Technical mastery at play in Montblanc’s new creations
Luxury maison Montblanc is famed for its technical virtuosity as an haute horologer; this aspect of the marque is fully visible in its latest collection. In its Iced Sea Automatic Date, Montblanc plays with the dial to create an impression of gazing into a glacier. In the Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen, it removes oxygen from the inside of the movement, while the GMT Automatic Date presents a GMT indication without hands…
1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date
Inspired by the glacial lakes of the Mont-Blanc Massif, the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date dial creates an impression of genuine depth and luminosity, thanks to an ancestral technique called gratté boisé. The timepiece comes in three different dial colours – blue for the blue ice found in Mont-Blanc’s Sea of Ice, green for the green ice found in Antarctica, and black representing the black ice in the polar regions. Each timepiece comes in a 41mm stainless steel case with a bicolour ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel and a case back featuring a 3D relief engraving of an iceberg and a scuba diver exploring the glacial waters below.
A certified diving timing instrument, the timepiece conforms to the ISO 6425 norm, and has undergone the Montblanc Laboratory 500 Hour Test to ensure that it is shock-, magnetic-, temperature-, and water-resistant (30 bar), with its fasteners reinforced for maximum security. Powered by an automatic movement and indicating the hours, minutes, seconds, and the date at three o’clock, the timepiece comes with a recycled and recyclable watch pouch, and an additional interchangeable v-shaped stainless-steel bracelet, which can be easily switched for a rubber strap. The bracelet is also adjustable on the wrist. The stainless-steel bracelet also comes with an attractive taper of 20–16mm and is secured by a double deployant buckle.
1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen LE290
Montblanc removes the oxygen from its latest mountaineering timepiece. This “Zero Oxygen” timepiece will be tested by Montblanc’s new Mark Maker Nimsdai Purja on his forthcoming expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Limited to 290 pieces, the zero oxygen inside the movement not only eliminates fogging, but also prevents oxidisation meaning all the components last far longer and will provide greater precision over time. In addition to a certificate attesting that the watch has been successfully encased without oxygen, each timepiece undergoes the maison’s unforgiving 500-hour test.
The new complication is powered by Montblanc’s new MB 29.27 automatic chronograph movement that comes with a central chronograph seconds hand, 30-minute chronograph in a sub dial at three o’clock, and chronograph hour at nine o’clock. The start/stop pusher is at two o’clock, while the reset button is at four o’clock. The chronograph features turning globes for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, a 24 hours scale, a day/night indicator, and a date via a disc. The timepiece comes in a lightweight 44mm polished titanium case, and features bi-directional satinated finishing ceramic knurled bezel with cardinal points. A striking new glacial blue dial evokes the depths of a glacier due to an ancestral technique called gratté boisé. The caseback depicts Mount Everest – the route that Messner took back in 1978 – in an authentic 3D rendering.
1858 GMT Automatic Date
The new Montblanc 1858 GMT model presents its GMT indication without hands; an ingenious system indicates the second time zone with a red square that moves around the outside of the dial, and is positioned next to a fixed black or blue anodised aluminium bezel showing the 24-hour clock that also indicates if it is day or night in the second time zone. It indicates the half-hours with a red rectangle and a full red square for the hours. There is also a date at three o’clock and a central seconds hand indication. An attractive everyday sports watch made to impress, it comes in a 42 mm stainless steel case with a choice of a black or blue sunray dial, adorned with blue luminescent hands and indexes. The watch comes with a tapered, interchangeable, stainless-steel bracelet with a fine adjustment system for precision fitting, which can be switched out for a black or blue rubber strap in seconds.
The titanium engraved case back shows the planet’s continents and oceans, along with the names of cities in each of the 24 time zones, offering a worldtime indication. The case back can be customised to include the owner’s hometown in red and their local time zone. Central European Time, usually represented by Paris, has been changed to Villeret, Montblanc’s Swiss watchmaking headquarters.
