From the mid-1800s the Blue Riband became an unofficial record held by the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic from east to west, against the strong Gulf Stream current. Because of the prestige of such an achievement, the expression has also come to be used to refer to the most prestigious races in multidisciplinary events such as the Olympic Games, as well as a more general byword for prestige or premium quality.
It was on one such westerly crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1906 that three pioneers, engineer August Eberstein, merchant Alfred Nehemias and stationery trader Claus Voss, came to the United States. Finding inspiration across the pond, they developed a writing instrument with non-leaking technology and a piston converter, laying the foundations for a business that four years later would be named Montblanc.
Now a global luxury brand, Montblanc celebrates the 110th anniversary of this voyage in 2016 with a new 4810 watch collection brimming with symbolism that harks back to this bygone era before the dawn of commercial aviation. The star of this new line is undoubtedly the ExoTourbillon Slim. As its name suggests, the new model is around half the thickness of the previous ExoTourbillon models, notably thanks to a space-saving micro rotor for the automatic winding function. Until now, the ExoTourbillon models have always been presented with a chronograph complication, but this new model is fitted with a new self-winding calibre MB 29.21 with quick stop-second function. Since the key idea behind the ExoTourbillon is that the tourbillon cage and balance wheel are separated, the whip of the stop-seconds mechanism can act instantly on the balance (rather than stopping the tourbillon cage, in which case the balance would continue to oscillate before coming to a gradual halt) and thus allow the time to be set to the second and restart the movement immediately. The first nod to the steamships of the Blue Riband era comes with the distinctive setting position indicator on the dial, where the two positions of the crown (setting, winding/stop second) are indicated in the form of the engine room telegraph found on such ships.
Montblanc ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Edition
The ExoTourbillon Slim is also available as two limited editions of 36 pieces and one of 38 pieces paying tribute to the founders’ crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. In these versions, a slightly modified version of the movement, Calibre MB 29.2, is used, without the stop second indication, to allow for an exquisite and unique miniature map painting on the dial, of the North American, Asian or European Continent.
Another limited edition with the 110 Years Edition theme is the new Montblanc 4810 TwinFly Chronograph 110 Years Edition, which offers a second time zone indication as well as the practical flyback function on the chronograph, which can be used to stop, reset and start the chronograph with just one press on the pusher at 4 o’clock. An additional peculiarity is that both the seconds and the minutes of the chronograph are displayed by central hands – in blued steel with a red tip for the seconds and in red gold-plate for the minutes. The subdial at 6 o’clock has a continuously running small seconds indicator and the subdial at 12 o’clock, with its terrestrial globe background, has a 24-hour day/night indication. Only 1,110 pieces of this model with a 43mm stainless-steel case will be available worldwide.
A first pocket watch
The Blue Riband era predates the wristwatch as well as commercial aviation, so it is fitting that Montblanc should choose to launch its first-ever pocket watch in this 110 Years collection. The new Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum Pocket Watch 110 Years edition recalls the successful worldtime Orbis Terrarum wristwatch presented at the SIHH last year with its visually appealing worldtime function featuring a central world map with an overlaid disc whose shading shows at a glance the border between night and day around the world – perfect for the international businessman and jet-setter. Once the correct home city has been positioned at 6 o’clock with the help of the pusher between 5 and 6 o’clock and that the correct time has been set using the crown inside the bow at 12 o’clock, the time in the world’s 24 major time zones can be read at a glance alongside the relevant city.
Unlike most contemporary pocket watches, which are produced in precious metals, the Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum Pocket Watch has a 53mm diameter Lepine style case in stainless steel and comes with a silver pocket chain designed to resemble a ship’s rope to complete the nautical analogies. Nevertheless, only 110 pieces of this rare model will be available.