This exceedingly fine example of haute horlogerie was created from the union of luxury brand Montblanc and historic watch manufacture Minerva. Part of Montblanc’s Villeret 1858 Collection, this superlative and ultra-exclusive ‘Grand Tourbillon Heures Mystérieuses’ was launched in 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Minerva watch company’s founding and also the inauguration of the renovated premises of the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie in Villeret, Switzerland. Not only a timepiece of great beauty, this mystery hours tourbillon is an astonishing horological achievement. The present watch is one of only 8 pieces made in rose gold. A further 8 pieces were made in white gold and one example in platinum.

The Grand Tourbillon Heures Mystérieuses
Powered by the superb hand-finished and hand-wound caliber MB M65.60 with a 50-hour power reserve, the Grand Tourbillon Heures Mystérieuses ingeniously combines two of the most visually spectacular and remarkable of all watchmaking inventions, the tourbillon and the ‘heures mysterieuse’ time display, the hands having the appearance of floating in mid-air. Behind the creation of this outstanding small series of watches is Demetrio Cabiddu, Technical Director of Montblanc/Minerva whose career has included working with the legendary Gerald Genta.

The large visible tourbillon placed in the upper half of the display revolves once per minute, its stunningly designed carbon-steel bridge is an undoubted work of art with its sinuous curving steel overlapping figures of eight, it is no coincidence that these represent the symbols of infinity. The tourbillon cage and bridge are entirely hand-made in-house which takes three weeks of painstaking work alone.

The true ‘Heures Mystérieuses time display is a great delight and is very rarely seen in wristwatches. The hands are mounted on crystal discs that have concealed toothed circumferences that are rotated by the movement. The Grand Tourbillon Heures Mystérieuses has a mirrored background to the transparent discs for the hour and minute hands which enhances the appearance of the hands floating in mid-air.

The case is a masterpiece of both design and craftsmanship, its contoured lines can only be achieved by the very best casemakers, in particular the lower edge swells outwards to accommodate the time display with a visual harmony that is remarkable. The sapphire crystal is similarly specially shaped to fit the curve of the case and is optically perfect.

Truly a tour-de-force of the watchmaker’s art, this rose gold Grand Tourbillon Heures Mystérieuses would be a highly impressive and wearable addition to any serious collection of contemporary watchmaking.