In addition to the blue and white novelties unveiled a few weeks ago, Montblanc is also presenting two new 1858 watches inspired by Minerva’s heritage. With mountain exploration as the central leitmotif these new timepieces feature vintage aesthetics reminiscent of the original Minerva chronographs and pocket watches from the 1920s and 1930s along with new colored dials, case elements made of a special alloy of bronze, hand-made NATO straps, and unique complications. INTRODUCING: Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H and Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858.
Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H
The Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H is an interesting piece of machinery. It sports a brand new complication with a 24H indication via a single hand that allows the timepiece to be used both as a timekeeper, to read hours and minutes, and as a compass. What’ll immediately grab your attention is the bright red coloured hand, coated in SuperLumiNova. This indicates the time on a 24-hour scale and is extremely legible in both day and night. In addition to indicating the time, the hand also acts as a compass. For precision purposes, the compass scale is displayed in a beige-coloured ring that runs around the outer edge of the dial, with markers for approximately every 5 degrees, and includes the cardinal points in red.
So how does it work?
Earth rotates around the Sun every 24 hours, which explains why a timepiece with a 24-hour display is a far more useful tool for finding your way and makes the compass much easier to use. The sun always rises in the East and sets in the West and will indicate South at midday. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, set your watch at the right time, simply hold the watch horizontally to the ground and rotate it until the extremity of the hour hand is pointing towards the sun. Like this, all the cardinal points on the dial will be correctly aligned. North is located at 24h and South at 12h. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, you have to consider that the cardinal points are inversed.
The black dial serves as an ideal backdrop for the black with beige-coloured luminescent Arabic numerals and the mysterious luminescent Northern Hemisphere map with the 24 meridians. The SuperLumiNova-coated elements are subtly visible during the day, while at night, the 24-hour numerals, indexes and single hour hand take on a mysterious glow, making the timepiece truly distinctive. Other details include the scratch-resistant, domed box-shaped sapphire crystal with antireflective coating and the historical Montblanc logo at 3 o’clock.
The automatic timepiece comes with a new 42 mm bicolour case made of stainless steel and a bezel made of a special alloy of bronze, providing a vintage aesthetic. Beating inside is an MB 24.20 mechanical movement with automatic winding delivering a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. The timepiece is completed with a special “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” engraving on the case back and a matching black, hand-crafted NATO strap (Made in a traditional 150-year-old strap manufacture in France).
Also available with a stainless steel case and bracelet (ident. 125582) or with an aged, cognac- coloured calfskin strap with beige-coloured stitching Sfumato (ident. 125581)
Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858
The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph is one of the technical pillars of the Maison. In this new version, Montblanc reinterprets a historical Minerva chronograph with its calibre 13.20 from the 1930s. Just like the original timepiece, the 1858 Monopusher Chronograph comes with a black dial with a beige-coloured railway track, as well as two counters at three and nine o’clock. Matching the overall vintage design, other details include a telemeter scale; beige-coloured SuperLumiNova numerals; and rose gold-coated, cathedral-shaped hands that are also highlighted with a touch of beige-coloured SuperLumiNova for better visibility at night.
Crafted with a special alloy of bronze, that evolves and forms a patina over time, the watch measures 42mm in diameter. Enunciating the brand’s historical associations, intricate details like old-school fluted crowns and sapphire crystal glass boxes have been incorporated. The timepiece is completed with a special “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” engraving on the case back.
The 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 features the calibre MB. 25.12 that indicates elapsed time with a central second hand and a 30-minute counter, both with white- coloured hands to create a contrast with the black dial and allow better readability of the function. The start, stop and reset can be activated through a single pusher integrated into the crown.
Priced at $8,790 Australian Dollars, the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 1858 Ref. 12558 is presented on a matching beige-coloured NATO strap that is made in a traditional 150-year-old strap manufacture in France.
Two other unlimited models are available in stainless steel, one of which comes with a new stainless steel bracelet made of a mix of link shapes – central polished links in the form of grains of rice and satin-finished rectangular links on the outside (Priced at $8,130 Australian Dollars) – and the other which comes with an aged, cognac-coloured calfskin strap (Priced at $7,650 Australian Dollars)
