TWICE AS NICE

Montblanc's manufactures in Le Locle and Villeret in Switzerland are giving the brand an edge few other watchmakers can match. We visited both facilities to understand how two approaches one futuristic and the other steeped in tradition have resulted in a wide range of Montblanc offerings that can cater to every kind of watch lover.

The day we drive up to Villeret, a small town in the Swiss Jura mountains, it is wet and cold. The winding road leading to this small municipality in the canton of Bern is lined with trees resplendent in fall colours of brown, orange, and yellow, a marked change from the building-lined roads of the town of Le Locle. I make the comparison because both towns boast rich watchmaking heritage—Le Locle is where brands like Montblanc, Tissot, Tudor, Zenith, Ulysse Nardin, Doxa and many more have headquarters today, while Villeret is where once Blancpain and Cartier had their manufactures. The culture of watchmaking grew in Villeret in the 17th century, when war between Protestants and the Catholics in France resulted in Protestants settling here as farmers; in the winters, in the absence of pastoral activities, they took up watchmaking, leading to the area becoming a watchmaking hub. The last remaining bastion of watchmaking in Villeret is Minerva, the iconic movement manufacturer established in 1858 that has been continuing operations here since then. Today, part of Montblanc, it provides its expertise to high-complication and limitededition timepieces from the brand.

Villeret and Minerva, a lesson in time