Montblanc has unveiled the brand-new Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Minerva limited edition of eight pieces.

This limited edition pays tribute to the goddess Minerva and everything she has symbolised for the Villeret manufacture over the years with a celebration of artisanal crafts in a completely new way. It also celebrates the Minerva manufacture’s 165th anniversary.

Expanding The World of Montblanc Fine Watchmaking

The dial of the timepiece is made of walnut wood that has been engraved totally by hand with a Roman frieze and includes olive leaves in gold applique. This foliage engraving is a recurring pattern found on many historic Minerva watch cases, and here, in wood, it adds an element of peacefulness to the dial. Continuing this bucolic theme, the suspended Exo Tourbillon is surrounded by a gold-engraved laurel tree, another symbol often associated with the goddess, representing wisdom and glory.

At 12 o’clock, a representation of Minerva’s profile has been depicted in gold. This head is a copy of an antique coin that had previously been used in the company’s advertising and was more recently rediscovered in the Maison’s archives. This portrayal of Minerva takes over 50 hours of hand engraving to complete, while the olive branches and wooden dial require more than 20 hours of meticulous work each. A total of around 82 hours of craftsmanship is required for this highly complicated and sophisticated dial.

Other details on this special timepiece include a seconds hand that is represented by Minerva’s famous spear arrow, while the limited edition number VIII is engraved on a plate to the right of the suspended Exo Tourbillon at five o’clock, in Roman numerals. The timepiece comes in a 44.8 mm rose gold case with an open caseback and is fitted with a blue sfumato alligator strap.

The Suspended Exo Tourbillon Movement

The patented Suspended Exo Tourbillon complication was developed entirely in-house by the master watchmakers at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret and required three years of development. The “Exo” is derived from the Greek word for external or outside and refers to the large balance wheel with screws, which is positioned outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage.

The idea of the Montblanc engineers when developing the patented Suspended Exo Tourbillon was to create a one-minute tourbillon that would be more visible, further revealing its beauty. This particular patented construction of the Suspended Exo Tourbillon allowed the watchmakers to have a large and impressive balance wheel and eliminate the need to increase the size of the movement or the case. The large balance wheel is raised 3.2 mm higher than the dial and appears to be floating above it.

Following pure horological tradition, the manufacture movement calibre MB M16.68 is entirely decorated in the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret with hand-crafted finishings such as Côtes de Genève stripes, inner angles, circular graining, beveling and a mirror-polished pawl with the hand-finished Minerva arrow.

Inspired by the three-dimensional bridge construction, the round shape of the case, with its domed sapphire crystal on the front, has been built around the movement, contributing perfectly to the overall design.