After encroaching on the territory of other brands with its recent shift towards aggressively priced models, Montblanc now changes tack and heads off in a completely different direction with the presentation of the new TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept Watch. Unusually for a fine watchmaking brand, the name of this new timepiece quite clearly states its credentials and no stone has been left unturned in the brand’s quest for the ultimate in lightweight watches. And just like one of the world’s other lightest watches, the RM 027 worn by Rafael Nadal, this new piece has also been designed for a professional sportsman whose wrist experiences some of the most violent accelerations possible when he plays: China’s superstar badminton ace Lin Dan, also known as “Super Dan”, the winner of the “Super Grand Slam” (all nine major titles in badminton).
Like all such advances in high-tech watchmaking, the lightweight breakthrough comes from an innovative material with a technical yet catchy acronym that is produced by one of the numerous unsung Swiss SMEs working in the materials sector. ITR2® is short for Innovative Technical Revolutionary Resin, a composite material with carbon nanotubes that is eight times lighter than stainless steel. It is produced by Injector SA, a Swiss company based in Porrentruy.
The ultra-light behind the concept
Innovative it may be, but ITR2® is only part of the ultra-light story behind the new Montblanc Timewalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept Watch. It is used in combination with Kevlar®/carbon for the case middle, bezel, back and crown of the watch, while the lugs are in DLC-coated titanium. But for maximum weight-loss, Montblanc has also dispensed with a dial altogether, adding the hour and minute markers directly on to the skeletonized titanium mainplate of the movement. Skeletonised titanium is also used for the bridges, while skeletonized lightweight anodized aluminium is used for the hands and the small seconds indicator. Montblanc has even resorted to using mineral glass –unusual nowadays in a luxury watch – for the front and back of the watch. In short, this watch has been reduced to the absolute minimum required for its function as a timepiece, with the result that the movement weighs in at just 4.73 grammes and the watch itself at just 14.88 grammes without the strap.
The golden ratio
The name of this new watch is a nod to the Minerva Calibre 48, designed in 1943, which is now a much sought-after movement among collectors. The Calibre 48, nicknamed Pythagore, attempted to introduce into a mechanical watch movement the magic proportions discovered by Pythagoras and later refined by Euclid and embodied in the Golden Ratio. As a result the movement has a distinctive angular design that is now rediscovered in the new manually-wound Calibre MB M62.48, which offers a power reserve of 50 hours. At this stage the watch is just a concept that has been produced especially for Lin Dan. Look out for it on his wrist during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer.
