Under the leadership of Laurent Lecamp, General Manager of Montblanc Watchmaking, the new products unveiled during Watches and Wonders demonstrate the brand’s commitment to celebrating bravery, taking on challenges, refusing to settle and pushing boundaries.
Breathtaking performance
The new Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 certainly pushes the boundaries with its extraordinary depth rating of 4,810 metres, equivalent to the altitude of Mont Blanc, but under water. In addition to its impressive water resistance, the watch boasts multiple advantages, including a comfortable and lightweight 43.5 mm titanium case, a unique blue dial whose glacier-like texture is achieved using the gratté-boisé technique, perfect legibility even in the ocean depths, thanks to large luminescent indexes and hands, and an easy-to-use unidirectional rotating bezel. The pursuit of peak performance continues inside the watch with the COSC-certified MB 29.29 self-winding movement, whose reliability over time is optimised by the absence of oxygen inside the case. The robust, water-resistant closed case back is decorated with a coloured 3D laser engraving representing the underside of the ice as seen by divers swimming beneath the surface. Excellent news for Genevans: this extraordinary watch is available in the Montblanc boutique in Geneva as a preview from 9 April, the first day of Watches and Wonders. It will be available in the other flagships from May onwards, and from June in the other points of sale.
Ready for adventure
The Iced Sea collection, inspired by the Mer de Glace glacier in the Mont Blanc massif, has been enriched with two new variations that reinterpret the famous glacier motif that has been a signature of the collection since its launch in 2022. The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date watch, unveiled at Watches and Wonders, features a black dial with a glacier texture and a two-tone unidirectional rotating bezel in anodised aluminium, combined with a warm-toned bronze case. The new colour comes from a special alloy of copper and aluminium that is stronger than classic bronze (made from copper and tin) and will develop its own distinctive patina over time. This makes the watch a unique and extremely personal item.
The second iteration in Montblanc’s flagship collection, the 41 mm Iced Sea Automatic Date Burgundy watch in steel, features an elegant and original burgundy dial for the first time – an elegant match for the black ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel. This model, driven by the automatic MB 24.17/SW200 movement, is water-resistant to 300 metres. The case back of both models is decorated with a 3D laser engraving of a diver.
The height of innovation
While Iced Sea watches have established themselves as the perfect companions for exploring the ocean depths, the Montblanc 1858 collection is designed for exploration and outdoor pursuits. What does that imply, in terms of features and performance? Strength and ruggedness. To meet this requirement, Montblanc has pioneered yet more innovations, unveiling an industry-first breakthrough in materials engineering. The material chosen for the case of the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO2 is a unique compound that captures CO2 from biogas production and the mineral waste from recycling plants through a process of calcium dissolution and carbonation. "It is an incredibly durable, living material that will evolve with time, depending on the pH of the wearer’s skin," explains Laurent Lecamp. This robust CARBO2 material makes up the 43.5 mm case middle, while the bezel is crafted from black ceramic. The caseband features an engraving of the ridge line of the Mont Blanc massif. Crucially, the total absence of oxygen inside the case protects the worldtimer movement from the harmful effects of moisture and oxidation. This combination of innovations makes the CARBO2 model highly desirable, and it will be produced in a limited run of just 1969 pieces – a reference to the year legendary mountaineer and Montblanc ambassador Reinhold Messner conquered the north face of Mont Blanc, which is laser-engraved on the titanium caseback.
Watchmaking tradition
For Montblanc, technical innovation is an integral part of watchmaking tradition. This is exemplified by the 1858 The Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph, 43 mm in steel, which is equipped with an entirely new movement. At first glance the highly architectural MB M17.26 monopusher chronograph calibre appears to be skeletonised, but what you see is in fact the back of the chronograph mechanism. Five sapphire apertures in the caseband flood the 291 hand-finished components with light, offering a window into the brand's mechanical mastery. This exceptional timepiece is limited to just 100 pieces.
