Montecristo Habano label comparison old ('06-'12) vs. new ('13 to now)

[Zmilin]

I saw the new Monte band and thought Id post up a shot of old and new side by side.

- Darker colored band.
- Gold embossed fleur-de-lis design and seems to have a bit more detail to it as well.
- Gold center in new band vs white on old band.
- Printing is crips on both labels unlike some of the fakes where the white has a soft edge to it.

 

[Jfire]

Imo the worst band change of them all. Congrats on ruining one of the most iconic bands in your lineup Habanos S.A.

 

[UpInSmoke]

Preach it, Jfire. A damn shame

 

[Cigarth Vader]

Agree

 

[UTvols186]

So does that mean my '13 no. 4 with the band on the left are fake?

 

[AlohaStyle]

So does that mean my '13 no. 4 with the band on the left are fake?

No. All 13's from what I know have those older bands.

 

[AlohaStyle]

So does that mean my '13 no. 4 with the band on the left are fake?

No. All 13's from what I know have those older bands.

 

[AlohaStyle]

So does that mean my '13 no. 4 with the band on the left are fake?

No. All 13's from what I know have those older bands.

 

[boltman]

So does that mean my '13 no. 4 with the band on the left are fake?

Yes, they are fake. Send them to me and I will dispose of them for you.

 

[mistaforty]

No. All 13's from what I know have those older bands.

I think they started the change in 13 but only on the petit edmundo and maybe one other vitola. But the older band in its simplicity is timeless. As simple as it was it was actually pretty easy to spot fakes.

 

[AlohaStyle]

And sorry for all those duplicate replies...my damn tapatalk wasn't showing that it posted!?!

 

[BMack]

I'm in agreement that the new band is awful, it looks like they want it to look more the like NC Montys. Personally, I prefer the band from 2003-2006 when they weren't embossed.

 

[Zmilin]

And sorry for all those duplicate replies...my damn tapatalk wasn't showing that it posted!?!

I thought you were just trying to make a point... LOL!

 

[Le Buzz]

Your pic makes the new bands look black, I'm pretty sure they're still brown just darker. Haven't seen them in person so cant say for sure if I like them. The old brown and white was/is a classic that has been imitated countless times. The new ones with gold details definitely give them a more upscale look but at a steep sacrifice.

Often times I look in my humi and spot my beloved especial #2's from 2010. The clean white print and embossing on the bands are a nice upgrade to the traditional simple bands of old without making them lose that iconic familiarity and elegant simplicity. I think the bands from this time period were the best they could possibly be.

From time to time I think to myself that the bands look quite ordinary, but the feeling lasts about half a second before I realize that those simple brown and white bands are lovely and perfect just as they are, and that a big part of the reason I like them so much is that they say so much with very little. It takes many many decades for a brand's identity to achieve that status.

It's a little sad they added the gold. They do look like NC's at first glance. You have to wonder what idiots are managing their branding. The sad part is that graphic design firms don't get paid to keep a logo/identity the same, so they have to tinker in order to earn a commission. Not sure if thats what happened here or if it was just a lapse in judgement. It's like seeing a beautiful historic building demolished.