By John Galt
Montblanc’s new addition to their Heritage Chronometrie collection is this ultra slim watch. Normally when you think of a dress watch you immediately think of the likes of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe that all show the classic dress watch identity i.e. small slim case, three hands and a case made from a precious metal. There is a now a new comer to the classic dress watch and it’s from Montblanc and follows the age-old theory of dress watches.
Montblanc draws its inspiration for the ultra-slim from their legendary “Pythagore” by their own manufacture Minerva with its 157-year history inspiring many Montblanc watch collections
Quoting this as an ultra-slim Montblanc would need to follow it up and they most definitely did, the case is only 5.8mm high featuring a classic stepped bezel, curved horns with characterful facets and beautiful polished surfaces. The dial in my opinion is what really makes it a dress watch; the 38mm case is a perfect classic size and is released in two versions, 18k red gold or stainless steel. Both of these have matching applied indexes and slim lancet hands. The stainless steel version comes with a sunburst finish with my favourite version the red gold coming with a gorgeous ivory dial which really accentuates the warm feel of the gold.
The outer edge of the dial is adorned with a slim yet bold minute track, only 3,6,9 and 12 Arabic numbers adorn the dial giving even more of an elegant look. The small winding crown with Montblanc’s motif engraved in it seems to blend perfectly to the case keeping the uncluttered classic feel a dress watch should have.
Turning the piece over you are greeted by an exhibition case which is a welcome addition that I really like. The movement is an ETA/peseux calibre 7001 manually wound and widely used for its robust virtues, Montblanc have sprinkled their magic on it with beautiful cote de Genève stripping and in-house finishing with a good 42 hour power reserve.
The ultra slim will become part of the heritage collection and means more than just joining a collection, it is also part of the collection that has undergone Montblanc’s ‘laboratory test 500 ‘ that puts each and every one of its heritage chronometer pieces through a test lasting 500 hours simulating everyday use guaranteeing that every timepiece is perfect before leaving the Montblanc Manufacture in Le Locle.
Finishing off the piece is leather pin and buckle strap coming from Montblanc’s own leather manufacture in Florence. The watch costs €5,890 for rose gold and €1999 for stainless steel.
Conclusion
Montblanc have really got this dress watch perfect in my opinion especially with my favourite, the rose gold with its warm feel of the case coupled with the beautiful white ivory dial just says to me elegance and beauty all rolled in to one and with prices starting from under 2k euros an absolute bargain. For more info, please visit montblanc.com
Technical Specifications
Ident. 112516
Movement Calibre MB 23.01
Type of movement: mechanical movement, manual winding
Number of jewels 17
Power reserve Approx. 42 hours
Balance: Flat hoop
Frequency 21,600 vib./h (3 Hz)
Hairspring: Flat
Displays Hours, minutes
Case
18 K red gold (5N), polished
Crystal Scratch-resistant, flat and anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Back 18 K red gold with inset pane of sapphire crystal
Dimensions Diameter = 38 mm; Height = 5.8 mm
Water-resistance 3 bar
Crown 18 K red gold with Montblanc emblem in relief
Dial Ivory grainé dial, facetted hour indexes and Arabic numerals as gold-plated appliqués, red gold-plated facetted sword hour and minute hands
Strap Black alligator-skin strap crafted in the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence with 18 K red gold-plated pin buckle
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
JOHN GALT – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
John Galt caught the horology bug 4 years ago on his first visit to a London watch show and has snowballed since; John has become an avid writer and blogger of timepieces of all kinds, from everyday timepieces to modern Luxury Haute Horology, his favorite brands being HYT and Greubel Forsey that push the bounders of modern watch-making. John keeps a keen interest in the UK watch scene with their many emerging brands and timepiece’s. John Galt currently contributes watch related articles for online publications in the UK and USA. You can follow John on Twitter @johng73 Read his articles here.
