Jerome Lambert continues to impress at Montblanc, but I am now in an official state of shock. Am I missing something here on this new release? In-house Calibre MB LL100.1 chronograph, with column wheel + vertical clutch + flyback function + dual time-zone + 72h power reserve. Limited Edition, 1100 pieces for 6900 Euros. Where´s the catch? I would assume from the 72h power reserve (twin barrel) that this is not a Sellita derived movement, as has been the case with other Montblanc offerings at this price range. One downside for me is the rather large 43mm case, but the lugs seems to curve nicely around the wrist. I am posting this on the high-end watch forum, because if this watch is really all it apparently claims to be, it certainly should be considered at least on par with some entry-level offerings from JLC and IWC and for IWC it would compete on price with some rather well known Valjoux 7750 rotor wobble derived offerings. Fellow posters please inform is this is a mirage or the real thing. Some intial impressions below: http://www.deployant.com/sihh-2016-montblanc-4810-twinfly-chronograph-110-years-edition/ Posted photos from Quill and Pad: http://quillandpad.com/2016/01/21/m...dition-wristwatches-from-the-4810-collection/
I think sometime around 2005-2006 Richemont purchased Minerva and placed the company under Montblanc´s management as an exclusive manufacture for Montblanc, so the movements manufactured by Minverva for Montblanc´s top range high-end expensive watches have always been "in-house". For Montblanc´s CEO Jerome Lambert (ex JLC) and his recent (+2014) strategy of offering advanced complications (perpetual calendars etc.) at typically 50% cost of the traditional market value, Montblanc have used base Sellita movements adding a complication module developed in-house: a hybrid in-house/outsourced proposition. I did some further research and found out that the twinfly calibre MB LL100 was actually first released with their Timewalker range around 2011. It is not COSC certified but "apparently" is an in-house movement. Not sure if there have been any improvements/refinements in the latest release.
Rest assured I only posted the links as an indication/acknowledgement of the source of my info on the watch, which I believe is the correct thing to do. I have no connection/relationship with the publication and do not subscribe to it.