Montblanc 1858 – the new vintage exploration-inspired timepieces

 

Premiered with much succes at this year’s SIHH 2018, Montblanc 1858 Collection is made for exploring, with scratch-resistant crystal, water tightness and an anti-reflective coating.

 

 

During the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Montblanc revisited the extraordinary watchmaking heritage of the Minerva Manufacture and its legendary professional watches created for military use and mountain exploration during the 1920s and 1930s. Highly accurate,legible and made to endure the most extreme conditions, these historic watches served as inspiration for Montblanc 1858, the new vintage exploration-inspired timepieces that took centre stage at this year’s annual high-end watch event in Geneva. The Montblanc booth was a modern interpretation of the collection’s mountaineering theme with natural wood finishes creating a warm modern chalet environment to house the new watches.
Stepping into the concentric lobby, visitors were transported into the universe of Montblanc1858, surrounded by breath-taking vistas of the Mont Blanc evoking the spirit of mountain exploration. A spherical cage wood structure was home to the new timepieces created for today’s intrepid explorers. Above the central lobby, the complexity and virtuosity of Montblanc complications is expressed in the large-scale replica of the innovative Tourbillon suspendu movement from the Maison’s Star Legacy that floats in mid-air. In the centre, watchmakers from the Maison’s manufactures are at work, demonstrating the craftsmanship and know-how that goes into the creation of every timepiece.
From the base of the mountain to its snowy peaks, the Montblanc experience takes modern-day explorers on a journey to discover new  heights of watchmaking, paying tribute to the 160 years of the Minerva Manufacture and its horologic achievements along the way. A total  of 148 watches are on display during SIHH including the new pieces from the mountain explorationinspired 1858 Collection and Star Legacy, a collection inspired by the spirit of classical fine watchmaking.

The new Montblanc 1858 watch collection is Capturing the Spirit of Mountain Exploration

Montblanc 1858 watch collection is enriched in 2018 with new vintage exploration-inspired timepieces, featuring distinctive aesthetics, innovative complications, a mix of materials and a choice of different case sizes.

According to Montblanc, the final collection will be composed of five different designs: 40 mm automatic watches and 42 mm chronographs, a 42 mm Manufacture Worldtime Geosphere, a slender 40 mm wristwatch with a 13-line monopusher chronograph movement, and a new multiple-purpose pocket watch with a 24-hour indication and equipped with a 16-line monopusher chronograph movement.

The Montblanc 1858 collection finds its inspiration in the world of mountain exploration. Reinterpreting the Minerva pocket watches and chronographs from the 1920s and 1930s, the new Montblanc 1858 timepieces capture the spirit of the past in a modern way, expressing  the trend of back to nature and adventure. “Combining materials such as a special alloy of bronze that evolves over time with innovative  and useful in house complications, like the Worldtime Geosphere, these timepieces are designed for the modern-day explorer who likes  to set his own challenges. He is someone who likes to express his own personal style, lives an authentic way of life, loves adventure, and  finds harmony with nature that allows him to reach new heights,” explained Montblanc.

For utmost legibility and design, the dials feature striking colour contrasts with their historical luminescent cathedral-shaped hands with  “cloisonné” design that have been slightly domed for the finest finish, Arabic numerals coated with SuperLumiNova, railway minute tracks  and the original Montblanc logo from the 1930s era with its historical font and emblem of the Mont Blanc Mountain.

Each timepiece is unique thanks to the use of living materials such as bronze cases and aged calfskin leather straps from the Montblanc Pelletteria, the Maison’s centre of leather excellence.

In order to guarantee the performance of the product line, all the Montblanc 1858 models undergo over 500 hours of simulated wear, with  specific testing and controls under extreme conditions. The Automatic, Chronographs and Geosphere models are also water-resistant to  100 meters, ensuring performance in all environments.

Montblanc 1858 Automatic

The Montblanc 1858 Automatic is the purest vintage-inspired timepiece, featuring all the distinctive codes and introducing a smaller case size within the collection. Housed in a 40-mm stainless steel case with slim curved horns featuring polished and satinfinishing, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic has been enhanced with a bronze bezel and fluted crown, creating a distinctive vintage look. A unique picture of the Mont Blanc mountain has been engraved on the case back, along with a compass and two crossed ice pick-axes.

Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph timepiece

The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph combines a strong vintage aesthetic with a chronograph function. This model is available in a stainless steel or bronze case.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere watch

Paying tribute to the 160th anniversary of Minerva, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere embodies the spirit of mountain exploration with a professional and innovative timepiece that is destined for those who travel the world in their quest for exploration. This timepiece features a brand-new manufacture worldtime 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 Summit mountaineering challenge, the holy grail of mountaineering  adventures where 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.

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 the Mont Blanc mountain, a compass and two crossed ice pick-axes. SuperLumiNova has also been applied to the continents for increased visibility and performance at night.

Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100

The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100 pays tribute 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.

Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100

The Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100 honours the 160th anniversary of theMinerva Manufacture. Inspired by the Manufacture’s extraordinary heritage, the Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100 epitomizes this new collection. Designed for mountain explorers, this ultimate and versatile timepiece offers the unique opportunity to appreciate the time in different ways while exploring.

The pocket watch can be positioned on a table with a stand or combined with an in-built compass that can be accessed by opening it up to lay flat on a map for planning adventures.

Reminiscent of the first historical wristwatches developed by Minerva, the pocket watch can be transformed into a wristwatch thanks to a unique brown Sfumato aged calfskin strap with two pin buckles, which allows the watch to be worn on the forearm safely during exploration. Lastly, the timepiece can be held in the hand thanks to a dedicated brown Sfumato aged calf strap equipped with a cover.