Interviews

Minerva to Montblanc – The story of a Tiny Few. By Roberta Naas

By Roberta Naas

There are watch factories that produce thousands of watches a year – thanks to hundreds upon hundreds of employees, engineers, scientists and watchmakers. Then, there is the small, exclusive Montblanc watch factory in Villeret that began as Minerva. Here, every single piece of every single watch movement is made by hand, polished by hand and assembled by hand. Even the hairsprings are made in-house by a couple of experts whose hands and eyes are so deft that they do this work with -- what they would have you believe -- ease. Just 250 watches are born out of this workshop a year – and all carry the name Minerva on the movement and Montblanc, Villeret on the dial.

The Minerva watch brand has roots dating back to the mid 1800s when, in 1858, Charles Ivan Robert and his brother Hyppolite purchased the factory in Villeret and began to create watches under the H. & C. Robert name. Two years later, however, the workshops and brand were re-named Minerva, after the Roman goddess of reason and war. The brand won multiple prizes and awards in the late 1880’s and was the first to launch several important movements and movement parts. In fact, since 1902, it has been building its movements and cases in house, and was well known throughout the 20th century as a leading watch maker.
 
In 2000, the company was purchased by an investor who squarely put the focus on haute horlogerie, bringing in the creative mind of Demetrio Cabiddu as the technical director. Richemont Group purchased Minerva in 2006, and later “gifted” it to the Montblanc brand. The Minerva name was changed to Villeret, reflecting the brand’s tiny hometown nestled in the Jura Mountains, and the name to be carried on the dial of the Montblanc watches made there. (Though the building carries the name: Institute Minerva de Recherché en Haute Horlogerie.)

Needless to say, Montblanc continued with the exclusivity of high-watchmaking done there. In fact, upon entering the workshops today, things look very much like they did 150 years ago. The tools of the trade are hand-run machines that yield traditional techniques of watchmaking. 
 
“The success of Montblanc’s watches is due to the trust of our customers,” says Lutz Bethge, CEO of the company. “They have known our writing instruments for more than a hundred years, and they trust us. In watches, we needed to fulfill that trust, and we rose to that challenge by creating our own manufacturing competence both in our LeLocle workshops and with the Villeret collection – made entirely by hand.”

Indeed, everything (except the base plates and the dials) in Villeret is hand-made, cut, polished and finished. The watches are assembled there and decorated by hand by the skilled watchmakers and artisans. Whereas in many watch factories, a dozen or more CNC machines exist, along with a great deal of CAD equipment, at Villeret, just three CNC machines are used – strictly for the initial cutting of the base plates. Thereafter, everything – every screw hole, even --is made by hand using a traditional hand tools and machines, The making of a single screw hole in the base plate takes three to four different operations and takes hours to complete.

At Villeret, the experts even make their own hairsprings. A tedious and time-consuming job, making hairsprings sets this company apart. Essentially – a very top-secret alloy that the brand’s experts developed is created and spun in threads onto large bobbins. The bobbins are then placed on machines and the operators of those machines stretch and stretch the alloy to get it incredibly thin. Ultimately, four strands of thread are then hand-wound into the initial spiral that will be set onto the balance wheel. One person is responsible correctly setting the spiral to the proper regulating speed, and for cutting the spring at the precisely right spot for optimum performance. 
 
All of the parts of the movement are not only made in house but completely finished by hand. In fact, it can take a week to properly angle the surfaces of the components. Then one watchmaker assembles the components into the finished movement, which is assembled twice due to quality control standards. The making of a Villeret ExoTourbillon caliber can take as long as six to seven weeks to build. With just about 35 employees on premises to create the watches, only about 250 are built annually for worldwide distribution in select Montblanc boutiques.

“You always have to aspire to something to move to the next level,” says Bethge. “What we do here is artisanal – we don’t want to make thousands, we want to make exclusive numbers – and do it with traditional craftsmanship.”

Villeret also has a custom watch department, much like Montblanc’s custom writing instrument program, wherein consumers can order precisely the watch of their dreams – as long as they can wait a year for its completion.

Market News

Abu Dhabi Duty Free posts 24% revenue increase in 2012

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), the operator of Abu Dhabi’s five airports, revealed that Abu Dhabi Duty Free retail revenue reached Dhs809.5m in 2012, an increase of 24% over 2011, setting a new record for the company. The retail figures reflect an increase in both Spend per Passenger and average transaction value during 2012. The increases are mainly due to the attractive combination of the retail mix, a variety of luxury brands and the promotional campaigns of the retail operators. New projects set to be completed in 2013 are a new Armani boutique and doubling the size of the Burberry boutique, which will include the addition of ready to wear in Terminal Three. These new projects will further increase the breadth of the airport’s retail offer for its passengers.

Stephen Gallacher is crowned Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2013 Champion

Stephen Gallacher celebrated an impressive win at the 24th Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion golfer after a fantastic final day of golf that kept a capacity crowd at the Emirates Golf Club enthralled. It was only the second European Tour win for Gallacher out of more than 400 events. He finished with a tournament total of 22 under par. Gallacher and South African Richard Sterne exchanged the lead several times on Sunday but the Scotsman’s eagle on the 16th hole put him out of reach for good. Along with the championship trophy and cheque, Gallacher was also awarded with an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar.

The Scuderia Ferrari on Hublot Time

The legendary Scuderia Ferrari team is now on Hublot time. An exceptional relationship has been cultivated over recent months between the Hublot and Ferrari people, which have now enabled Hublot to go even further in its partnership with the Italian brand. Hublot an Official Timekeeper & Official Watch of Ferrari and the Scuderia, is now set to be displayed by the new F1 cars and the drivers.

Graham the Official Timing Partner of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Hockey Team

Graham is off to a speedy start in 2013 as the Official Timing Partner of the Los Angeles Kings Ice Hockey team, winners of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Championship. The Los Angeles Kings are back and ready to play the 2012-2013 seasons with graham as the Official Timing Partner of the successful American ice hockey team. To celebrate this sought-after achievement and honour their hard work, GRAHAM has developed a limited edition in the vein of its adrenaline timepieces. The Chronofighter Oversize LA Kings is highlighted with the LA Kings iconic team colours of silver, black and white.

Company News

Patek Philippe re-launched their Boutique in Dubai Mall

Mr. Thierry Stern (President, Patek Philippe) and Mohammed Seddiqi (VP, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons) hosted guests at a reception on 29th of January to mark the re-launch of the Patek Philippe boutique at Dubai Mall. Guests were welcomed with live music and dance performances at the stand-alone flagship salon, which emulates the essence of the Patek Philippe philosophy and features the latest collection of timepieces for both men and women.

Hublot becomes first Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers

Hublot CEO, Ricardo Guadalupe stood center court at STAPLES Center to present Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Jeanie Buss with a sparkling new Hublot Clock symbolizing a new partnership which makes the Swiss Luxury Watch brand the Official Timekeeper of the Legendary NBA Team. The Los Angeles Lakers are among the most storied franchises in the NBA and one of the most popular teams in the world. In the heart of the city, a Lakers game effortlessly fuses basketball with fashion, celebrity, luxury and excitement. With Hublot, now the Official Timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers, the City of Angels will not miss a second!

Van Cleef & Arpels, Tashkeel and Design Days Dubai announce their partnership

Van Cleef & Arpels, Tashkeel and Design Days Dubai launched “Métamorphose”, an art design initiative to support artists and designers across the GCC. “Métamorphose” is an exceptional collaboration that presents an opportunity for hidden talents to unleash their imagination and merge creativity and timeless vision into objet d’art. This debut partnership calls upon regional artists and designers to present designs that encapsulate the relevance, value and spirit of art. “Métamorphose” was selected as a theme because it is one of the recurring qualities integral to both Tashkeel and Van Cleef & Arpels’ design philosophy. The art work of the winner will be unveiled at Van Cleef & Arpels “Métamorphose” exhibition at Design Days Dubai 2013 to be held from 18th to 21st March 2013 at Downtown Burj Khalifa Boulevard.

Longines partners with the FEI

The FEI and Longines have formalized a partnership that sees the Swiss watchmaker become the FEI’s first Top Partner in a record multi-million Euro deal. The partnership currently involves a number of major rights packages, including the FEI World Rider Rankings for Jumping, official timekeeper of the Furusiyya FEI Nations CupTM from 2013 onwards and of the FEI World Equestrian GamesTM in 2018 and 2022. Additionally, Longines will be title sponsor of the FEI World Endurance Championships in 2016 and 2020. Longines will be the new title sponsor of the FEI World CupTM Jumping when the 2013/2014 season starts in October of this year, and will also support an FEI television magazine programme later this year.

Montegrappa opens a new Boutique

Montegrappa celebrated 100 years of history and success with the opening of a flagship boutique for the Middle East, in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai on December 2012. On the special evening of the 19th, to mark the company's anniversary, dignitaries, VIPs and media representatives, congregated at the boutique for the official opening, and the ribbon was cut by His Highness Shiekh Hamdan bin Mansour Al Thani, with Montegrappa CEO, Giuseppe Aquila. Montegrappa's boutique in Emirates Towers is now open and serving customers in Dubai, and is highly appreciated by pen collectors as a destination for the best pens and gentlemen's accessories in the United Arab Emirates.

Product Launch

Arnold & Son launches the new Instrument Collection

The new Instrument Collection from Arnold & Son was inspired by the timepieces produced during the second part of John Arnold’s life and later, following his death, by his son, John Roger. All watches from the Instrument Collection host brand new manufacture movements, which have been developed, designed and manufactured entirely at the brand’s workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The design of these new movements clearly shows the influence of the pocket watches and marine chronometers developed and crafted by John Arnold and his son.

Chopard’s new L.U.C XP Urushi Snake collection

Chopard celebrates the year of the snake according to the Chinese calendar; the new L.U.C XP Urushi is the quintessence of the ancestral Japanese art of Urushi, combined with the ultimate degree of Swiss horological refinement. Chopard offers an encounter between various traditional forms of craftsmanship by associating graceful dials created using time-honoured decorative techniques with the understated lines of its L.U.C XP: an extremely refined ultra-thin timepiece equipped with a mechanical self-winding movement, L.U.C Calibre 96.17-L.

New Models of West End Watch Company

West End’s latest models in prevision of Baselworld 2013 are Queen Anne automatic chronograph it is Beautiful design inspired by the historical model supplied to the Indian British Army during WWI. Second one is EverBright Quartz collection.

Tiffany & Co introduces a New Jewellery Collection

Tiffany & Co introduces Tiffany Harmony the newest creation in its great heritage as the jeweler of true love. Tiffany Harmony features an exquisitely hand cut, round diamond mounted in a tapered platinum setting that elegantly shoulders the stone. This new addition to Tiffany’s assortment of iconic engagement rings captures a couple’s hopes and dreams. The Tiffany Harmony engagement ring and band are the latest to enter this elite collection of diamonds worthy of a lifelong commitment. Their enduring beauty is both a reflection of true love and Tiffany’s renowned heritage of quality and craftsmanship. The Tiffany Harmony collection will be available at select Tiffany stores worldwide and the Middle East in spring 2013.

Mouawad new collection for valentine day

The Valentine’s Day is approaching; Mouawad has all the heart-shaped jewellery your heart desires just perfect pieces for letting loved ones know just how much you care. The first collection is Le Coeur meaning ‘the heart’, celebrating the heart motif. Second is Flower of Eternity has quickly become a modern classic. The flower emblem reveals its composition of heart shapes. Last is Rosette Collection is a gorgeous line of contemporary and opulent jewellery that takes its inspiration from the fabulous rosette jewellery beloved in European fashion from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Le Coeur, Flower of Eternity and Rosette collections are available in all Mouawad boutiques across the region

Harry Winston presents the Ocean Dual Time Black Edition

The Ocean Dual Time Black Edition begins with a 44-mm diameter case of Zalium™, an aluminum-zirconium alloy unique to Harry Winston. Light, harder than titanium and hypoallergenic, as well as highly resistant to almost all forms of corrosion, Zalium™ is the perfect canvas on which to execute this striking, contemporary interpretation, of the Ocean Dual Time™. Zalium™ has a unique gunmetal silver sheen that sets it apart from any other metal and is here treated with a coating known as DLC or Diamond like Carbon. DLC is a form of amorphous carbon crystal with nearly the hardness of diamond itself, forming a surface coating that is both extremely impervious to scratches, and which also offers a richly nuanced deep luster with an infinite and beautiful range of variations.

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Tourbillon with Gold Bridge

Girard-Perregaux’s new Tourbillon with Gold Bridge is the expression of a unique heritage. The tourbillon mechanism is a combination of the Manufacture’s expertise. Tooled with the precision required by the Maison’s GP 096 self-winding mechanical movement. This creation is presented in two very limited editions in both white and pink gold, to underline the piece’s exclusive nature. This new Tourbillon with Gold Bridge dedicates its beauty and technical excellence to the Girard-Perregaux heritage and takes its rightful place among Haute Horlogerie’s finest creations.

Gc Minichic new timepieces for Valentine’s Day

The Gc Mini Chic collection offers a wide selection of alluring styles to make a unique statement of love. Sensuous shimmering ceramic models, a contemporary design with metalized crystal inserts or a precious version with a shower of diamonds on the dial, all these Gc Mini Chic timepieces show a fresh, fashionable and feminine character. Celebrate the sweet magic of the moment with your individual MiniChic choice that best suits your personal style in how to say ‘I love you’. Gc Minichic timepieces are available at Gc boutiques and selected Seddiqi & Sons stores across the UAE.

Exhibitions & Events

Chopard reopened its boutique in Geneva

Chopard reopened its entirely renovated and extended Geneva flagship boutique. Chopard longstanding friends, Anna Netrebko, José Carreras and Erwin Schrott joined the Scheufele family to the ribbon cutting ceremony of the renovated and extended brand’s boutique in Geneva. The happening was followed by a cocktail party for the Genevan watchmaker-jeweler invitees.

Haute Jaoillerie the Mastery of Armenians

The Armenians jewelry association- France presents the world’s first exhibition dedicated to Armenian’s mastery in the art of fine jewelry making. Under the high patronage of his excellecy Mr. Charles Aznavour. Armenian jewelers from all over the world will display their most prestigious pieces among which will be a fabulous ring set with “Asher Cut” yellow diamond. The exhibition will take place in Grand Hotel Intercontinental Paris.

Celebrity News

Jennifer Lawrence and Marion Cotillard Wear Chopard to the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Jennifer Lawrence looked radiant on the red carpet wearing Chopard multi-shape diamond necklace set in platinum. She paired it with emerald-cut diamond studs and a diamond ring, featuring brilliant-cut white diamonds set in white gold. Marion Cotillard looked stunning on the red carpet wearing a round and marquise-cut diamond necklace set in platinum, and an emerald-cut diamond ring set in white gold. She also selected a Chopard timepiece, featuring a white diamond face set in white gold on a black satin strap.

Van Cleef & Arpels at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Julianne Moore and Rose Byrne Light Up the Red Carpet Wearing Van Cleef & Arpels at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Julianne Moore wore “Feuilles” earrings and “Art Deco” bracelet from the Van Cleef & Arpels Private Collection and Vintage bracelet from the Heritage Collection. “Snowflake” ring from the Snowflake Collection. Rose Byrne wore “Nocturne” earrings from the Bals de Légende Collection. “Hortense” ring from the Pierres de Caractère Collection. “Decollete” ring from the Couture Collection

Holland Roden wears Le Vian and Carrera y Carrera to the 'Warm Bodies' Premiere

The actress Holland Roden wore Le Vian earrings and a Carrera Y Carrera ring to the 'Warm Bodies' premiere held at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on January 29, 2013 in Hollywood, California.

Be constantly updated on the latest Watch & Jewellery Business markets of the Middle East, as well as information on competitors, promotions, product trends, industry analyses, appointments, new product introductions & developments and market research.

Our weekly 'Arabian Watches & Jewellery Business Newsletter Broadcast' is distributed to over 22,000+ industry executives, Watch & Jewellery manufacturers and distributors, retailers, investors and media consultants globally.

Unsubscribe / Submission of News / Open Forum / Obtaining our news distribution / Confidentiality Important Copyright Notice / Disclaimer

Developed by We Do Web