TimeWalker

Ahead of the upcoming SIHH, Montblanc has introduced four new timepieces, led by the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph.

The Montblanc Minerva manufacture has a long history in chronographs. The Manufacture developed stopwatches that could measure 1/5th of a second as early as 1911, increasing to 1/10th of a second. In 1916, Minerva was one of the first to develop a high-frequency movement that could measure the 1/100th of a second, putting Minerva on the map as the specialist of professional watches and stopwatches.

The TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph continues this legacy, with a vintage feel thanks to its clean lines and the “Panda” dial, but with modern technology in the movement beating inside the 43mm stainless steel case.

The timepiece is powered by the Montblanc Manufacture chronograph caliber MB 25.10, featuring traditional finishing such as Côtes de Genève, circular graining, blued screws and a new monobloc oscillating weight made of black rhodium-plated tungsten and designed in the shape of a steering wheel. The movement is equipped with a traditional column wheel, a horizontal coupling as well as a stop-second mechanism, allowing the precise setting of the time.

“First, we decided to create a new layer in the TimeWalker line,” details Cerrato. “We already had chronographs, but we wanted to develop something new, a manufacture in-house chronograph, positioned under $6,000. To differentiate it from the others, we did counters at three, six and nine o’clock, to make it a Panda dial. There was the recent Paul Newman auction, which will relaunch the trend of Panda dials. There are almost no white Panda dials, so we wanted to be the first brand to introduce a new Panda dial. We also used a ceramic fixed bezel with the tachymeter scale. The watch looks gorgeous, and the price is fantastic, under $6,000 for a manufacture chronograph.

“I like everything about this new manufacture chronograph,” he continues. “I like that it shows that the TimeWalker design is solid, because you can change elements and it still looks good. We changed many things, the layout of the subdials, the fixed bezel, but it still looks fantastic.”

Technical Specifications: Montblanc TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph

Movement: Montblanc Manufacture Caliber MB 25.10; automatic chronograph; date; 46-hour power reserve

Case: 43mm stainless steel, satin-finished; high-tech black fixed ceramic bezel with silvery-white engraved tachymeter scale; stainless steel caseback with inset pane of smoked sapphire crystal; 10-meter water-resistance

Dial: “Panda” dial with white background and black counters, rhodium-plated Arabic figures and indexes coated with Super-LumiNova; rhodium-plated luminescent dauphine hour-hand and minute-hand; red baton chronograph second hand with Minerva arrow counterweight

Strap: Perforated brown Sfumato aged calf leather strap crafted by the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence, Italy with stainless steel triple folding clasp

Continuing with the Panda trend, the new pre-SIHH Rally Timer comes with a “reverse” Panda dial with two counters. The Rally Timer is inspired by a stopwatch that Minerva produced in the 1960s but comes with a modern twist – the timepiece can be transformed from a wristwatch into a pocket watch and even a dashboard clock.

Powered by the famous hand-wound Manufacture monopusher chronograph caliber MB M16.29, this 50mm timepiece is made of grade-two titanium that has been satin-finished, while the middle section of the case is coated with black DLC and knurled.

Converting the wristwatch into a pocket watch is easy, simply fold the strap attachments under the case. The pocket watch can then be either placed on a table, thanks to the two arms below the case, used as a stopwatch with the strap as a handle for utmost security, or clipped into a metal plate covered with leather that attaches to a car’s dashboard, offering a functional and legible timepiece when behind the wheel.

Technical Specifications: Montblanc TimeWalker Rally Timer Chronograph Limited Edition 100

Movement: Montblanc Manufacture Caliber MB 16.29; manually wound monopusher chronograph with tachymeter scale; 50-hour power reserve

Case: 50mm titanium; 30-meter water-resistance

Dial: “Reverse Panda” dial with black background and two white counters; black rhodium plated luminescent dauphine hour-hand and minute-hand, rhodium-plated sword second hand and elapsed minute hand

Strap: Brown Sfumato aged calf leather crafted by the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence, Italy

The Star Legacy Collection

The Star Legacy collection, first introduced 20 years ago, is inspired by Minerva’s pocket watches from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Distinguished by fine finishing, high legibility and general elegance, the Star Legacy has been one of Montblanc’s most successful collections since its inception.

To celebrate 20 years of the collection, Montblanc has reworked the Star Legacy line, focusing on fine details like new Arabic numerals, new railway minute tracks with dots instead of lines, beautiful guilloché and other finishings and fire-blued leaf-shaped hands.

The first watch to be introduced is the Star Legacy Automatic Chronograph, a manufacture chronograph that combines all these details in a beautifully elegant timepiece.

The rounded 42mm stainless steel case houses the automatic Caliber MB 25.02, and the case has curved horns and steps on the side, an onion-shaped crown with the Montblanc emblem, and a curved finish on the side of the case itself, giving a refined pebble effect, very evocative of those early pocket watches.

The new Star Legacy Automatic Chronograph comes on a new blue Sfumato alligator leather strap hand-crafted by the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence, Italy. The silvery-white dial contrasts with the blue hands and the blue strap in a very attractive way.

Technical Specifications: Star Legacy Automatic Chronograph

Movement: Montblanc Manufacture Caliber MB 25.02; automatic chronograph with date; 46-hour power reserve

Case: 42mm titanium; 30-meter water-resistance

Dial: Silvery-white dial with black Arabic numerals, blued leaf hour-hand, minute-hand and counter-hands; railway minute track; filet sauté guilloché

Strap: Blue Sfumato alligator leather with stainless steel triple folding clasp

The second timepiece in the revamped Star Legacy collection launched this month is the Montblanc Star Legacy Rieussec Chronograph. The first Rieussec monopusher chronograph Montblanc introduced was in 2008, and this year the brand revisits this iconic watch, redesigning the case and dial while keeping the chronograph’s signature turning discs and off-centered dial. The Rieussec timepieces pay homage to French watchmaker Nicolas Rieussec, who invented the first inking chronograph in 1821.

The dial of this new chronograph has been reworked, focusing on the proportions and aesthetics, resulting in better legibility. Also, highlights of guilloché patterns have been included, as well as azuré finishing in the center of the hour-circle. Paying tribute to the famous chronograph’s inventor, a ring with the Nicolas Rieussec inscription has been applied on the outer part of the dial.

A special feature is that a second-time zone is displayed via a skeletonized second hour hand that can be hidden under the main hour hand when not traveling.

The pebble effect used in the first Star Legacy model has been repeated here, with curved finishing on the sides of the case and new reworked horns and a domed sapphire crystal.

Technical Specifications: Montblanc Star Legacy Rieussec Chronograph

Movement: Montblanc Manufacture Caliber MB R200; automatic chronograph with date; 72-hour power reserve

Case: 44.8mm stainless steel; 30-meter water-resistance

Dial: Silvery-white with guilloché pattern in places, domed hour-circle with azuré decoration in the center and black Arabic numerals; filet sauté guilloché around the dial; blued leaf hour-and minute-hands; domed chronograph counters with satin-finishing; rhodium-plated skeletonized second time zone-hand

Strap: Blue Sfumato alligator leather with stainless steel triple folding clasp