Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

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Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc - Montblanc
Tired of zooming, WorldTempus joined Montblanc in Switzerland’s Crans Montana for some real “face” time and a sneak peek at the 2021 collection

The pandemic has been tough on the watch media. Much of what we do involves physical contact with our friends at the brands, discussing watches, seeing the manufacturing processes, looking at movements through microscopes, and trying on timepieces. And even though we are delighted to be taking part in the Digital Watches & Wonders event, it is just not the same.

So, when an invite came to the WorldTempus office for a pre-Watches & Wonders, outdoors, socially-distanced, walk in the woods of Crans-Montana, the excitement was off the charts! How would we get there? What should we wear? Should we take our video equipment? (We did, by the way, as you will see below).

Field Trip to Crans Montana

After one of the prettiest train journeys along the shores of Lac Léman and then up into the mountains, we arrived at a luxurious chalet in Crans Montana where we are greeted by Montblanc’s newly-appointed Managing Director, Laurent Lecamp, who we interviewed earlier this month.

We sat down for a delicious outdoor raclette lunch, where we were not only spoiled by some of the tastiest local raclette cheese by Pascal Cordonier & Fils at the Domaine de Revouire, but we also got to take a look at Montblanc’s 2021 novelties. Here are four of the major new releases from the brand’s 1858 and Heritage collections. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look.

1858 Monopusher Chronograph Origins Limited Edition 100

Origins is a new word in Montblanc terminology and it refers to the roots of Minerva. The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Origins Limited Edition 100 not only pays tribute to the origins of the brand but also a 46mm military monopusher chronograph from the 1930s that has been a source of inspiration for this new timepiece.

Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

This limited edition of 100 pieces keeps a number of elements from the original model, including a black dial with bi-compax counters, luminescent cathedral-shaped hands, and beige indexes. It also has a few additional vintage twists, such as a special bronze alloy case, an “officer” style protective cover over the case back, and a manufacture Monopusher chronograph caliber that is an authentic reconstruction of the Minerva chronograph from the beginning of the 20th century.

1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition

The new 1858 Geosphere Desert is the second Geosphere limited edition to be dedicated to world-famous mountaineer and explorer Reinhold Messner. The first sold out in a heartbeat. This time, instead of celebrating Messner’s ascensions of the world’s peaks, this new edition has been inspired by a five-week solo expedition he did across the Gobi Desert in 2004.

Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

The timepiece reproduces the warm dusty colours of the Gobi Desert with a micro-blasted bronze case, a new brown ceramic bezel, a gradated brown lacquered dial, and a matching vintage-brown calfskin strap. The timepiece also features a special realistic 3D engraving of the Gobi Desert’s famous Flaming Cliffs that has been achieved using a unique new laser process that has to be seen to be believed.

Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition in Lime Gold

Montblanc is introducing a brand-new gold alloy called lime gold in the new 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition. Lime gold has a wonderful deep golden colour that veers towards a pale yellowy green and matches perfectly with the sunray gold-coloured dial to create a striking monochrome aesthetic.

Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

In terms of the functions, this new timepiece is equipped with the hand-finished, manually-wound, manufacture Monopusher chronograph caliber that features a split-seconds chronograph complication with a central split- seconds hand and a 30-minute counter, allowing users to measure intermediate times without interrupting the ongoing measurement of a longer elapsed time.

Heritage Pythagore Small Seconds Limited Editions

The Heritage Pythagore Small Seconds Limited Editions pay tribute to the Minerva Calibre No. 48 that was developed and produced in 1948. This movement was the height of contemporary design in its day and pushed the boundaries of design with its straight lines and geometrical angles that followed Pythagoras’s theorem and the Golden Ratio. This year, Montblanc is unveiling a new Manufacture movement whose design follows the same Golden Ration rules, even in terms of its hand-finishing and decoration.

Digital Break: Watches & Walking in the Alps with Montblanc

There are two limited editions of 148 pieces each – one in a 39mm 18-karat white gold case with a deep blue dial, and the other in an 18-karat rose gold case with a new burnt-caramel-coloured dial.

We will, of course, return to all these models in more detail throughout the year, but for now, it is time for that walk in the woods to learn more from the Maison’s new Managing Director, Laurent Lecamp.

Join us below!

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