I recently toured the Montblanc manufacturing facilities in Le Locle and the famous Minerva manufacture in Villeret, all of which was very enjoyable and extremely impressive. The thing that really stood out to me was the Montblanc 500 Hour Test that the majority of Montblanc watches are obliged to undergo.
Obliged by whom?
Is this some sort of industry-mandated requirement?
No, it’s just something that Montblanc itself does.
Something done by no other brand in the industry.
Making it all the more impressive.
As Montblanc explains in its own press materials: “The ‘500-Hour Test’ for all manufacture watches from Montblanc Le Locle is an iron-clad guarantee for reliability, an accurate rate and longevity, i.e. the three principal criteria by which fine mechanical wristwatches are judged. Reliability is crucial so that one should always be able to rely on the proper functioning of one’s timepiece. Precision timekeeping is essential lest a faultily running wristwatch cause its owner to miss a connecting flight. And a long lifespan is important because exclusive watches are often purchased as investments with the character of collector’s items.”
Let’s take a closer look…