Mont Blanc - From Sketch To Science

Mont Blanc Is Breaking All The Laws...Of Physics That Is!

(Mont Blank - From Sketch To Science)

EXCLUSIVE Look At An Intitial Design Sketch For
Montblanc’s TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000

The laws of physics are inviolable. The principle of conservation of energy decrees the

impossibility of ever constructing a perpetuum mobile. And in order to measure time to the

nearest 1/1,000th of a second, a mechanical watch must have a balance that completes 3.6

million semi-oscillations per hour, i.e. its frequency must be 500 hertz. But such laws, it seems,

are binding only in the three-dimensional world. They’re invalidated when we move into the

fourth dimension: time. How else would it be possible for Montblanc to unveil at the Salon

International de la Haute Horlogerie in January 2012 a wristwatch chronograph that can

measure elapsed intervals to the nearest 1/1,000th of a second, yet has a balance which

oscillates at a pace of only 50 hertz?



EXCLUSIVE - Sketch Of Montblancs
Inner Mechanisms



EXCLUSIVE - Sketch Of Montblanc's Full Design

The Chronographic Paradox:

Montblanc’s TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000

Montblanc’s master watchmakers in Villeret have achieved a remarkable feat with the

TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000. One is tempted to describe it as a triumph of

mind over matter when this fifty-hertz chronograph is halted after measuring an elapsed interval

and shows the span’s duration with 1/1,000th-of-a-second precision at first glance. This watch

was created in the context of the TimeWriter concept, which inspires the “Fondation Minerva”

(that Montblanc founded in 2008) to create timepieces at two-year intervals which advance the

great tradition of the authentic Swiss art of watchmaking towards its even greater future.

The TimeWriter project also endeavors to support talented and highly promising

watchmakers. In accord with this philosophy, the TimeWriter II was realized by the Hispano-

Swiss watchmaker Bartomeu Gomila at Montblanc’s ateliers in Villeret under the aegis of

master watchmaker Demetrio Cabiddu. Born on the Balearic island of Menorca, Bartomeu

Gomila completed his training at WOSTEP in the category of “restoration and complicated

timepieces” and is the first Spanish citizen to have earned a diploma from this renowned

institution of higher learning. Recognized by the Swiss state, WOSTEP (Watchmakers of

Switzerland Training and Educational Program) is an independent institution that’s jointly

supported by businesses in the Swiss watchmaking industry, international watchmakers’

associations and watch dealerships around the world. As a continuing-education institution, its

prospective students must prove that they have completed their training as watchmakers and

have gained several years of professional experience in their métier. The widely diverse

courses taught at WOSTEP include an introduction to the Swiss lever escapement, precision

time measurement, and the functions of watches with “grandes complications”. A certificate

from WOSTEP is recognized worldwide as one of the highest educational qualifications for

watchmakers. After completing his course of studies, Gomilla restored historical timepieces

from renowned brands and most recently worked as a freelance restorer of historical timepieces

for international collectors. Readers who would like to learn more about Bartomeu Gomila are

welcome to visit his website at www.tallerdeltemps.es.

Final Product Dislaying Inner Mechanisms

The Beauty of Technology in 18-Carat White Gold

To assure that full attention can be concentrated on the technical refinements of this

extraordinary measurer of brief intervals, the external design of the Montblanc TimeWriter II

Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000 exclusively highlights the complexity and beauty of its

indwelling caliber. No dial obstructs the view of the complicated movement, which rewards a

connoisseur’s scrutiny by revealing two balances and numerous hand-polished levers. The

curvature of its 47-mm-diameter, 18-carat white gold case flows elegantly into the horns.

Montblanc’s star-shaped logo is crafted as a mother-of-pearl inlay atop the readily grasped and

slightly onion-shaped crown at “3 o’clock.” The chronograph button, positioned midway between

the horns at “12 o’clock,” has a harmonious design that fits perfectly into the overall styling, as

well as a light and readily palpable pressure point to facilitate extremely exact measurements of

very short intervals. The wristwatch is affixed to a black alligator-skin band with a pronged

buckle made of white gold. A double row of red stitches adds an attractively sporty accent to the

strap.

Needless to say, the case has a screwed back with a pane of sapphire crystal, through

which the watch’s owner can gaze to admire the exclusive mechanisms of this superlative

chronograph and the elaborate, manually executed finishing on its individual components. The

Montblanc TimeWriter II Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1,000 will be manufactured in a limited

edition of thirty-six watches, so it will forever remain a rare pleasure. Thirty-six was chosen for

the number of watches as an homage to the year 1936, when Minerva built the ultra-fast

stopwatch that earned a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.



Final Product Display And Ready To Market

Montblanc TimeWriter II

Chronographe Bi-Fréquence 1.000

(Technical Specs)

Movement Calibre MB TW 02

Type of movement Manually wound monopusher chronograph with a balance wheel

for the time indication and a balance wheel for the chronograph

Chronograph Monopusher mechanism with column-wheel.

Chronograph button between the horns at 12 o’clock

Indications Hours and minutes in the centre, small seconds at 9 o’clock

Displays (Chronograph) Seconds counter and 15 minute counter at 6 o`clock

Central 1/100th seconds, 1/1000th seconds dashboard indicator at

12 o`clock

Dimensions Diameter : 38.4 mm, height : 10.60 mm

No. of components 472 (complete movement)

No. of bearing jewels 45 (hemispherical, domed, olive-cut)

Power reserve Movement ~100 hours; Chronograph ~45 minutes

Movement balance Screw balance, Ø 11,4 mm; 26 mgcm2

Frequency 18'000 semi-oscillations per hour (2.5 hertz)

Movement balance-spring With Phillips terminal curve

Chronograph balance Non-screw balance; Ø 6 mm

Frequency 360’000 semi-oscillations per hour (50 Hertz)

Plate Rhodium-plated German silver with circular graining on both sides

Bridges Rhodium-plated German silver with “Côtes de Genève” decoration

Going-train Wheels: Gold-plated, circular-grained, chamfered, diamond hubs

on both sides

Pinions: polished faces and toothing, burnished pivots

Case 18 K white gold; cambered sapphire crystal, screwed back with

transparent pane of sapphire crystal

Crown 18 K white gold with Montblanc emblem in mother-of-pearl

Dial Anthracite grey with several levels of functions, open parts to

admire the two balances and components in the movement

Dimensions Diameter: 47 mm, height: 15,10 mm

Water resistance 30 meters

Hands 18 K gold, central second hand in Pfinodal

Wristband Black hand-sewn alligator skin with red stitching, pin buckle in 18 K

white gold

Limitation 36 pieces

Ident 107343