Montblanc at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival

There are more reasons why Cannes is the most stylish and chic film festival in the world – not just because I say so. It is the only time when together with fashion press releases I receive emails from luxury watch-makers like Montblanc talking about the famous faces they 'accessorised' for the occasion.
Amongst these famous (and chic) faces were Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius, who wore the Montblanc TimwWalker World-Wide Northern Hemisphere watch at the Orange Party. I wouldn't have normally thought of this model for an evening look but on Michel it gives his look a really sporty touch that makes him look even cooler.
Jimmy Jean Louis also went for a model I wouldn't have necessarily chosen to wear with a tuxedo. His Montblanc Chrono Voyager UTC made him look like James Bond at the Orange party.

The two models I would have likely gone through – to be honest, I would wear them every day – are the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours and the Montblanc Star Chronograph UTC Automatic watches I posted about a few months ago.

Courtesy of Montblanc

Frank Loves: Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858

My fixation with watches is, along with another for shoes and the finer things in life, one of the mian things I seem to have inherited from my dear father. I used to steal his watches all the time when I was younger but for some years now I have wanted to start a collection of my own.
I probably stared at the pictures above for a good 10 minutes after opening an email from Montblanc, who showed their new watch collection at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva for the first time. You are looking at two of the new members of the Collection Villeret 1858, specifically at the ExoTourbillon Chronographe. It features a large minute-hand and elapsed-seconds hand at the centre of the dial, a small off-centre circle for the hours, a second time zone with day/night indication, a small hand for the continually running seconds and a chronograph with a counter for 30 elapsed minutes.
My favourite without a doubt is the model in white gold (left), which together with the model in red gold have been produced in a limited edition of eight timepieces of 18 karats each. I have a tendency for always choosing the finest, most expensive pieces without even knowing it. There is something so mesmerising and somehow mysterious about the way a watch works and this one is extremely beautiful too.

Courtesy of Montblanc

Also at the SIHH, Montblanc presented some of their other lines. Runner up after the ExoTourbillon is the Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours, which I love in red gold. Not only it's seigniorial and elegant but it features a revolutionary new technology whereby the hour numerals change colour – pale blue during the night and black during the day. – The perfect present for my 25th Birthday in March, I might add.

The TimeWalker Watches for Globetrotters collection was also presented at the SIHH. My favourite of the models is the TwinFly Chronograph, which allows its wearer to check the time on two different time zones and is also a 24 hour watch, so you know whether it's night or day.

The Villeret 1858 ExoTourbillon collection is available from this month. For the Nicolas Rieussec Rissing Hours and the TimeWalker we will have to wait until October and September 2013 respectively. Check more from Montblanc at the SIHH on their Youtube channel here.

Christmas Wishlist: The Montblanc Meisterstück

Courtesy of Montblanc

If five years ago someone had come up to me and told me I was going to get a pen for Christmas I would have cursed them inside. A fountain pen is, like whiskey, a thing you can only appreciate with age and wisdom. I don't know if this is normal for a young man getting closer to his mid twenties but I am beginning to want fewer and fewer things but make sure that what I get is excellent.
My dad is the owner of one of these incredible Montblanc pens. I remember my mum bought it for him years and years ago as a (I think) birthday present. Even since then he's taken good care of it. It's the pen with which he signs contracts, important letters and the like. I guess observing this over the years (I was, of course, not allowed to use the pen) contributed to my wanting my own one.
I would have to carefully choose the exact model and design I'd like. My dad's is a black roller pen model with a sort of silver grid –something very similar to this. And so I wonder whether the iconic Meisterstrück fountain pen, which celebrates its 87th anniversary, is the one for me.

Each Meisterstrück has a 18 K hand-ground gold nib with platinum inlay, three gold-plated rings, gold-plated clip and deep black precious resin barrel make this luxurious writing instrument a legend among fountain pens. The white star at the top of the pen represents the snow-covered summit of Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, which height “4810” is engraved on the pen itself.
Do watch the beautiful video below. I was amazed by the time, care and craftsmanship that go into every single pen. This only makes me want a Montblanc pen even more!