns the winding crown on these watches.