SIHH 2013: Tourbillons from Montblanc

Montblanc is a brand made famous by the wonderful writing instruments with the stylized snow cap. But they do make interesting watches too. Expecially since they took over the remainder of what was Minerva, and incorporated the movement manufacturing capability with the marketing juggernaut of Richmont.

Two tourbillons caught my eye in this year's crop of watches shown by Montblanc.

First, the Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858 Tourbillon ExoTourbillon Chronographe

The exo tourbillon moniker is Montblanc speak for a tourbillon design where the cage is separated and oscillates on a different plane from the balance spring.

The other Montblanc tourbillon which was interesting to me, was the Grande Tourbillon Heure Mysterious...

While the display of time: hours and minutes are done a la mysterious...that is, the hands seem to be floating in space, seemmingly disconnected from anything, it is already a known way how the mysterious is accomplished...by the use of transparent sapphire glass discs, which carry the hands, where the discs are driven from outside the aperture open for viewing the time.

But it is the bridge of the tourbillon, and the actual tourbillon itself which mesmerised me more....