Montblanc Heritage Line – new models for 2020
This year, the snow-capped brand has unveiled three new additions to the Montblanc Heritage Line. Each model demonstrates the design know-how of Davide Cerrato, the Managing Director of Montblanc’s Watch Division. In this instance, he has embraced the styling of the past, resized the models for a modern-day audience and infused each reference with an unusual dial shade.
I remember meeting Davide Cerrato for the first time in 2012. On this occasion, he was Head of Marketing, Design & Product Development at Tudor. We met at Baselworld that year and Cerrato presented several Tudor novelties. I can still recall being amazed at the combination of design, quality and value. Noting that Cerrato was a marketing chap, I innocently inquired about the designer responsible for the exquisite Tudor Heritage Black Bay with its metallic burgundy bezel. Cerrato explained he had a dual role in the company with responsibility for both marketing and design/product development. It was an unusual combination of responsibilities but it appeared to work.
In 2015, Cerrato, no doubt on the radar of several brands, accepted a position at Montblanc as the Managing Director of its Watch Division. It did not take long before he started to make his mark. The brand, historically known for making luxury writing instruments, began launching stunning watches, again at very keen prices. For example, in 2016, the company unveiled the Montblanc 1858 Manual Small Second, encompassing classic styling courtesy of its cathedral hour and minute hands and neat small seconds display at 6 o’clock.
This year, under Cerrato’s stewardship, the firm has produced new additions to the 1858 collection. These are stunning watches that build on the elements previously seen on the earlier Montblanc 1858 models. This continuity is essential for building a brand, something Cerrato undestood when he worked at Tudor and he still appreciates today in his role at Montblanc.
In addition, the brand has enlarged the Montblanc Heritage Line of period-style watches, inspired by former Minerva models of the 1940s and 50s. Cerrato has embraced the styling of the past, resized the models for a modern-day audience and infused each reference with an unusual dial shade. There are no ugly ducklings, every model exhibits a prepossessing beauty, however, based on Cerrato’s track record, I would expect nothing less.
The brand’s press release
Inspired by historical Minerva classic wristwatches from the 1940s and 50s and the spirit of neo-dandy style, Montblanc unveils three novelties within its Heritage product line, combining vintage aesthetic with distinctive colour associations and refined watch complications.
The new models feature fully polished 40 mm and 42 mm cases, bent horns with facets, and are fitted with sapphire crystal glass boxes for an elegant vintage look.
Reminiscent of the neo-dandy style, special attention has been paid to dials with distinctive colours, such as salmon, tobacco-brown, British-racing-green and they include technical finishes such as two-tone decoration, a domed-shape, and lacquer coatings that require dexterity and expertise to apply.
Other details feature dots as indexes, bent Dauphine hands enhanced with SuperLuminova®, a rack minuterie with SuperLuminova® small dots every five minutes, and old-school international payphone indications of 3, 6 and 9 minutes.
In line with the collection’s spirit, the timepieces are adorned with Sfumato alligator straps of various colours from British-racing-green, to grey and tobacco -brown that complete the overall design.
Like with all the Heritage timepieces, these new wristwatches are water-resistant to 50 meters.
Montblanc Heritage Manufacture Pulsograph Limited Edition 100 Pieces
The highlight of the Maison’s product line is the Heritage Pulsograph Limited Edition 100, a timepiece inspired by what collectors call the ‘doctor’s watches’, that were used by doctors in the past to check a patient’s heart rate. Following the launch of the Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph Limited Edition with a salmon-coloured dial, the Maison is now unveiling a brand-new model in an 18 K rose gold 40 mm case with a distinctive smoked tobacco-brown dial and matching Sfumato alligator strap, reinforcing the trendy vintage style.
On the case back, the sapphire crystal reveals the high level of hand- finishing of the Montblanc Manufacture monopusher chronograph Calibre MB M13.21. This high-end movement is composed of a large balance wheel with 18 screws that beats at the traditional frequency of 18,000 A/H, a column wheel and horizontal coupling, the iconic V-shaped chronograph bridge whose designed was patented in 1912, and the emblematic hand-decorated Minerva arrow. To match the 18 K rose gold case and the tobacco-brown dial, the calibre MB M13.21 features rose gold-coated plate and bridges.
The refined tobacco-brown dial features several vintage design codes from the 1940s and 50s: a domed smoked lacquered dial with “grainé” hour ring and sunray finishes, 18 K rose gold-coated luminescent Arabic numerals and dots for indexes, 18 K rose gold-coated luminescent dauphine hour and minute hands, 18 K rose gold baton-shaped hands for the seconds and the chronograph indications, rack minuterie, and old school international payphone indications of 3, 6 and 9 minutes on the chronograph’s minutes counter.
The timepiece comes with a matching tobacco-brown Sfumato alligator strap, completing the overall vintage design.
Montblanc Heritage Monopusher Chronograph
Joining the Heritage product line is this new edition in stainless steel with a salmon-coloured dial.
The Heritage Monopusher Chronograph is one of the technical pillars of Minerva savoir-faire, offering an accessibly-priced model at the centre of the collection. This timepiece features the latest chronograph design with a domed, salmon-coloured dial with black rhodium-coated Arabic numerals and dots for indexes. Other features include a blue rack minuterie, black rhodium- coated luminescent dauphine hands for the hours and minutes, and contrasting blued steel baton hands for the seconds and the chronograph indications, providing great visibility. A closer look at the minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock reveals an indicator for 3, 6 and 9 minutes – a vintage touch from the days when we used coin-operated telephones and needed to track the length and cost of a call.
This timepiece comes in a 42 mm stainless steel case with polished and satin-finishes, curved horns, a domed sapphire glass box, and the distinctive Minerva Manufacture embossing on the case back.
The timepiece is completed with a matching grey Sfumato alligator strap from the Pelletteria in Florence, Italy.
Montblanc Heritage Automatic
The new Montblanc Heritage Automatic comes in 18 K yellow gold with a brand-new lacquered British-racing-green dial and matching Sfumato alligator strap for a vintage look.
This new colour combination is enhanced by yellow gold details on the dial, including 18 K yellow gold-coated curved Dauphine hands that have been enhanced with SuperLuminova®*, along with applied Arabic numerals and dots for indexes that are also in yellow gold. Providing great flair, the dial has been lacquered – a technique that requires expertise and dexterity. The 40 mm case is fitted with a domed sapphire crystal and an elegant British-racing-green Sfumato strap from the Pelletteria in Florence, Italy.
Like all the Montblanc Heritage Automatic models, the timepiece is powered by the Calibre MB 24.27, an automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, and is water-resistant to 50 metres.
Further reading