First introduced in 2010, the patented Exo Tourbillon complication is a key pillar of the Montblanc watch collection. The idea was to position the large balance wheel, beating at the traditional low frequency of 18’000 oscillations, outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage. This offered a spectacular view of the tourbillon in motion while improving the precision of the timepiece.
During the Watches and Wonders digital exhibition, Montblanc unveiled its Metamorphosis and patented Exo Tourbillon in a new blue colour scheme. These key innovations marked a new chapter in the Montblanc fine watchmaking universe at the time of their release, becoming key watch pillars over the years and inspiring the development of future movements used in the Maison’s core collection.
Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8
The Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8 in a sparkling blue colour literally transforms itself by revealing two different faces. It boasts a number of fine watchmaking complications, driven by the hand-crafted Manufacture calibre MB M67.60.
The transformation between the two faces is highly complex and involves more than 320 individual components, all of them meticulously crafted by hand, and which move at the same time. In addition to this, the Exo Tourbillon construction contains over 100 components alone and the whole timepiece is composed of no less than 718 components, all traditionally hand-crafted at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret.
The mechanism is activated by a sliding lever on the side of the case (similar to that of a minute repeater mechanism) that is connected to a dial. It is comprised of a fixed part and moveable shutters, which can be opened and closed depending on the desired face.
When the shutters are closed, the watch’s face displays a worldtime function at six o’clock in the form of a turning, domed Northern-Hemisphere globe surrounded by a 24-hour scale and a day/night indication. At 12 o’clock, the rhodium-coated balance wheel with blued hairspring and 18 screws, beats at the traditional frequency of 18,000 oscillations per hour.
When its shutters are opened, the dial reveals the beauty of Montblanc’s patented one-minute Exo Tourbillon, held in place by a sapphire crystal bridge, and representing the sun at 12 o’clock. This was feasible thanks to the construction of the complication, which allows the balance wheel to be positioned outside of the cage and below the shutters.
A jumping date disc appears around the Exo Tourbillon. At six o’clock, a realistic, three-dimensional moon with its exact position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, turns constantly around the globe in a gyroscopic way, exactly as it would make its journey around the Earth. The moon is presented against a backdrop of aventurine that shimmers like a starry night sky. The astronomical moonphase complication is highly precise and only needs to be adjusted by one day every 122 years.
In addition, all the functions powered by the high-end mechanism continue working irrespective of the chosen face. The hours, minutes, seconds, worldtime and moon phases remain active independently of the watch face.
Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18
The Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 perfectly demonstrates the mastery of a classic and traditional artisanal aesthetic combined with an innovative spirit.
The patented Suspended Exo Tourbillon complication was developed entirely in-house and required three years of development. The “Exo” is derived from the Greek for “external” or “outside” and refers to the large balance wheel which is positioned outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage.
The Montblanc engineers’ idea, when developing the innovative patented Suspended Exo Tourbillon, was to create a one-minute tourbillon that would be more visible, further revealing its beauty. This particular patented construction allowed them to keep a large and impressive balance wheel, eliminating the need to increase the size of the movement or the case.
The massive balance wheel is raised 3.2 mm higher than the dial and appears to be floating above it. This suspended position has been made possible thanks to a dedicated tourbillon bridge with only one arm which is curved, creating a three-dimensional look and a fine watchmaking aesthetic.
Thanks to its asymmetric construction, the alignment of the Exo Tourbillon bridge, with its solitary arm, represents a horological challenge. The complexity of the patented Exo Tourbillon comes from the dimensions of the long axis that need to be extremely precise, along with the complication construction itself, which requires that the balance’s axis must be perfectly perpendicular to the movement.
In terms of performance, the Exo Tourbillon saves more energy than a conventional tourbillon as the cage is smaller in size and free of the weight of the balance wheel. It is also balanced by two gold pillars that equilibrate the cage. The fact that the balance is positioned outside of the rotating cage also means that it isn’t affected by the inertia of the cage.
The large balance wheel, beating at the traditional frequency of 18’000 oscillations per hour plays an important role in the performance of the timepiece thanks to its impressive 18 screws.
Following pure horological tradition, the Manufacture movement calibre MB M16.68 is entirely decorated in the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret with hand-crafted finishings such as Côtes de Genève stripes, inner angles, circular graining, beveling and a mirror-polished pawl with the hand-finished Minerva arrow.
The entirely polished 44.8 mm case comes in 18 K white gold and features a sapphire crystal on the case back which reveals the beauty of the hand-finished manually wound movement calibre MB M16.68. It also provides a totally transparent view of the Exo Tourbillon from the front to the back.
The sophisticated three-dimensional dial of the Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 is constructed in eight different parts that have been decorated entirely by hand using traditional watchmaking techniques.
The base is in 18 K gold and has been highlighted with a hand-made guilloché pattern in places, and a sandblasted decoration in others, with polished steps framing the different finishing techniques. A refined guilloché pattern completes the aesthetic. A silvery-white dome at 12 o’clock, with an azuré decoration in the centre, houses the hours and minutes counter, mirroring the three-dimensional effect of the outstanding Suspended Exo Tourbillon.
This exclusive Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon is limited to 18 pieces, paying tribute to the year the Montblanc Manufacture was founded in Villeret in 1858. The timepiece comes fitted with a blue alligator leather strap and a triple folding clasp with security pushers.
Technical details
Model: Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8
Ident. 117861
Movement
Montblanc Manufacture Calibre MB M67.60
Mechanical movement with manual winding mechanism, patented one-minute Exo Tourbillon, worldtime and realistic moonphase indication
Diameter = 45 mm; height = 12.87 mm
Number of components: 718
Number of rubies: 61
Power Reserve: Approx. 50 hours
Balance: Balance wheel, diameter = 14.5 mm; moment of inertia = 59 mgcm²
Frequency: 18,800 A/h (2.5 Hz)
Hairspring: Blued, with Phillips terminal curve
Plate: Rhodium-coated with circular graining
Bridges: Rhodium-coated with “Côtes de Genève”
Going train: Special toothing for more efficient power transmission
Displays
Off-centre hour- and minute-hands, small seconds at 12 o’clock,
Closed face: worldtime with Northern Hemisphere globe surrounded by a 24-hour scale and day/night indication
Open face: one-minute patented Exo Tourbillon, Northern Hemisphere globe surrounded by the sky on an aventurine disc showing the stars and the realistic moon phases, date display at 12 o’clock
Habillage
Case
18 K white gold, polished case
Crystal: Scratch-resistant, domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating
Back: 18 K white gold with inset pane of sapphire crystal
Diameter = 50 mm; Height = 18.9 mm
Water-resistance: 3 bar (30 m)
Crown: 18 K white gold with mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem
Dial
Blue base with hand-made “grain d’orge” guilloché pattern in places, rhodium-coated Arabic numerals, 18 K white gold hour- and minute-hands, stainless steel second hand, filet sauté guilloché around the dial, hand-engraved and hand-painted three-dimensional northern hemisphere globe showing the continents and oceans, aventurine disc representing the sky with the moon and stars
Wristband
Blue Sfumato alligator strap with 18 K white gold triple folding clasp
Certification
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
Retail price
250’000 Euros
Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18
Ident. 127767
Movement
Montblanc Manufacture Calibre MB M16.68
Mechanical movement with manual winding mechanism, patented one-minute Suspended Exo Tourbillon
Diameter = 38.30 mm; height = 10.60 mm
No. of components: 218
No. of rubies: 19
Power reserve: Approx. 50 hours
Balance: Screw balance, diameter = 14.5 mm; moment of inertia = 59 mgcm²
Frequency: 18,000 A/h (2.5 Hz)
Hairspring: With Phillips terminal curve
Plate: Rhodium-plated German silver with circular graining on both sides, hand-chamfered edges
Bridges: Rhodium-plated German silver with “Côtes de Genève”, hand-chamfered edges
Going-train: Faceted arms, diamond polished surfaces
Displays
Off-centered hours and minutes, small second at 6 o’clock
Patented Exo Tourbillon (one revolution per minute to indicate the seconds) with one arm-bridge at 6 o’clock
Habillage
Case
18K white gold, polished case
Crystal: Scratch-resistant, domed antireflective sapphire crystal on both sides
Back: 18K white gold with inset pane of sapphire crystal
Diameter = 44.8 mm ; Height = 15.03 mm
Watertightness: 3 bar
Crown: 18 K white gold with Montblanc emblem in mother-of-pearl
Dial
18K white, silvery-white with sandblasted finishing and aventurine, domed hour and minute-counter with an azuré motif in the center
Montblanc Star Legacy | Watches Page 10 and an opaline decoration on the external ring, black Arabic numerals, 18K white gold leaf hour and minute-hands
Wristband
Blue Sfumato alligator-skin strap with a 18K white gold triple folding clasp
Certification
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
Retail price
109’000 Euros
