Meet the Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition
Thursday - 27 April 2023
The Montblanc 1858 Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Limited edition watch pays homage to the Minerva Monopusher watch of the 1920s with a white gold fluted bezel secured on top of a distressed stainless steel case. The movement powering the hands of this chronograph has been inverted just like the previous two models released back in 2022 by the brand, showing the width and breadth of Montblanc’s expertise in horological mastery.
One way to expose the fine mechanics of a movement through the dial is to invert it. That’s what Montblanc did with the release of its Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph watch two years ago. The fascinating calibre was put on show through the dial side of the watch in a unique way. The watch was released alongside the Minerva Monopusher Red Arrow watch but this year, at the Watches & Wonders 2023 event in Geneva, Montblanc has released the third version of this Minerva Monopusher
Chronograph with an inverted calibre, housed in a contemporary design and an eye-catching, distressed stainless steel case. What’s more – the movement decoration showcases a quirky play on numbers. Through the dial, you’ll notice that the central ring reads “MB M16.26”. In fact, the movement at work inside this new Minerva Monopusher watch is the MB M16.29 Calibre, but since the inversion of the number 9 becomes number 6, this in-house joke becomes quite a fitting one.
The new Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph model measures a 43mm diameter and sits on the wrist at a height of 14.8mm. There are several processes to appreciate about the construction of the case once you know. At first, the case is given a black coating before it is washed and brushed by hand to give the watch an unusual patina using quartzite. Once this stage of the process is complete, the case is brushed and polished. Upon this distressed stainless steel case, experts at Montblanc have given the design a fluted white gold bezel as a nod to the first fluted bezel from Minerva back in 1927.
In many ways, the new Montblanc Unveiled Secret watch remains faithful in looks and feel to the classic Minerva Chronograph, yet the model boasts that all-important inverted movement through the dial side making it a special addition to add to your collection. The Minerva-manufactured Calibre MB16.29 is equipped with its column wheel and horizontal disc clutch but is turned upside-down so that the activation of the chronograph can be seen from the dial. To do this, it required Montblanc’s talented team to add a total of 21 parts to the movement, especially since the direction of the hands must, of course, be reversed to achieve this effect through the front side of the watch.
A devil’s tail-shaped chronograph lever can be seen upon the dial of this new Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph, along with a V-shaped Minerva bridge, a sanded German silver plate, executed with circular graining, silver bridges with Geneva stripes and a ruthenium-coating, not to mention a gold-coated going train.
Across the skeletonised dial of The Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph watch a 30-minute counter and a small second counter are displayed in black. The hour indexes and the central hands of the watch have been treated in Super-LumiNova – the latter of which are cathedral shaped to match other models within the 1858 collection. Lastly, the watch also features a black coated and fluted crown with an integrated Monopusher that is used to activate the chronograph features. A domed box-shaped sapphire crystal glass front with plenty of anti-reflective and scratch-resistant properties protects the surface of this dial and seals to a 30-meter water-resistant case.
The new Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph is fitted on a black alligator leather strap with white contrast stitching and a black-coated stainless steel triple folding clasp. There will be just 88 pieces of this new secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph watch made available. If you’d like to be one of the lucky 88 to own one, you can call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team today on 01335 453453
