Exploring Montblanc's Nicolas Rieussec Collection

How this historically inspired monopusher chronograph put Montblanc firmly on the haute horological map

- by Martin Green

Within the world of watches, Montblanc is a unique brand, mainly because of its rich heritage. Unlike many others, it isn't strictly limited to watches and jewellery but unites different universes. What started out as a premium producer of pens, founded in Hamburg in 1906, has evolved into an ambassador of understated luxury. While Montblanc is now also successful in the field of leather goods and scents, to name a few, it is also a significant player in the field of fine watches. For Montblanc, it was a natural expansion of its universe and something that it has always approached with great care.

Its first collection, launched in 1997, was called Meisterstück, an ode to the brand's most famous pen design. It was the first step in a calculated plan that placed watchmaking at the core of Montblanc's DNA. The hometown of its Watch Division became Le Locle, in the Swiss Jura Mountains. The careful expansion of the collection got a new impulse when parent company Richemont acquired watchmaker Minerva in 2006 and incorporated this a year later in the Watchmaking Division of Montblanc. While this expanded the technical capabilities of the brand tremendously, Montblanc made it a point to keep its timepiece collection balanced in terms of pricing and complexity. Right in the middle of it is the Nicolas Rieussec, the watch that perhaps best tells the story of what watchmaking at Montblanc is all about.