Continuing on from the unveiling of last year’s Montblanc Bohème ExoTourbillon Slim 110 years Anniversary Limited Edition 10 with its red or blue dial, Montblanc is now unveiling the Montblanc Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18, in harmonious shades of purple.

Available in a choice of 18K red gold or 18K white gold, these new Bohème timepieces enrich the codes of fine watchmaking with elegance and femininity. Each dial is a work of art enhancing traditional decoration, such as gem-setting, miniature gold-work and hand-painted lacquer—all on a delicate backdrop of white mother-of-pearl.

The refined craftsmanship continues across the cases which feature slightly curved faceted horns, sculpted onion crowns, and bezels set with sparkling diamonds. A closer look reveals the Bohème design details, such as leaf-shaped hands and floral Arabic numerals that all attest to the attention to detail that goes into the creation of each and every Montblanc Bohème timepiece.

Montblanc Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18

High complications and feminine Haute Horlogerie in its most elegant form.

The new Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18 epitomizes the Bohème Spirit, combining sophistication, self-confidence and authenticity.

The patented ExoTourbillon with a micro-rotor

Equipped with Montblanc’s patented ExoTourbillon automatic calibre MB M29.24, this limited edition of 18 pieces offers the highest of complications with its ExoTourbillon mechanism, fine craftsmanship, utmost precision, and elegance. The one-minute ExoTourbillon took over three years of research & development to produce and comes with a quick stop-second mechanism and a micro-rotor that were both created entirely in-house with the mechanical expertise by the master watchmakers at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, Switzerland.

The ExoTourbillon outperforms standard tourbillon constructions for two reasons. Firstly, the weight of the cage of the ExoTourbillon is disconnected from the balance wheel, and secondly, the weight of the cage is minimal, thus resulting in higher precision and improved isochronism. The balance wheel has a diameter of 9.7 mm, which also plays an important part in the performance of the timepiece thanks to its impressive 18 screws — four of which can be adjusted, and 14 of which are fixed — further improving precision and following the purest watchmaking tradition.

The barrel, with its 48-hour power reserve, is embedded inside the vertical satin-finished main plate. Its position within the architecture of the movement was the result of a high level of development and testing that sought out the optimal equilibrium between the barrel, the rotor and the balance wheel.

The ExoTourbillon automatic calibre MB M29.24 incorporates a micro-rotor and allows an uninterrupted view on the movement through a sapphire crystal caseback, in comparison to a standard rotor that always hides half of the movement. The whole construction measures a mere 4.5 mm in height, a feat in itself for a calibre of this complexity.

Quick stop-second mechanism

The ExoTourbillon features a practical quick stop-second mechanism. This function is made possible thanks to the construction of a whip, which halts the large balance with its 18 screws and restarts it on demand. Optimal geometry and kinematics were studied in depth to find the right angle at the end of the whip, allowing the user to set the time to the exact second and ensure an immediate restart of the movement. The quick stop-second mechanism instantly stops the balance from rotating, instead of halting the tourbillon cage, which can cause the balance to continue swinging and upset the precision of the watch. All the functions and operations are set via the crown at three o’clock.

The beauty of traditional finishing

For elegance and craftsmanship, this innovative in-house manufacture movement has been decorated to the high standards of fine watchmaking: Côtes de Genève "en éventail” decoration on the bridges and micro-rotor, mirror polishing on the red gold-plated tourbillon bridge in the shape of a twirling stick, satin-finishing on the main plate, and a sunray finishing on the plate below the micro-rotor.

The hand-crafted artisanal dial

A symbol of life and rebirth, the serpent has been an object of desire and fascination through the ages. A recurring motif in art and design, the mysterious creature was a rich source of inspiration during the Art Nouveau and Art Deco at the beginning of the 20th century. Today it provides the inspiration for the dial of the Montblanc Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18. The multilayer sophisticated dial has been hand-crafted using a refined white mother-of-pearl that becomes the canvas for the decoration. The first step is the application of fine gold bands that take on the form of the serpent’s body and its honeycomb scales. Then the gold-plated hornet’s nest and the number 12 are applied onto the delicate mother-of-pearl dial, creating a three-dimensional effect as the serpent entwines its body above and below the gold ribbons. The artisan will then begin hand-painting the serpent’s body with different shades of purple, bringing even more depth to the design. The final step is the setting of 51 blue, rose and purple gem-stones onto the serpent and two red rubies for the eyes that are embedded into the red gold-plated elements of the reptile for utmost refinement.

The multi-level construction, with its different elements, finishings, artistic techniques and levels, is the result of fine artisanal craftsmanship. This artistic and aesthetic approach, as well as the specific know-how required to create a dial of this complexity, takes the Maison’s artisans over one month to complete.

Following the codes of the Bohème collection, the timepiece features floral Arabic numeral with sensuous curves and leaf-shaped hour and minute hands which have been coated with a purple colour to match the overall aesthetic.

A sparkling slim case

Designed to suit smaller wrists, the 38 mm slim case comes in a choice of 18K red gold or 18K white gold and measures a mere 9.37 mm in height. The elegant case design includes slightly curved integrated horns, an onion crown with the patented Montblanc diamond and 58 Top Wesselton diamonds that illuminate the bezel – the perfect combination for the contemporary and sophisticated woman who appreciates the aesthetic of fine watchmaking.

The Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18 comes fitted with a matching purple alligator strap with large scales and a 18K gold pin buckle set with a diamond surrounded by the Montblanc emblem’s engraving.

The Montblanc Bohème ExoTourbillon Jewellery Motif Serpent Limited Edition 18 is tested for over 500 hours and is certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500, guaranteeing utmost performance and reliability.