Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Owner Review : Elegant, balanced and fascinating

Looking for a Perpetual Calendar watch for my collection, I was quickly put off by the price of such a complication. So I fell back on a more affordable category: the Annual Calendar (Unlike the QP, these do not take into account leap years, so they must be set once a year at the end of February). But in this category, the days of the week and months are often displayed in windows and not on sub-dials with hands as is more often the case on QP. However, it is precisely this style of representation that I liked. I find it fascinating to be able to see all the time measurements on sub-dials, whether in base 12 and 60 for the hours and minutes, but also in a more complex way in base 7 or 31 for the days of the week and the date of the month. After much research, this watch was the only one that met my criteria. Looking at it in more detail, we will notice the original representation of the moon phases on a sub-dial with a hand. This displays 4 moon phases (full moon, last quarter, new moon and first quarter) arranged in a cross, in the same way as the sub-dials and with the same colors as the hands. These are available in two tones: pink gold for the Annual Calendar and blue for the chronograph. The hour and minute hands are in pink gold and shaped like swords (a common style of the Minerva brand, acquired by Montblanc). This sharp style is repeated in the pink gold indexes with a ridge in their center. Finally, the tip of the chronograph seconds hand is red, as is the minute indication at 15, 30 and 45 as well as the date on the 31st. As for it, the strap is in black alligator leather with an elegant folding clasp. However, in my opinion, it lacks 2 or 3 notches for small wrists. The small detail that enhances this watch is its crown set with the emblematic Montblanc logo, representing the famous summit and its six adjoining glaciers. I really appreciate the elegance of this watch with its very successful design. The two tones of the hands blend very well with the silver background of the dial and the whole thing can reflect discreet sparkles depending on the light. The sub-dials, indexes and hands are well proportioned and balanced. Thus, one easily lets oneself be enchanted by the multitude of information indicated as well as by the care taken with the many small details. As for the negative points, one can note a certain thickness but this is understandable given the many complications of the annual calendar coupled with the chronograph. In this case, the latter seems superfluous to me on such a model. Moreover, its push buttons lack slightly firmness for my taste. The case back is transparent but the movement is not the most fascinating to contemplate. It is hardly decorated and you can't see much. Finally, my opinion on the Montblanc brand: I was initially skeptical about this brand which is not one of the big names in watchmaking and is better known for its pens. But little by little, intrigued by certain models, I became interested in it. Contrary to what I thought, the brand is not French but German, which remains difficult to swallow for a Genevan who loves beautiful watches. That said, its watchmaking branch is based in Switzerland (honor is saved!). It has 2 factories, one in Villeret (former Minerva factory bought by the brand), in the Bernese Jura and one in Le Locle, in the canton of Neuchâtel. This is why all their watches bear the inscription "swiss made". A true watch brand in its own right, it produces its own movements entirely and offers models with a unique character. Diameter: 42 mm Thickness: 13.8 mm Power reserve: 42 h Year: 2016 Ref: 114875 Depth: 30 m