Nicolas Rieussec: The inventor of the world’s first chronograph
A historical moment occurred on September 1st in 1821, at a horse race in Paris, when the watch maker Nicolas Rieussec succeeded in recording the time of every horse passing by the finishing line to an accuracy of a quarter of a second. A remarkable achievement: before that Saturday in Paris, time could not be accurately measured.
Chronograph: Nicolas Rieussec’s chronograph was a wooden case containing a clock movement that drove two rotating dials on the lid. Above them was a fixed index that left a drop of ink on the rotating dials each time a button was pushed.
The Chronograph
The revolutionary device which allowed him to measure the time was a wooden case containing a clock movement with two rotating discs beneath an ink-filled tip. By pushing a button, the tip would come into contact with one of the dials leaving a visible mark to measure the time.
Taking the Greek word for time; chronos, and graphein; to write, Nicolas Rieussec had invented the very first chronograph.
After six months, on March 9th in 1822, Nicolas Rieussec was finally awarded a patent to protect his idea and the chronograph received its first official recognition.
Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph
Even though chronographs have as a matter of course developed considerably since 1821, Nicolas Rieussec’s invention continues to serve as an inspiration for Montblanc’s master watchmakers. The principle of the two rotating discs is the key element which gives the timepieces of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Collection a highly distinctive face.
The rotating discs are securely mounted in gleaming red jewel bearings on a bridge with chamfered and polished edges. The shape of the bridge is reminiscent of the upwardly curved corners of a smile.
Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec - Monopusher Chronograph, MB R100 manufacture movement with manual winding, off-centre hour, minute and date display, power reserve display, 30 minutes and 60 seconds rotating disc counters, 950 platinum case, black alligator-skin strap. Limited to 25 pieces.
Le Locle – the home of time
Montblanc’s watches and own mechanical movements are manufactured a thousand metres above sea level in the mountains of the Swiss Jura. Even though this is the home of time, time here seems to stand still: Le Locle, the birthplace of traditional Swiss watchmaking and home to the worlds finest watchmakers for centuries.
Le Locle is also the home of Montblanc Montre S.A. The manufacture is housed in a historic villa built in 1906, the same year the cornerstone for the company Montblanc was placed. Montblanc’s passionate master watchmakers combine historic traditions of the art of Swiss watchmaking with the very latest technology. They work to tolerances of a few hundredth of a millimetre and continue to create mechanical pieces of art.
With the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Collection, and especially with its first own manufacture movements, the handwound calibre MB R100 and the self-winding calibre MB R200 built from first to last in the workshops in Le Locle, Montblanc established its credentials as one of a select group of watch brands referred to as manufactures.
Montblanc Calibre MB R100, manual winding manufacture movement, 13 ¾ lines, column wheel control, vertical disc clutch, large screw-balance (moment of inertia: 12 mg.cm2, diameter: 9,7 mm), frequency 4 Hz, 33 jewels, twin barrels, power reserve approximately 72 hours.
Montblanc Calibre MB R200, self-winding manufacture movement, 13 ¾ lines, column wheel control, vertical disc clutch, large screw-balance (moment of inertia: 12 mg.cm2, diameter: 9,7 mm), frequency 4 Hz, 40 jewels, twin barrels, power reserve approximately 72 hours.
Find out more about the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec collection and visit our website www.montblanc.com.
