Montblanc has been manufacturing watches since 1997, which is relatively young compared to some of the highly prestigious watch brands like Rolex and Omega for example. The brand is a popular watch brand that is known to be relatively inexpensive. But for the price you pay, do you also get the good quality you desire? In this article, we did in-depth research on how good Montblanc watches really are.
Montblanc makes good watches. They are known to be well-constructed and outperform many competitors in quality compared to the price you pay. Montblanc is not specialized in watches though, but it is an addition to their assortment, which makes for a less attractive watchmaking heritage.
The brand has a relatively scanty amount of experience and heritage in watchmaking. But what are the pros and cons of the brand? In the following paragraphs, we reviewed all factors of becoming a good watch brand.
Are Montblanc watches good
Montblanc is a watch brand that has been manufacturing watches since 1997. Most prestigious watch brands need a lot more time to establish their name in the watch industry. However, Montblanc is not only known to be a watch brand but has established its name by manufacturing different products than watches.
Becoming such a well-known watch brand in such a short amount of time indicates that the brand had to do something right to achieve this status in a relatively short amount of time.
One of Montblanc’s best characteristics is that they offer watches for all price ranges and thus for all people’s needs. For example, Longines builds watches for people who are looking for a mid-range price tag for their new watch. In contrast, Rolex is looking for a target group of people who want to spend a lot of money on a watch.
Montblanc offers a wide range of watches in different price ranges. But each of these is worth its price by being able to compete with competitors by continuing to offer good quality in every price range.
The fact is that Montblanc watches stand out in different aspects of good quality watches. On of them is their price-to-quality ratio. But a good watch has more features that are important. We diminish the most important factors for a good watch and reviewed them for Montblanc watches.
We have an entire category on our website about watch reviews. If you are interested in seeing more watch reviews, you can check out our reviews on Tissot, Bulova, Casio, or more watch reviews.
- Materials
- Price
- Accuracy
- Potential investment
Are Montblanc watches good in materials
Materials in a watch are very important for the quality of the watch. Watches need materials that have good longevity and will stay strong in situations where you need them to. Every watch brand has its own vision of what is important but we think materials have a huge influence on the quality of a watch.
Montblanc uses several materials for the different parts of their watches. For example, they use Sapphire Chrystal which looks like a domed glass box with an anti-reflective coating. They also use Bronze in their watches for the case material and bezel. But they also use Stainless Steel in some of their models. The type of material is dependent on the model and the price accordingly.
For the layout of the brand’s materials, we can regroup their assortment into three groups according to the watch’s price tag:
- Cheap Luxury
- Moderately Luxury
- High-end Luxury
| Cheap luxury: | Moderately luxury: | High-end luxury: |
| Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel, Titanium, Bronze | 18 K gold or Stainless Steel |
| Sapphire crystal | Sapphire crystal | Sapphire crystal |
| Leather strap, Rubber strap | ||
Stainless steel
Stainless steel is a popular material in watches and is used by some of the most luxurious watch brands because of its durability and anti-corrosion nature. The Stainless Steel is therefore being used in all of Montblanc’s price classes.
Their cheaper watches use stainless steel but we also see it come back in some of the highest-end luxury watches that Montblanc produces.
A good watch is at least made of Stainless Steel.
Stainless steel is known to be very anti-corrosion which keeps your watch looking beautiful for decades. Other than that, steel is also known to withstand the touch of the human body from both sides, meaning it can withstand perspiration and your skin will also thank you for stainless steel.
18K gold
This material is used in some of Montblanc’s highest-tier models like the Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Slim and the Heritage Automatic. These are some of Montblanc’s most luxurious timepieces and use 18k gold as their case material.
18K gold is real gold that is often used in luxury watches because of its luxurious status and high quality. It is different from 24k gold as the 18k variant contains 75% gold and 25% other metals. This is attractive to watch manufacturers because the other metals make sure the watch stays strong. 24k gold is pure gold that is usually frailer because of the lack of supporting materials keeping the timepiece strong.
This gold is used in luxury watches because of its good durability, its status, and attractive color, making gold a good material to use in watches.
Sapphire crystal
Another material that we always see come back in watches, no matter the amount of luxury is Sapphire crystal. This is a no-brainer in watches because of their scratch-proof nature. This material can only be damaged (scratched) by the material, diamond.
Sapphire is therefore the ideal material for a watch’s crystal and is seen very often in luxury watches. Sapphire is relatively expensive compared to other Chrystal, it is the most strong material and the best scratch-proof.
So, if you find a sapphire crystal in your watch, you know that you have amongst the best of materials for your watch’s Chrystal and that you will not be likely to scratch or damage your watch very easily. This material is known to be very good in watches, and will not disappoint.
Titanium
Some of Montblanc’s moderately priced watches have Titanium in their design. This material is very lightweight while also staying extremely durable. Titanium is known to be one of the strongest materials available and is also highly scratch-resistant.
Watches that have Titanium in them usually scratch a little bit easier than watches that have stainless steel in them. Although, the differences are not significant. Titanium is a lot more comfortable on your wrist though. Titanium watches won’t disappoint in terms of quality and will bring you better comfort than most other materials on your wrist.
Bronze
The last material that we see recurring in Montblanc watches is Bronze. Usually in the moderately priced watches that they offer in their assortment.
Bronze is a material that has the characteristic of dirt opposing. Which is a nice extra when wearing the watch. A good thing about Bronze watches is that they have the characteristic of developing patina or tarnish over time. This makes for a unique color that will make your watch stand out from the rest.
So, Are Montblanc’s materials good
So, Montblanc’s materials are very good when we start dissecting the brand and looking at what they actually use in terms of materials. The materials they use are being thought about, and are amongst the best in the industry, comparing it with some of the highest-end and best watch brands.
The brand uses materials that are the best in every field and puts the price accordingly. So, if you are looking for a watch that has quality materials and offers a great price for the materials that come with that, Montblanc watches are there for you.
Are Montblanc watches good in price
The price of a watch is obviously an important factor in deciding whether you want to buy a new watch or not. How are the prices compared to the quality? Or is the watch overpriced? Watches that have a good price for what you get are worth the investment and will stand out in every field compared to the price.
Montblanc watches are known to have an incredible price-to-quality ratio. They fall into the luxury watch department which carries status in itself. Luxury watches are usually more expensive because they carry luxury materials, and are made in fewer quantities. Usually, they are hand-made, which makes them special and causes the demand for these watches to be higher than the actual supply of that model.
Montblanc is known to outperform competitors in each price category, in terms of quality, and materials, and won’t disappoint.
As we mentioned, watches that Montblanc offers are usually separated into three different categories. Cheap, moderate, and high-end luxury. All of these watches are luxury watches, but they each have their own prices and legacies. For example, Villeret and 1858 watches are one of the most expensive watches but also the most luxurious, they offer complete in-house movements, which is very special.
In the table below, we put together some of Montblanc’s most popular models with their prices.
| Model: | Expected Price: | |
| Tradition | USD $1800,- | |
| Star Legacy | USD $3800,- | |
| Bohème | USD $3500,- | |
| Tradition | USD $1900,- | |
| Heritage | USD $4000,- | |
| Star Legacy | USD $4000,- | |
| 1858 | USD $5500,- |
So, Are Montblanc watches good in terms of price
Montblanc watches have the status of delivering watches that are very good in terms of quality compared to the price you pay. For the material, brand name, and relatively low price tag, Montblanc watches are definitely worth the price.
Accuracy
The accuracy is an important factor in the quality of a watch. A watch that needs a rest every day won’t belong to some of the best watches in the industry. How is that for Montblanc watches?
The brand has different movements that run at different speeds and frequencies. The movement type is a big factor in how accurate a watch will be. For example, quartz movements are way more accurate than mechanical movements because they are battery-powered.
Montblanc offers watches that have a frequency of 28,800 /h which is about 8 ticks per second. These movements are high-tolerance movements that can be easily regulated for great accuracy and are known for a smooth sweep. This has a big impact on the accuracy of the watch.
While Montblanc watches do not have the best accuracy in the entire industry, this is an acceptable accuracy for a watch of this caliber.
Is Montblanc a good investment
The reason we wanted to discuss this topic is that Montblanc is known to be a luxury watch brand. Luxury watch brands are usually high in price tags. Because of the low supply and the relatively high demand, these watches tend to be a better investment, for example, Seiko watches which are mass-produced.
The fact is that most watches do not hold their value or are a good investment. The only two brands that can really be a good investment are Rolex and Patek Phillipe, next to some limited edition models that other brands have to offer. So, No, Montblanc watches are not good investments.
Final words
In this article, we reviewed the entire watch line of Montblanc watches. Montblanc has been manufacturing watches since 1997 which is relatively new compared to the other (luxury) watch brands. To find out if a watch brand is good, we look at several factors that we see that are good in the best watch brands in the industry.
Montblanc is not specialized in watches and has been manufacturing later in their existence. The benefit is that they have a large audience in different markets which led to a big gap in the market which leads to instant which ensured that they already had a head start on the rest of starting watch brands.
We have a few different factors that we diminish in watch brands. It is the materials, price, investment opportunities, and accuracy of the watch. The fact is that most of these factors score pretty well for Montblanc watches, making it a good brand.
So in conclusion, Montblanc is a good watch brand that offers a great price/quality ratio. Montblanc watches won’t disappoint and are very good in many aspects of the watch market. Buying a Montblanc will provide you with a beautiful luxury timepiece.
