Montblanc has revealed the new Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 8 that has been completely revamped to add a fully-skeletonized, three-dimensional movement. The updated design and the skeletonized movement takes transparency and suspension of the watch to a whole new level. As you would have guessed already, the highlight of the watch is its incredible movement – the Manufacture Calibre MB M18.69. While the original patented Exo Tourbillon movement was created in-house at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret and the watchmaker took over three years to develop it, the new Calibre MB M18.69 was derived out of it and the engineers to 18 more months to skeletonize and perfect it. Made out of 188 components, the movement had to be completely reworked in terms of aesthetics, geometry, and stability.
The 188 components of the Calibre MB M18.69 are all decorated in the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret with traditional horological procedures, including circular graining, mirror-polishing, and beveling with inner angles. According to Montblanc, the movement has more than 420 inner angles that take over two weeks to be decorated by expert craftsmen and women. The 44mm case is in 18 K rose gold and features sapphire crystals on both sides to offer an unobstructed view of the movement. The off-centered dial is located at 12 o’clock and is made of 18 K gold and Grand Feu enamel – a rare technical feat. The 18k rose gold leaf hour and minute hands complete the overall aesthetic. The watch is paired to a brown Sfumato alligator leather strap from the Pelletteria in Florence, Italy. As the name suggests, the watch is a limited edition of only 8 pieces, but there is no word on the price as of yet.