Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition Meets Desert and Reinhold Messner

 

Watches & Wonders 2021 novelties: Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition watch.

After ascending the mountains, discovering the forests, and exploring the glaciers, the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition, this year watch finds inspiration in the desert. Revealed during this year’s Watches & Wonders, the new model by Montblanc, the Swiss watchmaker since 1858, features a day/night indicator, cathedral-shaped hands, compass indications and hemisphere globes.​

This new theme is also introduced as a nod to Reinhold Messner’s 2004 solo trek of 2000 km across the Gobi Desert
with its extreme temperatures from frozen winters to hot summers.

From Military Chronographs and the Spirit of Exploration to the Montblanc 1858 timepieces. Precise, legible, and robust for use in extreme conditions, the legendary professional Minerva chronographs from the 1920s and 1930s were conceived for military use. Reinterpreting these historical timepieces that were inspired by the Spirit of Exploration, the Montblanc 1858 watches are designed and conceived as tool watches, linking the past and the present through history, complications, and style.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 in a Desert Colour Scheme.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is one of the key icons of the Montblanc 1858 line with its two distinctive domed turning hemisphere globes and in-house world time complication. Inspired by the explorations of legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, Montblanc unveils the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 that pays tribute to his five-week solo trek across the Gobi desert in 2004.

In 2004, Italian mountaineer, explorer, and author Reinhold Messner (born 17 September 1944) was the first to trek solo 2,000 km (1,250 miles) across the Gobi desert. Following an old dream, the mountaineering legend wanted to try to cross the Gobi desert lengthways in his own way: alone, completely on his own and without any logistical support. His 2,000-kilometer hike through the West Gobi and over the Altai Mountains becomes an unprecedented borderline experience for him, physically and mentally, and an act of self-determination with an uncertain outcome.

Reproducing the rocky terrain colour scheme, the timepiece harmoniously combines a satin-finished bronze case with a special engraving on the case back, a bi-directional shiny brown ceramic bezel, a smoked brown and beige lacquered dial, and a matching vintage-brown Sfumato calf strap.

Montblanc uses a very special technique to highlight the Gobi desert on the back of the watch giving it an authentic
rendering in 3-dimensions, providing depth and realism as if it was a photograph. Made of titanium , the metal must first be structured, which means that the decoration will be engraved by laser, taking into consideration the relief of the drawing. Then the desired finish (matt and shiny) is also achieved by laser. Finally comes the colouring phase. The colours are created with laser-generated oxidation. It is the level of oxidation that determines the final colour obtained (and desired). Montblanc is one of the most advanced Swiss Maisons to use this technology on such a large surface.

Special attention has been paid to the dial with smoked brown to beige. A lacquered finishing combined with warm rose gold-coated elements, such as hands and applied indexes, complete the overall design of this modern tool-style watch.

For great readability, the day/night indicator, the cathedral-shaped hands, the indexes, the compass indications, and the hemisphere globes are all coated with beige-coloured Super-LumiNova that has been applied by hand.