The In-House Balance - Montblanc MB M13.21 Manual Del Usuario

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The in-house balance:

a far-reaching declaration
Furthermore, the Montblanc watchmaking Manufacture in Villeret is one of the last where the greater
part of traditional watchmaking operations are still carried out by hand, with all that this implies in
micromechanical refinement. Thus each timepiece is, in its own way, unique, individually made. Even as
it perpetuates the traditions, the Manufacture innovates continuously in order to ensure regeneration and
ongoing progress in the art of watchmaking and to establish lasting standards of quality and creativity. A
heritage particularly in evidence in the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, since its craftsmen apply it in
their working lives every day.
One of the most striking features of Minerva calibres was their unusually large balance-wheel and its high
moment of inertia. It oscillates at the relatively low frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour, that is to say
the traditional rate of five vibrations per second, which makes the task of precise regulation all the more
demanding. The heartbeat of a mechanical watch is maintained by its balance-spring, which causes the
balance-wheel to oscillate and determines the accuracy of the watch. These days, most balance-springs are
manufactured industrially, and their length is "counted" electronically. The master watchmakers of Villeret
make their balance-springs themselves and, as in the past, count "by hand" the exact length required for
maximum accuracy. The Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret is one of the few Manufactures in Switzerland
to do this.