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After operating under Montblanc for nearly 20 years, Villeret-based watchmaker Minerva – founded in 1858 – entered a new standalone era within Montblanc in April 2026, bringing its distinctive movements and traditional hand-finishing back into focus. Its latest creation is the Minerva Laboratory Test 500H-certified Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 (Ref. 137551), featuring Minerva’s signature architecture with the balance wheel positioned above the rotating tourbillon cage. Launched in 2010, the Exo Tourbillon architecture was featured in the 2025 Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Versailles. This latest 18-piece limited-edition version follows the Minerva Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 in yellow gold, black onyx, and a deep olive green colourway.
The new Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 draws inspiration from the manufacture’s connection to Ancient Rome and its namesake goddess, Minerva. Persian blue is central to the design, appearing on the open dial and deep blue alligator strap. The colour is described as representing the eyes of the goddess Minerva and has historically been associated with royalty and divinity.
Crafted in 18K rose gold, the 44.8 mm watch features a matching fluted bezel and a two-part cameo made from blue and white agate. The polished blue agate base is topped by a recessed and laser-textured white agate dial, then hand-engraved and finished by a miniature painter. The resulting profile of Minerva is inspired by imagery from historical Minerva advertising. Blue agate, traditionally known as the “Stone of the Diplomat,” also reflects Minerva’s association with wisdom and diplomacy. The dial displays off-centred hours and minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, and the one-minute Exo Tourbillon, whose cage carries the number 10 written in Sumerian.
The rose gold-coated frame surrounding the tourbillon carries a Roman frieze pattern, while the name “Minerva” is engraved and filled with blue lacquer. A rose gold-coated plate at 4 o’clock is engraved with “XVIII”, marking the 18-piece edition and referencing the brand’s founding year, 1858. The watch also introduces the manufacture’s recognisable fluted bezel to the Exo Tourbillon for the first time, with both bezel and case crafted in 18K rose gold.
The patented Exo Tourbillon has been showcased with extensive skeletonisation, with more than 400 hand-polished inner bevels creating an open structure with extensive negative space. The tourbillon is secured by a single-arm balance bridge, while detailed anglage, inner-angle beveling, and mirror polishing complete the hand finishing.
Beating inside is the Minerva Manufacture Calibre M18.69, a manually wound movement comprising 188 hand-decorated components. The patented one-minute Suspended Exo Tourbillon places the 14.5 mm balance wheel above the tourbillon cage. The movement beats at 2.5 Hz or 18,800 vph and offers about 50 hours of power reserve. It uses a screw balance with a moment of inertia of 59 mgcm² and a hairspring with the Phillips terminal curve. It also carries the Minerva Laboratory Test 500H certification.
The open-worked anthracite ruthenium-coated German silver plates and bridges feature stretched stripes and hand-chamfered edges. The gold-coated going train has circular graining, chamfering, and diamond hubs, while the mirror-polished open-worked ratchet incorporates circular graining and a winding pawl shaped like the Minerva arrow.
On the front side, the case is topped with a domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating, a rose gold sapphire caseback with simple anti-reflective coating, a 30-metre water-resistance rating, and an 18K rose gold crown bearing the Minerva Arrow. The watch is fitted with a deep Persian blue semi-matt alligator strap featuring a Roman frieze pattern on the lining and an 18K rose gold triple-folding clasp. It is presented in a Persian blue presentation box made from walnut wood and features a Roman frieze pattern, along with a compartment containing a blue watchmaker’s magnifying loupe.
The Minerva Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 is priced at approx. INR 1.70 Cr.
Images: Montblanc/Minerva
After operating under Montblanc for nearly 20 years, Villeret-based watchmaker Minerva – founded in 1858 – entered a new standalone era within Montblanc in April 2026, bringing its distinctive movements and traditional hand-finishing back into focus. Its latest creation is the Minerva Laboratory Test 500H-certified Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 (Ref. 137551), featuring Minerva’s signature architecture with the balance wheel positioned above the rotating tourbillon cage. Launched in 2010, the Exo Tourbillon architecture was featured in the 2025 Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Versailles. This latest 18-piece limited-edition version follows the Minerva Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 in yellow gold, black onyx, and a deep olive green colourway.
The new Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 draws inspiration from the manufacture’s connection to Ancient Rome and its namesake goddess, Minerva. Persian blue is central to the design, appearing on the open dial and deep blue alligator strap. The colour is described as representing the eyes of the goddess Minerva and has historically been associated with royalty and divinity.
Crafted in 18K rose gold, the 44.8 mm watch features a matching fluted bezel and a two-part cameo made from blue and white agate. The polished blue agate base is topped by a recessed and laser-textured white agate dial, then hand-engraved and finished by a miniature painter. The resulting profile of Minerva is inspired by imagery from historical Minerva advertising. Blue agate, traditionally known as the “Stone of the Diplomat,” also reflects Minerva’s association with wisdom and diplomacy. The dial displays off-centred hours and minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, and the one-minute Exo Tourbillon, whose cage carries the number 10 written in Sumerian.
The rose gold-coated frame surrounding the tourbillon carries a Roman frieze pattern, while the name “Minerva” is engraved and filled with blue lacquer. A rose gold-coated plate at 4 o’clock is engraved with “XVIII”, marking the 18-piece edition and referencing the brand’s founding year, 1858. The watch also introduces the manufacture’s recognisable fluted bezel to the Exo Tourbillon for the first time, with both bezel and case crafted in 18K rose gold.
The patented Exo Tourbillon has been showcased with extensive skeletonisation, with more than 400 hand-polished inner bevels creating an open structure with extensive negative space. The tourbillon is secured by a single-arm balance bridge, while detailed anglage, inner-angle beveling, and mirror polishing complete the hand finishing.
Beating inside is the Minerva Manufacture Calibre M18.69, a manually wound movement comprising 188 hand-decorated components. The patented one-minute Suspended Exo Tourbillon places the 14.5 mm balance wheel above the tourbillon cage. The movement beats at 2.5 Hz or 18,800 vph and offers about 50 hours of power reserve. It uses a screw balance with a moment of inertia of 59 mgcm² and a hairspring with the Phillips terminal curve. It also carries the Minerva Laboratory Test 500H certification.
The open-worked anthracite ruthenium-coated German silver plates and bridges feature stretched stripes and hand-chamfered edges. The gold-coated going train has circular graining, chamfering, and diamond hubs, while the mirror-polished open-worked ratchet incorporates circular graining and a winding pawl shaped like the Minerva arrow.
On the front side, the case is topped with a domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating, a rose gold sapphire caseback with simple anti-reflective coating, a 30-metre water-resistance rating, and an 18K rose gold crown bearing the Minerva Arrow. The watch is fitted with a deep Persian blue semi-matt alligator strap featuring a Roman frieze pattern on the lining and an 18K rose gold triple-folding clasp. It is presented in a Persian blue presentation box made from walnut wood and features a Roman frieze pattern, along with a compartment containing a blue watchmaker’s magnifying loupe.
The Minerva Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18 is priced at approx. INR 1.70 Cr.
Images: Montblanc/Minerva
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