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Scottish Watches Podcast #769 : Unveiling Minerva’s 2026 Secret With CEO Laurent Lecamp
00:55:48
This episode marks the culmination of months of travel, research, and conversations as we take a deep dive into one of the most storied names in watchmaking, Minerva. Today, we’re...
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Scottish Watches podcast. This is the culmination of many, many months of planning, of preparation, of visits around the world, myself, Dave and other folks, including Simon, to find out about a brand that has been on the lips of many a collector for many a year. And it's been our pleasure to bring it to a mass, an audience, people that want to learn about watchmaking, the history, where things have been and where things are going into the future. And, Dave, we finish off with the grand prize today, don't we?
- [00:29]
B
We do indeed. This episode is going to be all about the brand that is, of course, Minerva, one of the most storied brands in the watch industry that has got possibly one of the best views out of the atelier window directly onto some, well, very scenic scenery out there in Switzerland. Even indications of that view out the window shown on the movements. But we'll get into that because we've seen lots of exciting things all about the brand, what they do, how they still do things very traditionally in some respects, and also how they're bringing modern technology and modern ways into what they do to bring these exceptional timepieces to the world. So, yes, we've got a special guest to round out these episodes. This is the fourth episode and we have with us Lauren LeCamp, who is the CEO of Minerva. So welcome to the podcast, Lauren.
- [01:21]
C
Merci. Merci beaucoup. You told me we'll be in French. I'm very surprised.
- [01:26]
B
Oui, c' est trebien.
- [01:27]
A
He started already. Long term listeners will recognize those dulcet tones because it is the man with the longest wrist. Check ever back once again, the Villeray language.
- [01:36]
C
The language in Villeray, where we are, the mineral manufacture, is French. And I promise to all my customers worldwide that French is the only language we speak in Villeray. So today we make an exception. Only for you, it's an exception. Oui, oui.
- [01:51]
A
But thank you very much for making an exception for us. It's usually the other way around. We have to try and give an international flavour to our Scottish accents so that people across the world can actually understand what we say. But should we tell people that they should check the show notes, Dave?
- [02:05]
B
We should definitely do that. The show notes are where you'll get all the information about the things we're going to be talking about on this episode. We have got some rather special watches that we're talking about. In fact, as we record this, we're still under NDA. When you hear this, it will be very soon after these watches are made public and we've got some very special pieces that we're going to be talking about. And the show notes will be your friend because trying to describe them will not do them the justice that the pictures will indeed do them. And there's some very special things that you'll see in the show notes, so definitely check those out.
- [02:35]
A
And we're actually ahead of the game. We are recording this, obviously well in advance to make sure that things are perfect. And Lauren, where exactly are you? If I'm looking at my T shirt here, are you potentially in this location here?
- [02:48]
C
I see card 21 on your T shirt and I see Paris as well. Yes. So I am in Paris now because today is the magic day for us because it's the first time we're introducing timepieces with Milova only on the dial and Milova only on the case pack and Milever only on the buckle. So it's a big change. And I'm sure that in the next few minutes together we'll explain what is happening.
- [03:16]
B
So what you've said there is that Montblanc and Minerva are still the same group, but they're operating as separate brands under the same umbrella. Would that be an accurate way to describe it?
- [03:27]
C
Yes. Minava is still part of the Mont Blanc Maison, but now it was time for Minerva to express itself in a new way with Minerva alone on the dial, on the case, back on the clasp and so on. And it was something extremely expected by most of the collectors who have worldwide. And we are realizing their wishes. I would say in a way that's
- [03:49]
A
good, that clears anything in the collector's minds where people might be wondering if there's a breakaway or not a falling out. Obviously nobody would fall out. But the reasons behind it, because we've seen different luxury brands, Lexus, Toyota, things like that, where they are different, there is an upper echelon and moving brands. So they're in their own distinct pathways. I think that's the best way going forward.
- [04:13]
B
Yes, I think that's fair to say that Minerva is a brand that was, if we remember recently when we were talking back the first time you were on the podcast, it was been brought into the custodianship of the greater group and of course, that falling under Montblanc. But things are changing, things are afoot. So maybe you should give our listeners a bit of an overview of those changes that are taking place, what's happening and maybe some of the reasoning behind it.
- [04:40]
C
Yes. So we have the Mont Blanc Maison and Minerva now is a distinctive entity within the maison. So it means that now, as explained, Mont Blanc on the one hand, you have Minerva on the other hand. And Minerva is coming back with Minerva on the dial, but it means Minerva alone. It's something that was extremely requested in the last four or five years by the collectors I've met worldwide. And I have to say that Minerva has such a high level of tradition, of passion, of DNA, that I think it was the right term now to put everything as Minerva only. And I'm quite sure that all people listening to this podcast will be very excited about this new change. But this is on the one hand. On the other hand, we have to say that Montblanc, the timepieces also as timepieces. Montblanc, it's extremely strong now. There was stronger condition as a watchmaker, and I think now it's the best time to have this distinctive an entity with Minerva as Montblanc is mature enough now and does not need the support of Minerva. We have Montblanc collectors worldwide. I will tell you something. We have some products such as the IC, and we have people collecting all new models in 21 countries. The Nicola Riesek is being collected so in more than 25 countries by people eating each new model. Montblanc is a real watchmaker. It's so strong. And Minerva, now it's time to express Minerva 100%. And when you see the tradition, the inventivity, the creativity, the innovations we are behind, that's the right time. So I'm very excited to say more, but I still wait for your questions.
- [06:30]
B
Both myself and Ricky were lucky enough to get over to the atelier only a few months ago. I had been a couple of times before, but even I, on this second journey saw quite a lot of changes within what was happening in that atelier. You know, the amount of focus that's being put into the building and the workspace where the people that are working on these super special watches. And of course, the movements really did stand out to us.
- [06:56]
A
Remember, we nearly got a job.
- [06:58]
B
We did. We nearly got a job doing some decoration. The decoration. Let's just say when we get a job, it will be the job sweeping the floor. It will not be the job of actually doing the decoration, because no, no, we were definitely not good enough to be doing the level of finishing that is required to even remotely get accepted to be working on these types of movements.
- [07:20]
C
If you pay attention to a Minerva caliber, you will see a few elements that are only available in Villeray at the manufacturer. I give you a few examples, you know, but many people do not know about it that the hairspring is produced in house. We have our own hairsprings. To be honest, we have two of them being used for all our calibers. The name of this earth spring is Minervir. It's magical. From Minerva, of course, Minerva. The Minervear is an alloy of 50 different types of materials. This earth spring we created seven years. Development, investment, innovation. But now each of our timepieces producing wilheln do have this hairspring in house made. We have two people working on it. And I can tell you that every time we have a visit of the manufacturer, all the collectors ask about it. They want to see it, how we produce it. That's on the one hand. Now let's pay attention to the materials we are using for the plates and for the bridges. And allow me to say this in French. Mein shore, German silver, in English, it's a mix of nickel, copper and zinc. That's exactly how it was in the past 80, 100 years ago. We are still working with the Mishar, which is something expensive, which is something not used in this industry anymore. By using the wechard for all our plates, all our bridges, and inside our calipers, we are not working with the brass. We are working with the steel for the other components. And now check on the cage, each component. So each caliber is assembled two times by the same watchmaker. We assemble, we disassemble, we reassemble. And why do I say by one watchmaker? Because each timepiece has been assembled by one watchmaker. We know exactly who is behind, and we propose our end customers to meet their watchmaker. And that's something that our collectors really appreciate because they have the possibility to meet the watchmakers. Just yesterday, and I'm in Paris yesterday, I was in Villa. We received a few collectors and one of them was so excited, he came from Italy. He said, I want to meet my watchmaker. And he had a picture with a watchmaker. And he told me, if it's possible that the next pieces will be assembled by this watchmaker. So we are developing something extremely emotional. And that's the magic, the magic of mine. And now you have to stop me. If you don't stop me, it will be a very long podcast. But now he should be, well, we
- [09:55]
A
do have to stop you, because the last time, and Simon, that was on the show previous in this miniseries, he made the joke about you doing the world's longest wrist check. We've done 750 plus episodes of this show over the past six, seven years. And yours has been the best and the longest. So we will curtail the excitement and enthusiasm at the moment because we have three timepieces to talk about, and if we divide up the amount of time we've got left, we're going to have to make sure that we get through them all. So where do you want to land first? Which one should we speak about first?
- [10:25]
C
Oh, Cronless. The unveiled chronless.
- [10:28]
B
I'm glad you said that. Because of the watches that we've had the pleasure of reviewing and looking at prior to them being made public, this, of the three is my favorite. I love the innovation that's going on in this one. As much as it got huge amounts of skill and traditional craftsmanship involved in it, there's some genuine, real innovation going on in this watch. And I'm a man that likes symmetry, so this definitely appeals to me.
- [10:55]
C
So now I'm very excited to explain this. So thank you for this, for this very positive comment. I'm very touched by this. So the anvil Crownless. Okay, back to the 20s. In December 1927, Minerva applied for a patent for a bezel. This bezel was used for the pilots. It was end of the 20s. This bezel is clearly a sign of distinction. It's clearly a signature for Minerva. And I reintroduced this bezel in 2022. To be honest with you, when I joined five years ago, Minerva, I was reading a lot of books about Minerva to learn about the history of Minerva. And in one of the books, I found a picture of a timepiece developed in the 20s and then in the 30s with this beautiful bezel. And that's how I came to the idea to use this bezel as a signature for the brand. The crownless, the Helveld Crownless has a beautiful gold bezel, the same bezel as the one we developed in the past. But this bezel is an active one. What does it mean? It means that if you pay attention to the timepiece, something is missing. Something very important, very key for a timepiece. The crown. But why should we have a crown if we have a bezel? That's the question. And if you pay attention, when you turn the bezel on the left, this is for warning output watch. We have up to 80 hours per result. And when you turn on the right, something magical will happen. Nothing. And that's the magical. Because we all have a tool or something in our hands where we are waiting for something, and then you can turn right and nothing will happen. It's just something will be very easily addicted I'm already addicted to this. But now question is, how do you adjust the time? How do you set the time? If you turn the watch around, you will see, first of all, a beautiful new caliber, the 1508, developed only for this complication. It's a completely new caliber,139 components with onion spring with the Meishcher. So German silver for the plates, for the bridges, and so on, assumed by one watchmaker two times. And then you will find a small element. And when you just pull out this element and you turn the watch around, if you touch the bezel, you can set the time, meaning that the bezel has many different functions. Without touching the small elements on the case back, you can this for winding up the watch, and this is for playing with the bezel. If you just pull out these small elements on the case back, then you can adjust the time. It's so unique that it has been patented. And now you should pay attention to something interesting as well, which is a dial. The dial is the one we developed at the manufacture in the 50s with a very specific and unique guillotine. So back to the roots. That's a strong innovation. Back to the roots. And again, if you pay attention to another element, which is the new buccal, you will find something really interesting, because inside the buckle, you see the Minerva arrow that has been skeletoned, you see? And then also, if you pull down here, or if you pull up this way, you have a fine adjustment inside the buckle, which is completely hidden. And last but not least, we have developed a buckle so that it's extremely easy to put it in any holes of the bracelets. And when you remove it, you are not damaging at all the holes. And that's something I pay huge attention to, because all collectors I've met in the last years, they were complaining about whatever the brand about the. The buckle. Let's say it's not qualitative enough for their expectations. And we spend time with a team together to develop a new buckle, something unique, which is only produced by Minerva for our collectors. And last but not least, because I have to say, this luxury lies in details. If you pay attention to the packaging we have developed, it's a very unique one. This packaging is like a piece of wood. It's walnut wood. And if I give that packaging to you, you have to find a way to open and close it, because if you don't know how to open it, how to close it, you will never have access to the watch inside. And this year, we are coming with very high complication because you have to move five small elements so that you can open and discover your timepiece inside. But we tested with a lot of collectors. None of them found a way to open it.
- [15:28]
A
So they got boxes that don't actually have watches in them at all.
- [15:31]
C
It means if you have your watch inside and you forget how to open it, you have a big issue. But of course, we deliver a certificate, we explain how to do it. But I just want to insist on the fact that luxury lies in details. I mean, when we are passionate about watches, we are passionate about packaging as well. Because when you keep watches for many years and perhaps for the next generations, don't forget that any Minerva timepiece can be repaired from 1902. All of them, no exception. It means that we guarantee that we can repair any Minerva timepiece since 1902. Why 1902? This is the first time we develop our own manufacturer. So Minerva, you buy it and you give it to the next generation, but the packaging should be given as well. And then the next generation, we give to the next one and the packaging as well. And that's why we spend 18 months developing very beautiful luxury and technical packaging for our collectors as well.
- [16:25]
A
You're telling the truth. Not that we would think otherwise, because when myself and Dave came across to check things out in Villary, we got to see some of the drawings, the technique, the books, the books and books and books with all the information, including who bought which watch way back to 100 plus years ago. We got to look upstairs in the attic where there are all the spare parts. When it comes to things these days, perhaps cars, electronics, spare parts will lie around for maybe five years, 10 years, potentially 15 years. You guys have got spare parts going back over a century. This is insane. And there will be pictures in the show notes, because we took lots of pictures when we were across. It was pretty incredible, Dave.
- [17:02]
B
Yeah, absolutely. It was also amazing when you watched that there were some staff members that accompanied us into the attic space. And even those guys, even though they're working in that building every day, they were absolutely fascinated with all of these historical objects that are still usable, could still be used to repair watches, and are still within that building. I think with Minerva, it's probably one of the few, if not one of the only brands, certainly in Switzerland, that has that kind of legacy that's still in the original building. We all know the Swiss watch quartz crisis that happened 40 plus years ago now. But so much of the industry lost so much of its history and heritage. And the fact that Minerva has managed to hold on to that history. That depth of knowledge and all of these skills and parts is testament to it being one of the brands that really does genuinely have that depth of history.
- [17:57]
C
Absolutely. And if I, if I may jump, if you follow me, I would like to add something. Minerva, at the end of 19th century was worlded in Antwerp, in Paris, for the. It was the World Exhibition. Minerva, when we had the crisis in the 70s, for example, was working with the submariners, the submarines, you know, the sonar, for example. You have to calculate precisely how so based on the sound, the speed and everything. And it was made with Minerva.
- [18:29]
A
Really?
- [18:29]
C
Yes. If we found in the archives, we found in the archives that in 1966, for example, Minerva was the timekeeper for the Formula One. In 1936, Minerva was the timekeeper for the Olympic Games, the Winter Games in Germany. We found that Minerva was the official timekeeper for horse races as well. So just to show you in a few words how strong Minerva is, how strong it was, and how strong it will continue to be.
- [18:58]
B
And one of the things actually that we didn't mention when we were talking about the watches is the testing that goes on, this magical 500 hour, the internal testing that's done not just to this watch, but in fact to all Minerva watches. Maybe it's worth just elaborating a little bit about that 500 hour test which we talked about. The movements were built twice. But there's also this test.
- [19:20]
C
Absolutely. This test is there to certify that each minute timepiece is checked. We checked in different positions, we are checking with the functions and so on. And the 500 test is key for. That's why when the customer say, I look forward to getting my piece, we feel sorry because we say once it is assembled two times, then you have to wait a 500 hour test. But that's something we want to keep because we see there something extremely powerful in terms of, I would say, quality. And, you know, by Minerva, we consider the time as a value and we consider that each good thing comes with a time to get it. If you ask me, for example, today, how many days, how many weeks needed for assembling your crownless timepiece, I would tell you I have no answer. It depends on the watchmaker doing this. As I told you, there is one watchmaker assembling a watch from A to Z. If the watchmaker is on holiday, the watch will not be assembled by any other watchmaker. And then we have a 500 hours test coming. And if we see there is any small issue Then we disassemble, we reassemble, and there is another 500 hours test. That's the way it is. We take time because time is the most precious value by Manila.
- [20:37]
B
And I think it's fair to say, you know, you mentioned that, you know, that is true luxury. True luxury is something that you have to wait for. It's something that you earn. It's not something that you should just be able to obtain instantaneously. And it's the craftsmanship and the, you know, the time served nature of the individuals concerned that are doing it. And I think it's great that you are so open about it. You know, sometimes in luxury, the customer shouts loudly, I must have it tomorrow. And brands do that. But with you and with Minerva, it's. Unfortunately, you have to wait your time to get the watch to make sure that it's perfect.
- [21:13]
C
Absolutely. And I will tell you something. When I was 28 and approximately six months, 28 and a half, I visited. I was in a. In a. In a village in Provence, Saint Amie, Provence. I fell in love with a painting. But I could not afford it. It was. A few thousand euros was too much for me at the time, and I had to wait. I just enter into the. The. The boutique and I made a down payment and I promised to be back for my 30th birthday one year and a half later. Because you just say that we have to wait for it. That's why I just want to explain this. And when I was 30, I was back. I paid cash to get this painting. This painting needed one and a half for me to be bought. And now, a few years later, I will not tell you how many years, because then, you know, my age. But a few years later, one year. Few years. Thank you. But the thing is, one year. So a few. A few years later, I still have the same pleasure every time I look at this spending. And you know why? Because I was waiting for it. And that's luxury. If you get something immediately, you don't have the value of this. That's my point of view. And this spending, whatever the amount you are willing to give me to get it, I will never sell it. I will keep it for myself till the end of my life, and probably my daughter will get it after. But that's the emotional point. And what you say is really good. You say you have to wait for it. That's exactly the point. And that's the same for me.
- [22:37]
A
Now, the English term, I think, is good things come to those who wait. And the longer you wait, you anticipate, you look forward. The better the taste is once you finally get the delivery, once you get the call to come in and collect. And I can totally understand why collectors that have waited a certain amount of time, maybe ask you don't worry about the 500 hours check in. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just give me it. It'll be fine. When we've spoken with Simon in the past about your collectors, about the people that do travel from across the world to come and meet their watchmaker. It's like children in a sweet shop. It's like kids in a toy shop. It's exactly the same feeling that he's explained to us that he sees time and time again when people pay a visit across. And that is something that we never let go of. The child inside never escapes.
- [23:22]
C
You summarize everything in a perfect way.
- [23:25]
A
Well, should we move on to the next watch since we're nearly halfway through the episode and we've got two more to go?
- [23:31]
C
Absolutely. So in that case, I would like to explain Shortly the envelope secret. 43 millimeters full gold with the five lateral openings. Sapphire. It's a beautiful product. The movement inside is based on a movement developed in the 20s. But not in the 20s. 2000s. In the 20s, 1920s. And it was in late, late 20s. It was 16 lines. You know, at the time, it was not centimeter or millimeter. It was lines. It was 16 lines and one line is about 2.25 centimeter. And this, it's. It's. It's a beautiful movement. You see everything. You see the 291 components at symbol by hand. You see the beauty of Minerva chronograph from the 20s. We are working on it with specific decorations. The snail finishing on the right side of the movements. We have specific color for the V shaped bridge. The V shape bridge is the signature of all our chronographs. It's a bridge with just a V shape. And this V shape is inspired by two elements. V like Villeray. Could be V like Victory. Why not? But there is something else in front of the manufacturer. Since 1858, every day when our watchmakers assemble timepieces, they see V shaped mountains named concrete. If you don't believe, if you say, okay, it's marketing story, I will prove you it's not because we protected this V shape as a design in 1912. The design we have just in front of us, in front of US manufacturer. This V shape. The two mountains. Yes, V shaped mountains has been protected in 1912. And all our chronograph, they do have this V shape bridge inside. And that's a strong recognition for Minerva timepiece. And then you will see through everything. But just something I should explain. You say it's a beautiful movement. It's a skeleton one. It's not skeleton one. This movement has been reversed. What does it mean? It means that a few years ago, I was back home late at night. My daughter was three years and a half and she was waiting for me and she wanted to see the dad, and the dad was late. When I arrived, she took my watch off, turned the watch around and said, papa magnifique. To be honest, she said magnifique. Because at the time there was a famous lady on television. She said, magnifique. But she said magnifique. I say, what? My small daughter, three years and a half, saying magnifique when she was observing the case pack being the beautiful movement from the 20s, said, okay, I get it. The next day I went back to the manufacturer, organized a meeting with my teams together, and I told them, guys, it's time to reveal the beauty of Minerva to the world. All our movement will be turned around, all our chronograph calibers and say, what? And we tried to do it, but there was a big issue. When you turn a caliber around, everything is working anti clockwise. So we had to develop internally a few additional components on top of the components we had, the 259 components we had. And so that everything is working clockwise. It was so unique for a chronograph monopusher to be reversed that it was patented. And that's the watch I explained to you now, 43 millimeters, only 30 pieces with the gold in the wall coming with a new buckle in gold as well, the one I just explained to you previously. This is beautiful.
- [27:00]
B
And it is beautiful because part of the construction of this movement is that it's built on pillars, which of course gives it this architectural three dimensional view as well. And as you mentioned, you know, many watches, you'll see the sapphire, of course, on the front of the watch to tell the time. You'll sometimes have the sapphire on the case back to see the movement. But not so often will you see sapphire on the flanks of the. And on the watch we're looking at here, you're able to peer in from the side of the watch and see all of the intricate workings of this movement built on these pillars, which is something that is definitely towards the rare side of what you'll ever see in high End watchmaking.
- [27:39]
A
I like to think of this as a futuristic cityscape. So we're talking about the past, we're talking about tradition, we're talking exactly almost to the year 100 years in the past, a century ago. But when you look through the side, you can see the different elevation points, like the buildings in a city. If you're watching a fly through of New York with all the skyscrapers, that's what the componentry looks like. And it is very science fiction, but a bit of steampunk rolled in because it's. It's colors from the past. It's not the silicones, it's not the crazy futuristic neons that you would expect. Obviously, it's going back in time and it fuses the past, the present and the future together perfectly.
- [28:15]
C
Yes, for me, this is exactly the point. And when you pay attention to such a timepiece, you see the past at the same time you see the future because you see the beautiful flooded Basel, which is the signature of Minerva, that will be the signature of Mindva for the years to come. And at the same time, you see the modernity. For example, the case has been opened on the side, we have five lateral openings to see through the movement, as you have explained, we have pillars to sur elevate the movement so that you can see through. And when you put it outside under the sunlight, you have the light entering into the case and showing you all the beauty of the movement. That's unique. That's again here the strength of Minerva. The past is speaking to you. That's the point at the time you observe with the lights entering inside.
- [29:01]
A
Having light enter from the side is something that most people never get to experience unless they come and they handle a watch such as this. The way that the dial lights up and there is no dial on this one, you have all the componentry and because of the edges, the finishing, everything that is done on the individual colored wheels, components, the hammers, the arms, everything that is in there, even down to the balance wheel, the light is going to refract and reflect around there like a kaleidoscope. So looking forward to potentially having a look at one of these if we get the opportunity in the future. Because although we've already been across to see you guys once, we're going to be doing a return visit in the next little while because we didn't get everything on the first attempt. Simon told us there was so much we missed that you would only find on a returning visit that there's certainly going to be a lot of magnification loops and all kinds of zoom lenses pointed in the direction of these timepieces. Dave, what's your thoughts on this one?
- [29:54]
B
This is one of my favourites, as I mentioned at the top of the show, for me, the simplicity and the kind of symmetry of the watch we talked about first, using that bezel to adjust both the time and winding up is one of my favorites, for sure. But I do like a chronograph. And what I like especially about this is something we kind of glossed over. It's a monopusher chronograph. That means, of course, that you have one pusher that's integrated into the crown. And for me, that helps to keep things as simple as you can. This is far from a simple watch. This is definitely not a simple watch. Chronographs are one of the most complicated complications that I think are often one the of overlooked. People think of other complications as being far more technically involved than a chronograph. But let's be honest, the chronograph is one of the most difficult movements to actually master within watchmaking. And then having everything controlled by one monopusher really brings it to the fore. Another thing I like about this is if people know me, they'll know I like the color brown. And this one has a special treatment on many of the plates and bridges, which brings in this brown colourway. This is a color all too often I say should be used in watches more, and people tend to shy away from it. But this one is pretty special because you've got a proprietary brown colorway PVD coating on many of the bridges and
- [31:13]
C
plates on this watch, the brown has a specific reason, the manufacture. So just upon the manufacturer, we have a huge forest and you have different types of colors during the year. You have the green, you have the white, winter, it's full white, and you have this brown color, brown from the trunks. And we decided, as this V shape is inspired by the nature, we decided to have a brown color as well, which is inspired by the forest in front of us. So you see, Minerva, you have a meaning in everything we develop. There is nothing by chance. This color is not by chance as an example. So the nature is always an inspiration for all what we are doing. That's why I love this color. And it matches perfectly with the gold of the case. That's the point.
- [31:55]
B
Yes. I was going to say, aesthetically, gold cases really work well when you put them against those hues of these browns and different tonal palette colors, because it just, to me, softens almost the gold. Gold can be especially yellow. Gold can be quite a harsh color, depending on your skin tone. But when you mix that with these browns and earthy palette tones, it somehow just softens everything a little bit and makes it much more warm feeling. That's my opinion. It's a watch that when I look at it, especially this color palette, it just makes me feel warm. And that's a strange thing to say sometimes, but it leads back into what you said. Watches are, of course, technical products, but they're also very emotional and emotive products. And it should be about how it makes you feel. That, for me, is a big part of luxury. Something that just makes you feel special, and you can't quite put your finger on why sometimes. But for me, you'll look at this and you think, whoever gets lucky to own one of these 30 pieces, they're probably going to look at it and think, this is a special piece.
- [32:52]
A
No, definitely. And I'm thinking again about what has to go in behind the sapphire and especially with this type of watch, because there is no hiding anything. Not that Minerva would hide anything, because we know you guys, but there are certain watch brands, watchmakers, manufacturers, that when they put a closed case back on it, you don't actually know what's underneath. Sometimes when something is skeletonized, it's open, worked, or it's a sapphire sandwich, you can peer through the front and the back, but the fact that you've got windows on all sides, there is no escaping it. There's nothing to hide. Nothing can be hidden. So again, the watchmaker has been able to take that apart and build it back up as if they're in the army, putting back together their machinery and doing it almost blindfolded. This is absolutely fantastic. I think this could possibly be my favorite. As much as you like the last one, Dave, but where are we going to go next?
- [33:38]
C
Next one. I think some people believe that the wall is smaller now, so let's try to visit the next timepiece in the 39 millimeter diameter.
- [33:48]
A
Sounds good to us.
- [33:49]
C
Yeah, it's the. The one I just introduced to you is 43 millimeters, but we have developed as well, 39 millimeters, very limited ones. And we have one set with diamonds, 18 pieces, only available in the world, and one which is two tone with steel and gold, only 58 pieces. Oh, by the way, 1858, by chance. Nothing by chance.
- [34:10]
A
Nice. Got it, Got it.
- [34:13]
C
Nothing by chance.
- [34:14]
B
You've taken the answer to one of my questions straight out of my mouth before I even Got the chance to ask the question, which was why are these specific lumbers of the limited editions? But you've answered it before I've even asked the question. Almost as if you knew what I was going to say.
- [34:28]
C
That's the point. But this watch has something I really like. Because if you pay attention to the dialogue and to the movement in itself, you will see that you have the feeling, you know this movement, but sometimes it looks smaller. And you're right, it's very close to the one I just introduced to you in 43 millimeters. But this one is another caliber that we developed in the 20s, but not in the late 20s, in the early 20s again, not in 2000s, but in 1920s. And it was the 1321, the name of this caliber. And now I'm introducing you to the 1326, which is a one from the beginning of the 20s that has been reversed again with the same story. Everything was working anti clockwise. And after we developed additional components. That's working clockwise, working perfectly now, but smaller size. And we can put this in a 39 millimeter diameter case. That's a difference. But it's a new movement. Because we never, never came to the idea to reverse the one we developed in the early 20s. We only focus on the one developed in the late 20s. Two different calibers look is more or less the same, because we recognize Minerva very easily. But you have a smaller size. And if you pay attention, the smaller size is very interesting because you can have some customers, some clients, some fence. I'm sorry, but customers or clients is not the word I'm using. I prefer mentioning Fence Minava. We are only working with fence. And these fans sometimes are requesting something smaller, asking us to do something smaller. But we don't want to make something smaller just to do it smaller. We need a story behind. And we discovered in the archives that in the early 20s we developed something with a smaller diameter. And we took this movement from the archives. We recreated this movement, turning them around to have today this 39 millimeter diamond diameter case. The one limited to 18 pieces is set with 84 diamonds. It's in full gold inkling for the clasp. And the One limited to 58 pieces is a mix of steel and gold, no diamonds. And it's another look. So for me, the two pieces both of either flock together. We say in English, it's true, when you see both of them, you immediately understand, okay, they have to be together. But we have 18 or 50 APCs depending on your choice. But you always find The Minowa signature with a beautiful flirty bezel on the top. As usual, this is what Minova is made of. These are essence, I would say. And this bezel will always be on our products as a signature.
- [37:01]
A
Do you find any issues when you take something that is larger sized and you reduce it? So for instance, moving from the 43 down into the high 30s, does that bring any problems for the watchmakers creating the calibers?
- [37:15]
C
So in that case, no, because we have two different calipers. The one we're using for the 43 millimeter diameter case from the late 20s was 16 lines. That's why we had 43 millimeters diameter case. The 1 in 39 millimeter diameter case was with 13 lines, so it was much smaller. So it means that they already developed at that time these two different chronograph with two different sizes. So it's not an issue for us at all.
- [37:42]
A
It's just mind boggling. To think 100 years ago people were able to do this to this level we talk about on the show. You've got to remember Swiss farmers hundreds of years ago being bored in the winter. What do we do? Oh, we'll make watches. And we can't fathom how this works. It's like trying to figure out how NASA got to the moon and then lost all the technology. And we're scratching our heads nowadays going how did they do it? How do we recreate it? To see this in this day and age even blows my mind. And it's a great reminder for people when it comes to when you become complacent. You think of wristwatches, you hear our podcast twice a week and you think it's just common or garden. It's easy. The magic happens and you don't have to worry about it. This brings it all back. This is like storytelling as a child. There's magic underneath the sapphire or in between all the sapphires when it comes to these watches. Dave, you like brown. This has got a hue of red in it. You're quite. You like red as well. What's your thoughts on this one?
- [38:35]
B
Yes, for sure. For me, I think with this one I. Diamonds are not my thing. Diamonds are not David's best friend. But the stainless steel version of this watch very much is a cool size. I was always into bigger watches, generally speaking, but I've got quite into that 39 millimeter size. It's a very sweet spot for me. I don't have huge wrists and I think for me, my journey in watches has been from tiny to huge watches. And 39 does seem to be that sweet spot. This kind of Burgundy wine, tonal color on here, it's used with a degree of restraint. I think sometimes strong colors, you can use too much of it and it overpowers the whole watch. I think in the case of this one, Burgundy works very well against the yellow gold colours. Works great. But it also does work well against the stainless steel, as long as it's used in restraint. And I think this is what's been done on this watch. Yep, all about it as well. I think something I was going to mention as well was about, you know, the skill that goes into making these. One thing that really struck me when I visited over to the atelier was that so many of the skills are permeable skills. If they're not practiced, if they're not continued, if they don't get used regularly, they will disappear into nothing. And what you see at the manufacturer there is a group of people, many of whom had been there for many, many, many years, and they were the custodians of these skills. And they're the people that will, at some point in the future, be passing them on to other people and younger people, because, sadly, none of us live forever as much as we might want to. But this is something that so many other brands just do not have, because they've allowed those skills to pass into the other world. They've gone away from the brands. And that's something that Minerva still has in spades. Not just one or two techniques, but a whole raft of techniques that are still kept alive by virtue of the fact that they are actually used in watches that people can actually buy today,
- [40:34]
A
here and now, not lost to the ages. Well, I have a quick question, because we do have a little bit of time left over. You explained why the browns were brought in. Talking about the hues when you look out the window, across the woods, in the forests. But why the wine red?
- [40:48]
C
The Bordeaux, Yes. The red is a specific Bordeaux, but if you pay attention to the right color of the Bordeaux, it's milesime. It's the color of the millesime wine. And because Minerva, for me, is a
- [41:00]
A
millissime manufacturer, Dave is the wine connoisseur here. You're speaking above my station.
- [41:06]
B
Yeah, you're definitely talking my language. Although I will not rise to the French wine debate because it often has many people who will fight probably to the end when discussing where the best wines in the world come from. But for sure, France does predict produce some of the most premium, especially Bordeaux wines. In the world.
- [41:25]
C
That's why here you have so typical Bordeaux color. And I'm quite sure that the collectors, when they will see this color, they will immediately think about a specific millesime. Which one? Who knows? But that's the story behind. We wanted to have this millesime. And you say something interesting. You mentioned the farmers in the past. Very interesting. Do you know that we have someone in Villeray, the manufacturer, walking every morning, very. Starting very early, leaving at 11:30 or 12:00', clock, and then walking on the farm? So we have.
- [41:54]
A
Is this a lady?
- [41:54]
C
Yes, it's a lady. Absolutely. And you met her?
- [41:57]
A
We did. Is she also very good at being involved in transportation?
- [42:01]
C
Yes. You know, everything. Absolutely. So just to make another connection, Minerva, it's like a time machine. So all what you're explaining now, or what explaining this is, we are going to the past. We. We are mentioning the submariners. We are going back to the 30s for the Olympic Games. We're going back to the end of the. Of the 20th century with the awards in Paris in unfair development. The first chronograph was in 1908. If you ask us, so many companies, when they started with the chronograph, they would say in the 50s, in the 40s and 50s. Here we started in 1908 with the own manufacturer, chronograph. We have something very, very strong and very interesting. And I will tell you something. That's my point of view, of course, but I hope you will. You will like it as well. If it's comparable, it cannot be many other.
- [42:52]
A
Oh, now that's a good catchphrase. That has to be inside the secret box when you manage to unlock it and look inside. Wow. Well, these three are stunning. The previous iterations models within the lineup have impressed. When we were across, Dave had been before. He's kind of been quite quiet on this episode. He had experience in the past visiting the atelier and seeing behind the secrets. It was my first time going across last year, and I didn't have enough time to spend to go around as much as we had the best guides available with us, including Simon. Obviously that's been on the show before. And like yourself, he can explain to the layman the most complex of things in the simplest of terms, which is exactly the way me and Dave have to learn things in the simplest of terms. But. But I would recommend anybody, if you get the opportunity, if you're interested and you want to look and unveil the secrets for yourself, you get in touch and you visit and have a Look at these things because it just blows my mind.
- [43:48]
C
Dave.
- [43:48]
B
Yep, absolutely. It is definitely worthwhile. The brand, the history, it's definitely worth a deep dive. Get involved, do some digging, look into it. You'll find that everything that's been said over this series about the brand, about Minerva absolutely holds true. It's not some made up marketing narrative. It's all based on the history and everything the brand has been doing for, well, well over 100 years now. And I think what's interesting for me certainly was we did see a couple of models where modern technologies are used where appropriate. There was some dial work I seem to remember seeing on the Versailles watch that we looked at when we were there. That was just actually having one built up and the amount of work that had been done on the dial, everything from Metidar kind of skills and crafts on the dial. But also, if I remember rightly, possibly some lasering had been used on certain areas where they were getting a special effect out of it. So don't think this is a brand that is just stuck in the past. It's firmly rooted in the past and bringing all of those skills forward so that we don't lose them because we don't want to lose them, but brings in modern ways and modern thinking where it can add to the whole package of the watch that Minerva is.
- [45:03]
A
I like it. When a brand has its roots. It's got its history and you can check it. Nobody can get away with any of the lies anymore. All this stuff can be checked on the Internet. There are people out there who every moment of every day of their life, they are out there looking to find out when brands are telling porcupines. So you don't get away with it any longer. So everything that has been said here can be verified and fact checked. You're right. Using modern technologies. Because we've got to remember, if these farmers in the past were building watches, creating watches, designing things, they didn't have computers, cad, cam, nothing like that. They had technical drawings. They had the things to put together themselves and make them work. And back then, if they had the technology of today, if they had femto lasers, if they had CNC machines, if they had this and the other, they would have used them. They were using the current technology of the moment and it is blending all those things together. But when you look at it, you can look through the centuries.
- [45:56]
C
True. And don't forget that the vintage of today was the innovation from yesterday.
- [46:02]
B
This is a point that we make so often. You know, it's great History, heritage absolutely has its place. But when these watches, when these calibres that we've talked about were first designed, built and manufactured, they were cutting edge technology, and that's what they were trying to do. Like we do today. We try to build, to move forward, and that's what they've been doing. It's just amazing when you can take your history and heritage along with you into the future. And that's something that Minerva definitely does in spades. And it's something that is still rare to see many brands cast away their past and try to move to the new great thing. Minerva's bringing forward all of those great things from the past and building it into what they can do with what we have in today's day and age.
- [46:46]
A
And it's rare that we get to the end of an episode with Laurent and we managed to pack in everything we wanted to. So, closing thoughts. We have barely a few minutes left. Maybe five minutes left. Anything you'd like to finish up on?
- [46:58]
C
So now I would like to make a quick summary of all what you said, because first of all, I would like to thank you for your passion about Minerva and the very deep knowledge you have about the company. So it's a pleasure because we see that it's something real. You visited us in Villeray, and going to Villerre is already a challenge because it's a small village in Switzerland, 900 inhabitants. So I understand it's not easy to go there. So we appreciate it a lot. What I would like to say clearly is that Minerva is a beautiful story. Minerva is like a big family. You have the grandpa, you have the son, you have the next generation. But everything is in one product. Meaning that you can have product with a movement which is more than 100 years old. the same time, you will find a very modern bezel. But this bezel came from the twenties as well. But if you pay attention about of. Of the packaging, if you pay attention to the details, if you pay attention to the hairspring and so on, you see, it's extremely modern. And I don't believe that innovation should always be something new. A very hard innovation, very strong innovation to be developed is the one named Back to the roots. How many companies do have such a suburb and how many companies are able today to preserve the suburfare and its manufacturer? The manufacturer. The manufacturer we have. The manufacturer we have is for me, as I explained to you, a time machine. And my goal clearly is to try to maintain it. Bring a lot of innovation with the cronless for example, it's something completely disruptive in the way we have developed it with the teams together. But at the same time, we took inspiration from the past. So for me, if you ask me which is for me the most important innovation we have by Minerva, I would say this is the back to the roots strategy, but transforming these roots into something very subtle and modern at the same time, paying a huge attention to all details. The packaging, the assembling, the tests, the finishing, the hairspring, even the way we are treating our colleagues and employees. You have most of the employees you know. Some Japanese visited us and tell me, Laurent, I think it's a Japanese company. I say, what do you say? Japanese company? Because you have many people that are still the same, say 20, 25 years, 30 years, up to 58 years. And sometimes you had a father working at the company as well. So like in Japan. And if you pay attention to the most successful businesses in this world, in terms of long term buildings, they are in Japan, in Japan, Japan is the key country for this. And I would say that in Switzerland you have one Japanese city named Villere. And for me, the most important point is the following. As I already said, and that's a philosophy we have every day with my team together, if comparable, it cannot be Menera. But at the same time, we all know that we have to perform much better. And allow me to close it. Explaining short story which did happen to me in Japan a few years ago, during a weekend I went to Kyoto and I discovered a temple named Ryenji Temple. And the Ryonji has a Zen garden, 248 square meter. If you just sit and pay attention to this garden, you will observe stones. You have five groups of stones. Five, two, three, two and three stones. And if you start counting the stones, you will count 1, 2, 3, 4, 14. Oh, I don't understand. I have a book explaining 15 stones, but you can only count 14. Then, okay, you decide to move along the rectangular plot. You see it again and you start counting and say, ah, okay, one stone was hidden by another one. I understand. And you start counting again, just to be sure, and you count again 14 and not 15. That's weird. This gun was developed by Buddhists 500 years ago. With no computer, just the mind and the hands. It's very interesting because the stones are not so high. But whatever the place you will be from, whatever the place you will observe these stones from, you will only count 40 stones. And you will always have the missing 15 stones somewhere. But you don't see the Stone. And for me, that's my philosophy of life. If you enter into my office, you can read on the door, always look for the missing 15 stone. Because I strongly believe that perfection does not exist. I strongly believe that perfection is a dream. But nobody can say we have reached perfection does not exist. And I'm happy it does not exist, because living would have. It would be nonsense if you could reach perfection. But at least if you try every day to reach perfection, trying to find the missing 15 cent and the day say, I get it, I found the missing 15 stone, done. And you can't again, everything you have only 14 stones because one now it's out of sight. It means at the end that you can always perform better. But never forget that when you find, when you find something new, you should pay attention to something that you had in the past, but you're not seeing now anymore. That's exactly what I mind every day, both by professional and personal life. And that's the Rienji philosophy. So I would like to conclude with this, with this beautiful philosophy I learned in Japan in a unique Zen garden. And I went many times to that place. And I will be here again in Japan for the business. But I know that during the weekend I will visit again this garden, which has such a high influence on my life. And last but not least, be sure you keep it in mind. If comparable, it cannot be.
- [52:37]
A
Minerva and that, folks, is the end of a show. Amazing. This has been an absolute journey. We did something similar many, many years ago, probably five years ago, there or there around abouts where we did a miniseries with Montblanc. Minerva Bit of the history, bit of the current range, but of what was happening and this time around, being able to travel, being able to come across. There was no pandemic to deal with this time around and to see it, to experience it. The sights, the sounds, the smells, everything around about it was fantastic. The hospitality from the people that are doing such a careful curated job, they welcomed us with open arms. We got to go inside, look beyond and then deliver that, bring that to you on the podcast, through the show notes, through Instagram, through the videos that we produce and just share that with you. Dave it was, it was pretty special for me and you had been before. What did you see this time around that you hadn't seen the first time?
- [53:31]
B
I think for me, everything you said, the team are so hospitable. And I think the most important thing to point out is sometimes people might think that we get to see things behind the scenes that clients, customers, Fans of the brand don't, but that's not the case with Minerva. Minerva want to bring the people who enjoy their watches into that fold, into that family, and show them the same things that they showed us. Therefore, it's not some secret mission that we went on. We got to experience what you, as someone that loves a brand, would get to experience as well. And as for me, the best way I think, to round this out is part of the biggest part of the journey with Minerva is it's about the people and the people involved with the brand, they are who ultimately make the brand what it is also today. And they've made it what it was in the past, and they're continuing to do that in a fantastic way.
- [54:20]
A
Be sure to check the show notes. We will be linking all the previous episodes in this miniseries together. So if you've landed here and you've missed the previous ones, you can always start from episode one all the way through. Each one is different. Each one is engaging. The first few were with Simon, and he is a fantastic co host. We'll elevate him to the privileged position of co host on those shows. He is phenomenal, but it has been an absolute pleasure. Laurel and I know that times have been really difficult at the moment because so much going on. It's just ahead of Watches of Wonders and obviously this episode will be released when we're allowed to, when embargoes have finished. Everything you've heard here is of the moment. You need to go to the show notes. You need to check out the pictures, the videos, the links, and everything else. So that is us. Thank you for joining us and we'll catch you again soon.
- [55:03]
B
Take care.
- [55:04]
C
Thank you. Big pleasure. Merci beaucoup, Sam.