Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100
The Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 features a hand-wound movement, mono-pusher chronograph, rattrapante, high-end finishing, Grade 5 titanium case and a grand-feu enamel dial. Its specification will have all-respecting horophiles salivating at the prospect of ownership.
Montblanc is synonymous with crafting luxury writing instruments in its Hamburg production facility. In addition, the luxury marque is known for creating luxury leather goods, various accessories and fine timepieces.
Despite making some bespoke writing instruments costing over €1,000,000, the brand’s watch collection encompasses some remarkably accessible products, with automatic timepieces starting from £1640 (RRP as at 4.7.2020). All the company’s watches feature attractive styling and are Swiss made. Indeed, it is the accomplished design, quality execution, value for money and Swiss watchmaking know-how that provides a compelling argument for acquiring a watch from this snow-capped brand.
The prestigious marque has two watch production facilities, one in Le Locle and a second in Villeret. This latter facility was originally the home of Minerva, a revered brand acquired by Richemont back in 2006.
Most self-respecting horophiles know of Minerva because of its remarkable watchmaking expertise, making haute horlogerie creations fitted with exquisitely finished Manufacture movements. The new Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 is endowed with a gorgeous hand-wound Manufacture Split Second Chronograph, the Calibre MB M16.31, crafted at the Villeret site. This movement shuns today’s trend for oversized bridges, revealing a plethora of parts enriched with superb finishing.
Beyond the mechanical excellence of the Calibre MB M16.31, the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 is housed in a 44mm Grade 5 titanium case. This alloy of titanium is incredibly light, strong and hypoallergenic. Other features include a grand feu enamel dial encompassing beige, blue, orange and white tones as well as a snail-shaped tachymeter scale for measuring intervals up to 3 minutes in duration.
With its impressive array of qualities, I suspect the limited series of 100 pieces will be quickly snapped up by watch aficionados.
The brand’s press release
Montblanc reinterprets a 44 mm historical Minerva military monopusher chronograph, with the calibre 17/29, from the 1930s with a very distinctive dial comprising a snail shape tachymeter scale in the centre and a telemeter scale on the internal flange.
The new Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100 comes in a vibrant blue colour executed in gradated enamel combined with a 44 mm full satin-finished, grade 5 titanium case enabling robustness.
Special attention has been paid to the dial which is crafted from solid gold and is adorned with a gradated blue grand feu enamel, allowing an authentic shiny aesthetic. grand feu enamelling is one of the oldest and most precious crafts in watchmaking, providing intense hues and a subtle, yet magical depth. It is the art of applying colourful vitreous enamel paste to the surface of metal and firing it in a kiln. Nothing else renders colour like enamel does and the colours never fade even centuries later. The artisan dusts the enamel powder onto the disc and then briefly fires it at 800° C (1,472° F) before removing it and allowing it to cool, setting the enamel. The heating of the surface is done in layers with each layer heated at very high temperatures. The art of grand feu enamelling requires dexterity, skill and passion. This delicate gradation of blue is achieved by carefully playing with the height of the different layers of enamel.
The blue coloured background is paired with orange and white elements that accentuate the vintage style, while also providing excellent readability of the complications both at day and night. The glass has an anti-magnetized treatment on the inside top sapphire crystal to enable greater precision of the two second hands of the chronograph.
Like on the original timepiece, the Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph has a white telemeter scale that runs around the dial. The telemeter was a common feature on the legendary Minerva chronographs and adds both function and a vintage touch to this new timepiece.
A telemeter makes it possible to measure the distance of a phenomenon which is both visible and audible, like the lightning and thunder in a storm. The chronograph hand starts at the instant the phenomenon is seen (lightning) and is stopped when the sound is heard (thunder).
The position on the scale shows the distance in kilometres separating the phenomenon from the observer (or the user from the storm, in this example) at a glance. Calibration is based on the speed of which sound travels through the air, which is approximately 340 meters per second or 1,115 feet per second.
The timepiece also has a tachymeter (base 1000) at the centre of the dial in a colimaçon, snail shape, which lets the user measure a length of time of up to three minutes instead of one minute as is the case in a traditional chronograph scale around the dial.
The tachymeter scale indicates the speed of a moving object, such as a car, over a known distance. As the moving car passes the starting-point of the measured course, whose length corresponds with that used as the basis of calibration, the owner starts the chronograph hand and stops it as the car passes the finishing-point. The number indicated by the hand on the tachymeter scale represents the speed in kilometres or miles per hour.
It is combined with a complex “rattrapante” (Split second) complication developed by the Montblanc engineers that enables the user to measure intermediate times without interrupting the ongoing measurement of a longer elapsing time. The “rattrapante” can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back like on a traditional timepiece with such a function. For better legibility, the chronograph indications are displayed via a beige central chronograph second hand, an orange split second hand to measure a second time interval and a chronograph minute counter at three o‘clock.
Further reading