By Meor Amri Meor Ayob
Montblanc is on a roll. Within a space of just a month, this will be the third review of a new offering from Montblanc Montre S.A. of Le Locle, Switzerland. I must say that I like what I see.
To celebrate the 110th anniversary of the brand, Montblanc developed the new Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim in four versions, three limited edition and one non-limited edition models. Designed as a dress watch, it features the Calibre MB 29.21 ExoTourbillon Stop-Second movement for the non-limited edition model and the Calibre MB 29.24 ExoTourbillon Stop-Second movement for the limited edition models.
The standard Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim (non-limited edition model) can be seen in the photo above. It has a 42 mm diameter case and 10.14 mm tall. The whole casing, including crown, is made out of 18K 5N red gold. Definitely a dress watch, it does have a respectable water rating of 50 meters.
The dial is segregated into two sections differentiated by texture design. The larger of the two which cover the upper half has the guilloche design while the bottom half has the Geneva stripes. The ExoTourbillon is clearly seen in a wide aperture located at 6 o’clock.
There is a minute scale with a combination of Arabic numerals and markers at the edge of the dial. Apart from that, there are also additional Roman numerals but only available in the upper dial section in red gold. Similarly, the hands are also in red gold with a bit of SuperLumiNova paint for illumination in the dark.
An interesting feature of the watch is the indicator flag located at the 3 o’clock position. Moving the crown to the various positions (for winding or adjusting) will be indicated by the indicator flag. Honestly, the advantage of such function is not that great. I would prefer a power reserve indicator instead.
The wristwatch is secured to one’s wrist with a black alligator strap with a red gold pin buckle.
For those of you who like something more unique, there are 3 limited edition pieces with a hand-painted map of the North American, European, or Asian continents in place of the upper dial section. Made out of white gold, it does not have the indicator flag and the only Roman numeral is the number “XII”.
Below is the Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Edition Asia with reference 115124.
Below is the Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Edition Europe with reference number 115072.
Finally, the Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Edition North America with reference 115125.
The Calibre MB 29.21 and Calibre MB 29.24 are powered by a micro-rotor decorated with a Côtes de Genève and can be viewed via sapphire crystal display case back. Both movements have 29 jewels and operate at 3 Hertz or 21,600 vph. The main springs has a power reserve of 50 hours. The difference between the MB 29.21 and MB 29.24 is that the latter does not feature the crown setting quick stop-second indication. This is to allow an unobstructed view of the maps.
The quick stop-seconds are indicated on the tourbillon cage with a large red arrow. This quick stop-second function is made possible thanks to the construction of the ExoTourbillon, which halts the screw balance by means of a tiny spring, instead of halting the tourbillon cage.
Only 36 pieces each of the limited edition models will be produced. Like all Montblanc watches, every watch will be certified by the Montblanc Performance Test 500 before leaving the factory.
I actually like the design. The limited edition pieces are beautiful to behold.
For more info, please visit montblanc.com
MEOR AMRI MEOR AYOB – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Meor Amri is a passionate watch collector from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Having bitten by the horology bug in 2010, he has written extensively about the watch scene and has assembled a large collection of watches (excessively!!!) on his own free time. His blogs on the same subject are: Eastern Watch & Western Watch Read his articles here
