Montblanc took up watchmaking in 1997, against considerable scepticism at the time, since a maker of writing instruments was held to lack credibility in watches. Within a few years the company nevertheless established itself as a watchmaker to be taken seriously; this rested on tight quality control intended to match the standard set by the pens.
Responsibility lies with Montblanc Montre S.A., based in Switzerland. It occupies a villa built in 1906 and extensively converted in the years after it was acquired; the year of construction happens to coincide with the year Montblanc was founded. In the early 2000s some 40 people worked there. The layout is unusual, as production and administration are not strictly separated but in many places divided only by glass walls.
There are more parallels between a watch and a fountain pen than at first appears: both are precision-made objects for everyday use, long-lived and repairable; both were written off as obsolete in the 1970s, when the quartz watch and the ballpoint dominated the market; and both have enjoyed a sustained revival since the 1990s.