Over the last decade, Montblanc has been revisiting Minerva’s incredible heritage, finding inspiration in historical functions, mechanics and design codes. This year at the SIHH, the maison unveiled six new timepieces under its Heritage collection. Sharing similar design codes, yet very different in their own ways, each timepiece is a result of centuries of collected knowledge, decades of experience, years of development and hundreds of hours of dedicated labour.
So without further ado, lets take a look at Montblanc’s new ‘Heritage Collection’…
Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph Limited Edition With a Salmon Dial
Limited to just 100 pieces, the new Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph is a real collectors delight. Exuding a subtle, refined simplicity, this 40mm timepiece crafted in stainless steel is the highlight of the Heritage line. It features a gorgeous Salmon dial which is extremely warm and satisfying. There is an outer minute track and Pulsometer scale (graduated for 30 pulsations) on the dial… a very well thought out complication; used by doctors to measure a patient’s heart rate.
Two different colour schemes have been used on the dial: Anthracite (for the applied Arabic numerals and indexes) and Blue (for the Pulsometer scale and baton hands in the chronograph registers). The dauphine hour and minute hands are coated with Super-Luminova. At the heart of the timepiece lies the traditional manual monopusher chronograph, developed in the 1920s, the MB 13.20, with a column wheel mechanism, horizontal coupling, chronograph bridge in a V shape, a large screwed balance wheel with a frequency of 18,000 vph and a power reserve of 55 hours. The movement is visible through the exhibition caseback. Other design details include the original Montblanc logo from the 1930s era with its historical font and emblem of the Mont Blanc Mountain in the centre, along with a sfumato alligator strap that was made by the artisans at the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence.
Montblanc Heritage Manufacture Perpetual Calendar
The new 40mm Montblanc Heritage Manufacture Perpetual Calendar as the name suggests is a Perpetual Calendar within the Heritage Collection. It is available in two versions…Rose gold (Limited to 100 pieces) and stainless steel and features a brand new manufacture movement Calibre MB 29.22, which according to Montblanc took 3 years to create. Most Perpetual Calendars use a lever system, however this movement uses wheels only, conveniently allowing the wearer to set the watch in either direction. Another safety feature is a ‘Lock’ which prevents the wearer from adjusting the watch between 8 pm and 12 pm, as many a times there is a high risk of movements being damaged.
The dial is laid out extremely well and doesn’t look too busy, despite the 3 large counters at 3, 6 and 9 o clock which indicate the day, date, month, moon-phase and leap year. The new Montblanc Heritage Perpetual Calendar is powered by a self-winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve and is also equipped with a very practical dual-time function and a 24-hour indicator, which are particularly useful when travelling.
Montblanc Heritage Automatic
Divine just divine… This simple time only 40mm stainless steel dress watch is presented in two versions… a silvery-white and a Salmon dial. Both dials are adorned with applied Arabic numerals, dots as indexes and hands that are rhodium-coated or anthracite-coloured and enhanced with Super-LumiNova. Fitted with an MB 24.27 calibre (automatic movement), the watch delivers a power reserve of 38 hours and 50m water resistance. Buyers have a choice of either a grey Sfumato alligator strap or a steel milanese bracelet.
There is also an 18K red gold version with a smoked caramel coloured dial featuring red-gold coated applied indexes. The red gold version is fitted with a brown Sfumato alligator strap.
Montblanc Heritage Automatic Day Date
Montblanc’s Heritage Automatic Day Date is a step up from the Heritage Automatic time only version. The watch is presented in a 39mm polished stainless steel case. Curved horns add a bit more spark to the overall look. The new Heritage Automatic Day Date features a domed silvery-white dial with rhodium-plated applied arabic numerals, indexes and hands. You have a day indicator indicator the day of the week at 12 o clock and a date indicator at 6 o clock. A domed sapphire glass and black-gray Sfumato alligator leather strap from Richemont Pelletteria in Florence, Italy, completes the look.
Montblanc Heritage Automatic GMT
Sharing similar design codes, the fifth watch in the Heritage Collection is the Montblanc Heritage Automatic GMT. Measuring in at 40mm, the fully-polished stainless steel case features curved horns and the Minerva Manufacture embossing on the caseback.
It is available in three versions — with a silvery-white domed dial and a grey Sfumato alligator-skin strap, with a steel mesh Milanese bracelet, or with a salmon-coloured domed dial and a grey Sfumato alligator-skin strap coming from Richemont Pelletteria in Florence, Italy. The three models have matching-coloured applied Arabic numerals, dots as indexes and hands, as well as domed sapphire crystals. The timepiece is powered by an automatic calibre equipped with a 24-hour GMT complication.
Montblanc Heritage Monopusher Chronograph
Montblanc presents a new monopusher chronograph — one of the technical pillars of Minerva movement crafting knowledge — offering an accessibly priced model at the centre of the Heritage product line.
The Montblanc Heritage Monopusher Chronograph features the latest chronograph design within the Montblanc product line with a domed, silvery-white dial with two different finishes, giving the timepiece an elegant and sophisticated look. The dial is also adorned with anthracite applied Arabic numerals, dots as indexes; a rack minuterie; bent Dauphine hour and minute hands with Super-LumiNova*; and blued baton hands for the seconds and subdial indications. A closer look at the minutes chronograph counter at three o’clock reveals an indicator for 3, 6 and 9 minutes— a vintage touch from the days when we used coin-operated telephones and needed to track the length and cost of a call. This 42 mm timepiece comes in a fully-polished stainless steel case with curved horns, a domed sapphire glass box and the Minerva Manufacture embossing on the case back. The mid-range monopusher movement is a nod to the long history of Minerva’s monopusher chronographs. The timepiece is completed with the choice of a Sfumato alligator leather strap from Richemont Pelletteria in Florence, Italy, or a steel Milanese mesh bracelet.
