====== Minerva ======
{{wst>menue|Minerva}}

**Minerva** is a storied Swiss watch [[manufacture]], famous especially for producing [[chronograph]] movements and today part of [[Montblanc]] in the [[Richemont]] group.

===== A family business through and through =====
The brothers [[Robert, Charles|Charles]] and [[Robert, Hyppolite|Hyppolite Robert]] founded in [[1858]] the company "H. & C. Robert" in [[Villeret]] in the Bernese Jura, later becoming just "C. Robert" when only Charles remained. At first the firm worked as [[etablisseur]] of [[pocket watch]]es, preferring movements of Fontainmelon ([[FHF]]). In [[1878]] the sons [[Robert, Charles jun.|Charles]] and [[Robert, Georges|Georges]] took over the leadership of the company. From [[1885]] also [[Robert, Yvan|Yvan Robert]] participated in the company's management. The company's name was changed to "Robert Frères Villeret" and the new logo "RFV" (with an arrow) was introduced. At the same year "Robert Frères Villeret" took part in the "Expositions universelles" in Antwerp and [[1889]] at the Paris World Exhibition. At both exhibitions the company won medals for their watches.

The company began registering brands in [[1886]], starting with "Mercure" or "Merkur", adding "Minerva" in [[1887]], and "Ariana", "Tropic", and "Tropic" in [[1898]]. Each had its own logo and products, and branded everything with either an "RFV" or an arrowhead logo. The arrow and Minerva brands remain to this day, though the rest have been discarded.

From [[1895]] "Robert Frères Villeret" began with the production of its own [[watch movement]]s and [[pocket watch]] cases in nickel and silver version. The housing production was finished in [[1931]]. Until the turn of the century the firm of Robert's sons was continuously restructured into a real watch [[manufacture]].

The first Minerva [[calibre]] was a [[pocket watch]] movement with cylinder [[escapement]]. The company named each major movement sequentially, starting with Calibre number 1 and continuing through number 55 in the classic era. Today, the company produces numbers 15, 21, 22, 62, and 65.

In [[1908]] "Robert Frères Villeret" began with the production of [[chronograph]]s and stopwatches. From [[1920]] the [[ebauche movement]]s were gilded in the own workshop. On June 23, [[1923]] the company name was changed to **Fabrique d'horlogerie Minerva, Robert Frères, SA** as the brand became more important, and in [[1929]] the company became simply **Minerva SA, Villeret**. But the depression was difficult and in [[1934]] Minerva SA was bankrupt. It was purchased out of bankruptcy by [[Haussener, Charles|Charles Haussener]] and [[Pelot, Jacques|Jacques Pelot]] in [[1935]].

In [[1955]] the shares of Minerva went over to the nephew and heir of Jacques Pelot, [[Frey, Andre|Andre Frey]], and in [[1960]] the son in law of [[Haussener, Charles|Charles Haussener]], [[Favre, Maurice|Maurice Favre]], inherited his shares. [[Frey, Andre|Frey]] and [[Favre, Maurice|Favre]] led the company until [[1989]], then [[Frey, Jean-Jacques|Jean-Jacques Frey]] took over the management of the company together with his father Andre Frey.

===== Under new management =====
In the year [[2000]] the Frey family sold the company to an Italian investor. This was developing a new collection of watches, to continue the company's tradition of high quality manufacture products. The new manager Beppe Menaldo, who had been active in the watch area for 38 years (eg at [[Breguet]] and [[Blancpain]]) tried to maintain the authenticity of the watches and not to distort the spirit of the brand.

In October [[2006]] the Swiss luxury goods group [[Richemont]] bought the Fabrique d'Horlogerie Minerva SA and secured the existing [[manufacture]] know-how. One result of this acquisition is the partnership between Minerva and [[Montblanc]] for the production of the collection //Villeret 1858//. Since then, Minerva is a department of Montblanc and is led under the name //Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie// (Minerva Institute for top watchmaking art research).

===== Movements =====
Today, Minerva is tasked mainly with producing watch movements for parent [[Montblanc]] and other [[Richemont]] companies, notably [[Officine Panerai]].

  * [[Minerva 16-15|Calibres 13 and 15]] - 16 or 17 ligne, hand-winding (16-15 and 17-13)
  * [[Minerva 13-20|Calibres 20, 21, and 22]] - 13 ligne hand-winding chronograph (13-20, 13-21, 13-22, Montblanc M13.21, [[Panerai]] OP XXV)
  * [[Minerva 16-29|Calibre 29]] - 16 or 17 ligne variant of the 16-15 with chronograph module (16-29, 17-29, [[Panerai]] OP XXVII)
  * [[Minerva 19-42|Calibre 42]] - 19 ligne 100 Hz stopwatch calibre
  * [[Minerva 62|Calibres 48, 49, 50, 62]] - 10.5 ligne hand-winding
  * [[Minerva 65|Calibre 65]] - Hand-winding [[tourbillon]]
  * [[Minerva 66|Calibre 66]] - Hand-winding [[chronograph]] with 18,000 A/h timekeeping and and 360,000 A/h chrono

===== Weblinks =====
  *[[http://www.ornatus-mundi.ch/artikel_11/artikel_11_1.htm|Like Phoenix from the ashes - the astonishing rebirth of Minerva SA, Villeret]], www.ornatus-mundi.ch, Magnus Bosse, May 2005
  * [[http://ninanet.net/watches/mhist/mhist.html|L'Histoire Minerva]]
  * [[http://www.watchtime.at/archive/wt_2009_01/WT_2009_01_052.pdf|Mountain Climbing]]


{{tag>Watch_brands Richemont Watch_brands_Switzerland Manufactures Villeret Jura_triangle Movement_manufacturers_Switzerland}}