Montblanc has added to its acclaimed 1858 Collection, which takes its inspiration from the legendary Minerva watches from the 1920s and 30s that were meant for military use and mountain exploration.
Minerva was once a byword for rugged, dependable timepieces. The brand’s watches were highly accurate, legible, and robust for use in extreme conditions. The new additions to the Montblanc 1858 Collection, a line of vintage exploration-inspired timepieces, continues that legacy and features distinctive aesthetics, innovative complications, a mix of materials, and a choice of different case sizes.
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Montblanc 1858 Automatic
New in 2018, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic comes in three new models; housed in a 40-mm stainless steel case with slim curved horns featuring polished and satin-finishing, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic has been enhanced with a bronze bezel and fluted crown, creating a distinctive vintage look. A unique picture of Mont Blanc has been engraved on the case back, along with a compass and two crossed ice pick-axes.
Now, two new dial versions – in black or a smoked champagne colour – both with beige luminescent Arabic numerals and precise railway minute tracks, are available and join the Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph, which combines a strong vintage aesthetic with a chronograph function and is presented in a stainless steel or bronze case.
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere
Another new addition is the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere, which pays tribute to the 160th anniversary of Minerva. This timepiece features a brand-new manufacture world time complication, powered by the calibre MB 29.25, developed by the Montblanc engineers in Villeret.
The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is dedicated to the world’s Seven Summits mountaineering challenge, the holy grail of mountaineering adventures, during which climbers set out to ascend the highest mountains from each continent. The Seven Summits challenge is recognized as the most difficult mountaineering quest worldwide and only 500 athletes have achieved the mission to date.
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This timepiece features a worldtime complication with two turning domed hemisphere globes, which make a full rotation in 24 hours. The northern hemisphere at 12 o’clock turns anti-clockwise, while the southern hemisphere turns clockwise. Both are surrounded by a scale with the 24 time zones, along with a day/night indication, in contrasting colours. The longitude reference meridian for both hemispheres is highlighted with a white line coated with SuperLumiNova.
Additionally, a second time zone display is located at nine o’clock and a date (linked to the local time) is indicated in an aperture at three o’clock. With this new world time display of the two hemispheres, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere brings a new instinctive way of appreciating different time zones.
The world’s seven summits are marked on the globes with red dots, enhancing the spirit of mountain exploration. They are also engraved on the case back along with the unique drawing of Mont Blanc, a compass, and two crossed ice pick-axes. SuperLumiNova has also been applied to the continents for increased visibility and performance at night.
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The Geosphere comes in two versions, with a stainless steel case or a limited edition bronze case. Both feature polished and satin-finishing as well as vintage fluted crowns with the Montblanc emblem in relief. A new bidirectional stainless steel or bronze bezel with shiny black ceramic and a choice of black “NATO” strap, cognac-coloured aged calfskin with beige stitching, or a new brown Sfumato aged calf leather Bund strap with beige stitching completes the design.
Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100
Finally, the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100 is a homage to the historical Minerva monopusher chronograph calibre 13.20, specially developed in 1920 for use in a wristwatch.
This timepiece is the epitome of vintage chronograph design; with its 40 mm stainless steel case and original smoked green dial and matching green alligator strap with beige stitching, the limited edition’s dial features a bi-compax dial with a small second counter at nine o’clock, a chronograph 30-minute counter at three o’clock and a tachymeter scale on the outer part of the dial.
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Like the other timepieces in the collection, the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100 features a domed sapphire crystal glass box, resized and rounded cathedral – shaped hands with SuperLumiNova, luminescent Arabic numerals and the historical Montblanc logo. On the case back, the sapphire crystal reveals the beauty of the Montblanc Manufacture monopusher chronograph Calibre MB M13.21, composed of a large balance wheel with 18 screws beating at the traditional frequency of 18, 000 A/H, a column wheel and horizontal coupling.
This high-end, hand-finished movement features the iconic V-shaped chronograph bridge, whose design was protected in 1912, along with the iconic Minerva arrow decorated by hand.
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