Introducing: Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles
You should have been there. The Yew Tree Ball (Le Bal des Ifs) was a masquerade ball held in 1745 by King Louis XV of France after the wedding between his son — the Dauphin Louis — and Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain. The ball took place in the gilded Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) at the Palace of Versailles, and it was attended by some 1,500 elaborately costumed guests. It was an opulent spectacle. The king himself and his entourage even appeared disguised as towering, sculpted yew trees. The sight so captivated attendees that the evening became known as The Yew Tree Ball. For those who want to return to the night of the ball, there’s the Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles. This watch is even more exclusive than the fabled event.
While 1,500 people attended The Yew Tree Ball, there are only eight Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles watches worldwide. Montblanc ordered a special presentation box from Elie Bleu, the renowned Parisian maker of fine cabinetry, to reproduce the ball’s atmosphere. Inside lies a music box by Reuge, the Swiss atelier celebrated since 1865 for its exquisite music boxes and mechanical songbirds. The music you hear was originally performed at Versailles during the wedding. The composition is by Jean-Philippe Rameau, with lyrics penned by Voltaire. When the external trigger on the side of the box is activated, the music begins to play, and the watch gracefully rotates as though dancing at a grand masquerade ball.
The Yew Tree Ball, as painted by Charles-Nicolas Cochin I, with King Louis XV as one of the “trees” on the left
Dancing with the Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles
We’re still talking about the box instead of the watch, but bear with me because it is quite something. The watch “dances” on a miniature oak parquet floor, encircled by marble arches that faithfully replicate those in the Hall of Mirrors. A laser-etched depiction of The Yew Tree Ball completes the scene on the outer walnut surface. Now, we turn our attention to the Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles. It’s a limited edition that combines traditional high horology, marquetry, manual engraving, and champlevé enamel with cutting-edge 3D modeling and laser etching to create Montblanc’s most opulent watch ever.
A main dial like a palace
Every element of this remarkable timepiece draws inspiration from Versailles. First and foremost, its dial recreates the scene in the Hall of Mirrors on the night of the ball. This dial combines an extraordinary array of decorative motifs, artistic techniques, and rare materials in perfect balance. Its composition pays homage to the Decoration for a Masked Ball at Versailles by Charles-Nicolas Cochin I, an etching first published in 1746 to commemorate that legendary evening. The white gold dial receives a black enamel coating and gold paillons before being fired in a kiln. The result is a mesmerizing backdrop with an effect reminiscent of candlelight glinting off mirrored chandeliers.
Image: Patrice Schreyer
The archways are sculpted from two distinct stones. One is cacholong, a milky-white variety of opal, and the other is Sarrancolin marble from the very same quarry in the Hautes-Pyrénées that provided marble for Versailles’s original Hall of Mirrors. Meanwhile, the floor is in solid oak, precisely cut and inlaid to reproduce the parquet pattern of the historic ballroom.
There’s more. Montblanc’s artisans etched chandeliers and costumed revelers onto transparent sapphire plates above the main dial. On the left side, one can discern the distinctive yew-tree costumes — a nod to the king dressed as a tree.
What time is it in Versailles?
Drawing inspiration from the clocks and pocket watches of Louis XIV’s era, the design of the time-telling sub-dial directly links the timepiece to the traditions of Haute Horlogerie throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The sub-dial itself is done in white champlevé enamel. Upon this refined surface, blue enamel is applied for the Roman numerals. Pure gold powder forms the radiant sunburst motif at the center.
Encircling the dial is a laser-machined 3N gold ring, which echoes the polished brass detailing of the Hall of Mirrors. The section surrounding the tourbillon draws on stained-glass patterns found throughout the Royal Chapel of Versailles, including the regal fleur-de-lys. You won’t find any Breguet hands on this watch. Instead, there are miniature yellow gold Baroque-era hands made using modern laser-cutting technology. At the center, a brass head crowns the arbor on which the hands sit. This is a tribute to the sun god Apollo, whose likeness also graces the great clock above the King’s Chambers in the Marble Court at Versailles. It symbolizes the enduring brilliance of the former king, Louis XIV, the Sun King.
Recreating another scene
The 44.8mm case in 18K yellow gold has a bezel with a hand-engraved laurel wreath. And the watch’s case band tells a historical and allegorical story. It’s a recreated scene from a painting by François Lemoyne found in the Salon de la Paix at Versailles. In the composition, Louis XV is extending an olive branch to all of Europe. Above him, Minerva — the Roman goddess of arts, war, and justice, and the namesake of Montblanc’s historic manufacture — directs Mercury to close the Gates of Janus, referencing the Roman tradition of sealing the temple gates during times of peace as a symbol of harmony and stability.
On top of the tourbillon
Inside the case beats the Exo Tourbillon caliber MB M16.68. This is an in-house movement that debuted in 2010 and took three years to develop. But the “party piece” is the balance wheel above and not inside the tourbillon cage. This design reduces the diameter of the tourbillon cage and rotating escapement. Furthermore, it enables the use of a larger balance wheel equipped with 18 regulating screws. The single-arm, engraved, gold-coated stainless steel bridge curves in harmony with the domed contour of the time-telling dial. The one-minute tourbillon doubles as a running seconds indicator. Through the transparent case back, one can appreciate the movement’s exquisite manual finishing. This includes Côtes de Genève, circular graining, mirror polishing, and anglage with sharp inner angles — a hallmark of Haute Horlogerie and a challenging technique.
The Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles is not for everyone, in every sense. There are just eight pieces available. Also, the styling is an acquired taste in case you’re not an 18th-century French noble.
As you probably suspected, the price of the watch is on request. Finally, a hypothetical question: would you wear it or leave it in the box and watch it dance?
