The view of the Mont Blanc is different depending on which angle you admire it from. Whether you look at the mountain from the north, east, south, or west, the landscape changes, offering a myriad of ways to admire the same natural wonder. These different viewpoints have inspired a brand-new Montblanc Star Legacy Grey Capsule collection that highlights a new facet of the Mont Blanc ¬– its south-facing rocky side where the snow has difficulty to settle on its vertical face.
The Mont-Blanc massif is composed predominantly of granite whose internal structure reflects different shades of grey and flecks of gold. Granite was pushed up through older rocks of schist, gneiss and limestone some 300 million years ago. The mountain range was formed over 100 million years ago when the African and European tectonic plates collided, forcing these rocks upwards. This process continued until about six million years ago and since then, successive periods of glaciation have formed, resulting in the mountain we see today.
The rock formations of the south face of the Mont-Blanc massif with their fascinating textures have provided the inspiration for this new grey glacier pattern taking center stage on the dials of the Montblanc Star Legacy Automatic, the Montblanc Star Legacy Moonphase and the Montblanc Star Legacy Chronograph.
There are many other design elements that come into play in the Montblanc Star Legacy Collection. Their form is inspired by Minerva pocket watches from the beginning of the 20th century with their pebble-shaped cases and domed sapphire crystals, front and back. They are also recognizable thanks to their onion crowns, Montblanc emblem on the crown and seconds hand, railway minute track and leaf-shaped hands.
Star Legacy Automatic Date 39mm
The Montblanc Star Legacy Automatic Date 39mm model comes in a stainless steel case with rose-gold-coated hands and Arabic numerals that complement this eye-catching grey glacier pattern dial. The Montblanc emblem is present on the seconds hand and on the dial just above the date, allowing them to cross paths every minute.
Star Legacy Moonphase 42mm
The new Montblanc Star Legacy Moonphase 42mm is an appreciated complication that displays the phases of the moon at six o’clock and overlaps the grey glacier pattern in the background. This model comes with an elegant rose gold-coated moon and stars on a blue background that are surrounded by a round date indicator.
Star Legacy Chronograph 42mm
The new Montblanc Star Legacy Chronograph 42mm comes with two counters at three and nine o’clock for an elegant look and important legibility. The grey glacier pattern can be perceived in the background, while the filet sauté has been replaced with an inner flange to bring volume to the dial. The time functions are displayed with rose gold-coated, leaf-shaped hands, while the chronograph indications use rhodium-coated “baton” hands.
All three pieces are fitted with an interchangeable grey calf leather strap with an alligator print and are limited to 1786 pieces, in celebration of Jacques Balmat’s legendary first ascent of the Mont Blanc on August 8th in 1786.
Balmat was not only fascinated by the mountain, but he was also seeking gold. It is for this reason that the dials of these new timepieces are adorned with rose-gold-coated indexes and hands, celebrating this adventurer but also providing an elegant contrast with the grey glacier pattern.
