INSIGHT: Watchmaking with Montblanc
Felix ScholzA few weeks ago we co-hosted an exclusive evening in Sydney with Montblanc. For our guests it was an opportunity to see their latest and greatest watches – but for many, the real highlight was meeting Mr Julien Miribel, the head of Montblanc’s Villeret prototype workshop. A small handful of our guests had the opportunity to take part in a one-on-one workshop with the master watchmaker.
We caught up with three of those lucky chaps – Brett Robinson, Luka Sikiric and Mario Hasanakos – to get the lowdown on what it’s like to learn from the best, and to see if any have ditched their day jobs to become a watchmaker’s apprentice.
T+T: So guys, what did you get to do?
Brett: Julien started off by explaining the basic functions of a mechanical movement. Then, step-by-step, we dismantled the major components of our movements, and carefully separated them – by function – into parts trays. And that was the easy part! Reassembling our movements was infinitely more challenging, and really drove home how steady a watchmaker’s hands have to be. But – thanks to Julien – we eventually managed to coax our movements back to life.
T+T: What was the hardest part?
Brett: I work with precision tools quite a bit, but I definitely overestimated how proficient I’d be with watchmaker’s tools. These guys work on an entirely different scale, and the careful placement of minuscule components is more difficult than you could ever imagine. This just made me appreciate the skills of a watchmaker even more.
T+T: These watchmakers are next level. Mario, Luka what did you find difficult?
Mario: Tiny screws. Tiny. Damn. Screws.
Luka: Putting the bloody pallet fork back in. So fiddly! You have to be so accurate when putting some of the pieces back in place. It’s not as plug-and-play as I thought; you can’t really slide something around until it locks into place. You really have to have to be dead on.
T+T: I’m sensing some frustration here – and the Unitas movement you were working on is relatively ‘big’. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to work on something more complicated. So, what did you enjoy most?
Luka: Seeing the movement start to beat again after putting it back together was pretty great.
Mario: The demonstration was great but to be honest the best part was talking about Julien’s life and work in between steps. He told us stories about how in watchmaking school, when they lost screws, they wouldn’t give them replacements – they’d force them to crawl around on the ground for hours until they found them. He said it was a mistake you didn’t make too many times.
“…when they lost screws, they wouldn’t give them replacements – they’d force them to crawl around on the ground for hours until they found them. He said it was a mistake you didn’t make too many times.”
Mario: We talked about watchmakers and houses he knew and respected, like Philippe Dufour and Kari Voutilainen. He talked about how he and Philippe Dufour met occasionally since they’re both smokers. It was a special experience to see the human side of watchmaking. We argue and admire and lust after these timepieces all day long, but your forget that there are people behind them, with lives and stories. It was nice to glimpse at that.
T+T: He sounds like a fascinating guy.
Brett: I wasn’t prepared for just how humble he is. It’s clear he’s somewhat embarrassed by the ‘master watchmaker’ label. In his heart he believes the only watchmakers truly worthy of the title are the great masters of centuries ago – guys like Abraham-Louis Breguet. Having had some first-hand insight into Julien’s skill, I’d say he’s more than worthy of being considered a Master Watchmaker. I found his humility and down-to-earth nature inspiring.
T+T: After your 30-minute masterclass, do you think you could cut it as a watchmaker?
Luka: I would in a heartbeat! Give me a one-way ticket to Switzerland. I’ve always loved working with my hands and mechanical things. There’s nothing more satisfying than screwing in a screw.
T+T: How about you, Mario? Ready for a career change?
Mario: Ha, no chance… But meeting Julien has inspired me to learn in my spare time. If in a few years of weekend tinkering I could be buying project watches on eBay, restoring them to some of their former glory and giving them away as gifts, I’d be chuffed.
T+T: Has trying it for yourself changed your appreciation for Montblanc’s watchmaking?
Mario: The whole night changed the way I view Montblanc… I was really impressed by the quality of their recent releases.
Brett: Absolutely. I have a growing respect and admiration for Montblanc, and their Villeret timepieces in particular.
Luka: I have mountains of respect for Montblanc and especially Julien after seeing what he does and how much passion he has. I also learned that I shouldn’t drink any more coffee if I ever want to have a shot at working on mechanical watches.
Thanks again to our commentators Mario, Brett and Luka as well as our partners Montblanc Australia and last but by no means least, the marvelous Julien Miribel.