Looking back for 10 years, Richemont acquired the Minerva manufacture in Villeret, Switzerland, and folded the historic chronograph maker into the replica Montblanc’s watch division. The results over the years have been rather noteworthy, with several wonderful vintage-inspired chronographs that make use of Minerva’s stunning movements. The newest is this limited edition in bronze and titanium with a salmon-colored dial. I tried to spend a few minutes with the piece last week, and I have to say, I’m greatly shocked.  
This swiss replica watch is an evolution of a family first launched about a year ago, just before SIHH 2017. The original was also a limited edition, and it was the first of Montblanc’s watches to utilize the 44mm x 13.15mm bronze case you see here. Like that model, the one you see here has a titanium back with a bronze-colored coating so that it’s somewhat gentler on the skin. What sets the newest limited edition apart is the dial, which is a very amazing shade of salmon, something that you most often see on vintage chronographs from the 1930s and 40s. Here it’s complemented by blued steel hands and bold luminous Arabic numerals. 
I am confident to say that some of you were put off the moment I said the replica watch is 44mm across and 13.15mm thick, but honestly, it doesn’t wear like a fake watch of that size at all. Of course, it’s big, no getting around that, but it doesn’t feel like something from the mid-2000s that is closer to a dinner plate than a wristwatch. Two positive consequences of the size are that the watch is greatly legible and the monopusher chronograph is extremely easy to use. There’s no fiddling, as the button in the crown is beautiful and huge, and the red tip on the second’s hand makes it easy to use the tachymeter scale at the dial’s edge.
However, the most impressive thing about this fake watch is the movement. This is a 16 ligne (approximately 36.1mm) movement first based it’s a monopusher chronograph with two registered on a slightly larger design first made in 1929. Both the architecture and finishing of the 16.29 are stunning, and it’s executed in German silver with a rose gold plating to give it some extra color. Just check out the steelwork on the arrow-shaped lever – this is wonderful stuff, people. The caliber is manually-wound with a 50-hour power reserve, and even the balance spring is made in-house at the manufacture in Villeret.
However, if you’re a fan of top-end chronographs, this replica watch is surely worth a closer understanding. The size might be disgusting to some, but it’s a product of using a movement originally manufactured for fake pocket watches, and for the correct collector it won’t be a matter anyway.