Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar

Unveiled at SIHH, the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar just glows with class. The word Meisterstuck, when translated into English means masterpiece and this perpetual calendar is just that. The watch is available in two versions – 18kt rose gold, and stainless steel. To be honest, I found it odd for such a high complication to be offered in steel but Mont Blanc clearly wants this watch to be accessible to a larger demographic. The stainless steel edition can be purchased for $12,800. This is completely unheard of for a full perpetual calendar. The rose gold edition sells for $21,000.

This stunning timepiece features a case diameter of just 39mm. Now, there seems to be a trend, at least for dress watches, of returning to smaller case sizes. Many of the releases at SIHH have seen case sizes of just over and, in some cases, under the 40mm mark. The Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar sits flat on the wrist with a case height of 10mm. The case is beautifully polished adding to the dressiness of this timepiece.

The dial is silvered with applied indexes and 4 subdials indicating the perpetual calendar. At the 6 position is a 29 ½ day moon phase aperture. The date, day, month and leap year indicators are located at 3, 9, and 12 respectively. The dials are pretty close together but this still looks fine to me. I think the larger or more spaced out dials would detract from the inherently dressy nature of the watch. The hands are dauphine shaped and contrast nicely against the dial. As this is very dressy watch, there isn’t a trace of lume on the dial. Instead, Mont Blanc opts for a very clean readout on the dial.

The movement is self-winding and is based on an ETA movement with a Dubois Depraz perpetual calendar module. I am totally not surprised by this – how else is a perpetual calendar at under $13K possible? The automatic movement carries a power reserve of 42 hours.

While doing my research on this watch, I came across a lot of negative remarks regarding both the brand and the watch. Now, it is fair for everyone to have their own opinion on watches released. However, the level of watch snobbery that I came across was a little disturbing. Mont Blanc originally focused on making accessories like pens and leather goods but has been progressively getting deeper in the world of horology.

Mont Blanc is a growing brand and, in my opinion, is taking a great approach to the craft. This perpetual calendar isn’t MB’s first watch; in fact, their first forays into watches were no better than quartz powered three handers. I have said all this to say that the brand has gone through the ranks and is still progressing. Personally, I am thrilled that I don’t have to spend $20K if I want to own the cheapest Perpetual Calendar (Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual) on the market. Props should be given to Mont Blanc for this bold step and for actually applying some downward pressure on these inflated price points.