Minerva’s renewed stand-alone identity is starting to feel less like a branding exercise and more like a clear statement of intent.
The Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 puts one of the manufacture’s most unusual modern mechanisms back in the spotlight, pairing a suspended regulator construction with a warm yellow-gold case and a deep olive-green dial architecture.
It’s a big, ornate and unapologetically traditional watch, but the engineering at six o’clock is still the reason to look twice.
At a glance
- Minerva has introduced an 18-piece Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 in yellow gold and olive green.
- The patented construction places the large balance above the rotating tourbillon cage, creating the suspended Exo Tourbillon layout.
- The watch is priced at EUR 160,000 and certified through Minerva’s Laboratory Test 500H.
A stand-alone Minerva with pocket-watch echoes
Minerva, founded in 1858, has entered 2026 with fresh emphasis on its own name and its historic manufacture codes.
The Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 follows that direction closely, leaning into hand-finished movement architecture, classical case forms and a complication that has been part of Minerva’s modern vocabulary since 2010.
The case is fully polished 18k yellow gold and measures 44.8mm across with a thickness of 15.03mm.
Those dimensions are not shy, but they serve a purpose, giving the off-centred time display and exposed tourbillon construction enough room to breathe.
Stepped lugs and an onion crown bring a deliberate pocket-watch character to the design, while sapphire crystals front and back frame the dial and movement.
Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, which is appropriate for a high-complication dress piece rather than a daily sports watch.
The Exo Tourbillon puts the balance outside the cage
The defining feature remains Minerva’s patented Exo Tourbillon arrangement.
Instead of placing the balance within the rotating tourbillon cage, the construction positions a large 14.5mm screw balance above it.
That separation gives the watch its name, with “Exo” referring to the regulator sitting outside the cage.
The tourbillon completes one rotation every 60 seconds, allowing it to serve as the small-seconds display as well as the visual anchor of the lower dial.
A single-arm bridge crosses the mechanism, a choice that gives the assembly a sense of suspension while demanding extremely precise positioning.
The balance uses 18 regulating screws for fine adjustment, and the calibre is tuned to a traditional 18,000 vibrations per hour.
Olive guilloché, black onyx and yellow gold
The dial is built around contrast rather than symmetry.
A deep olive-green guilloché plate forms the base, paired with a domed black onyx hour-and-minute display positioned toward the upper half of the watch.
That onyx display carries 18k yellow-gold hands, gold-coated Roman numerals and a fine minute track.
Below it, a shaped yellow-gold-coated plate stretches across the dial and carries the Minerva signature with “Depuis 1858”.
A separate plaque at 4 o’clock is marked “XVIII”, tying the dial directly to the 18-piece production.
The colour choices are symbolic as well as decorative, with olive referencing peace and prosperity, yellow gold tied to prosperity, and black onyx associated historically with strength and resilience.
The theme continues beyond the watch itself.
The dark olive-green semi-matte alligator strap has an olive-branch pattern on its lining and is secured by an 18k yellow-gold triple-folding clasp.
The presentation box is decorated with two olive branches made using hand-applied gold leaf, incorporating 18 olives and 58 leaves as nods to the edition size and Minerva’s founding year.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Minerva |
|---|---|
| Model | Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 |
| Reference | 137548 |
| Case size | 44.8mm diameter, 15.03mm thick |
| Case material | Fully polished 18k yellow gold |
| Crystal | Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides |
| Caseback | 18k yellow gold with sapphire insert |
| Water resistance | 30 metres |
| Dial | Deep olive-green guilloché with off-centred black onyx time display |
| Hands and markers | 18k yellow-gold hands with gold-coated Roman numerals and minute track |
| Complication | Patented one-minute suspended Exo Tourbillon |
| Movement | Minerva Manufacture Calibre M16.68, hand-wound |
| Movement size | 38.3mm diameter, 6.45mm thick |
| Components | 218 components, 19 jewels |
| Balance | 14.5mm screw balance with 18 regulating screws |
| Frequency | 18,000 vibrations per hour |
| Power reserve | Approximately 50 hours |
| Finishing | German-silver plates and bridges with circular graining, Côtes de Genève, hand-chamfered edges, polished surfaces and interior angles |
| Certification | Minerva Laboratory Test 500H |
| Strap | Dark olive-green semi-matte alligator leather with olive-branch patterned lining |
| Clasp | 18k yellow-gold triple-folding clasp |
| Production | Limited edition of 18 pieces |
| Price | EUR 160,000 |
The calibre M16.68 is also a showcase for the kind of finishing that gives Minerva its current relevance among high-end collectors.
Visible through the sapphire back, the hand-wound movement combines German-silver bridges with polished bevels, worked interior angles, circular graining and Côtes de Genève.
The gold-plated gear train adds another layer of warmth, with circular graining and chamfering that reward close inspection.
A loupe is included with the watch, which feels less like a novelty and more like a practical invitation to spend time with the movement.
The Exo Tourbillon Limited Edition 18 won’t be the understated Minerva of this new era, but that’s exactly its role.
It’s a flagship complication with historic styling, serious hand-finishing and a dial treatment that gives the suspended regulator a richer frame than before.
