Montblanc 2021 Watch Releases

Montblanc is a revered watchmaker whose iconic white floating star emblem has long been associated with the finest timekeeping traditions and expert craftsmanship. Yet the company is not confined to specialising in this one area alone. It is also renowned all over the world for manufacturing exquisite luxury writing instruments and supreme leather goods. Growing and building on the strengths of its Minerva manufacturing facilities, Montblanc has pulled out all the stops this year with some incredible wristwatches for both men and women. These include some additions to the brand’s elegant Tradition collection, two Geosphere models from the 1858 range and a new take on the Boheme collection. Let’s take a look at them in a little more detail…

1858 Automatic Chronograph Limited Edition

Directly taking us back to a time when Minerva Chronographs were all the rage in the 1930s, the Montblanc 1858 collection is steeped in plenty of history. This most certainly adds leverage to the brand’s catalogue, enhancing a sense of character and depth to each timepiece. These watches, although communicating a strong retro vibe, are also incredibly resilient and robust. This is partly to do with the fact that earlier Minerva watches were designed for military personnel and meeting requirements in legibility and reliability were considered paramount. In the same vein, this Montblanc 1858 Automatic Limited Edition watch is designed for outdoor exploration and features two ice pick-axes crossed together on the back of its steel case.

The Montblanc 1858 Automatic is available in a simple two-handed dial design and a chronograph version. Both are limited to 1858 pieces. The chronograph is larger than the 40mm two-handed version and measures a 42mm diameter. Both models feature a rich black dial with beige-coloured Super-LumiNova coated hands and Arabic numerals. The cathedral-shaped hands are a signature design element seen across the 1858 collection and reach right out to kiss their respective hour and minute tracks. The time-only version of the new Montblanc 1858 Automatic watch is powered by the Calibre MB 24.15. This self-winding mechanism performs at a rate of 28,800 vibrations and produces a 38-hour power reserve. Its features a compass on its slim black bezel, a fluted crown and a traditional black leather band. The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph Limited Edition is a bi-compax dial design that offers a small second sub-dial at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, together with a central chronograph hand that can be activated for stopwatch measurements using the push-pieces on the case.

1858 Geosphere

Traditional world timer watches feature designs that are specific to the originating locale. That means if you are in the UK, the watch is normally aligned to London and shows the appropriate northern hemisphere for that matter. You can, whether it’s day or night, see what time it is in London, which is aligned according to its longitude and latitude position. If you leave the watch in local time you can see what the rest of the world is up to using the cities skimmed around the outer wheel. This, however, won’t show you the southern hemisphere. The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere will.

You get both hemispheres on the dial of this new addition to the 1858 line. It is, in effect, two world timers in one. It has no city ring around the outer edge but still highlights local time with the thicker longitude line. Both the primary and secondary hour hand can be set via the crown and the hidden pusher respectively. The 8 red dots around the dial represent the 8 tallest summits – these are the famous seven summits plus the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc mountain of course.

Montblanc’s familiar compass-style bidirectionally rotating bezel makes an appearance on this watch as does the cathedral-shaped hands and luminous paint that looks aged. Powered by the MB 29.25, the movement offers a date window at 3 o’clock and features a flat hairspring. The movement sits inside a 100-meter water-resistant case and measures a 42mm diameter, wrapping around the wrist with a stainless steel bracelet.

Geosphere Limited Edition

The Montblanc Geosphere Limited Edition is clad in smoky brown and bronze colours. The watch is limited to 1858 pieces as a tribute to the collection’s name and works in the same way as the standard steel model. Dedicated to the world’s Seven Summit mountaineering challenge, this new release from Montblanc for 2021 takes inspiration from the world’s deserts with cathedral shaped hands, luminous hour markers, a date window and bronze-coloured accents running throughout the world timer functions.

The two domed globes rotate in opposite directions in this bronze watch design. They complete a full rotation every 24 hours. The 24 time zones surround each scale, as well as a day and night indication which appear in different colours for optimum contrast. A brown Sfumato calf leather strap with beige stitching completes this desert-inspired limited edition Montblanc watch. The world timer, which shows both northern and southern hemispheres simultaneously, will appeal to serious globe trotters and devoted Montblanc enthusiasts alike.

Boheme Day & Night

In around 8 years, the Montblanc Boheme collection has become a woman’s go-to place to find an elegant wristwatch. Delicate proportions, uncluttered dials and an unmistakable purist look characterise this versatile collection of timekeeping instruments. They’re also perfect for wearing to important occasions. From three-handed quartz versions to top-of-the-line perpetual calendars and tourbillons, Boheme watches from Montblanc can be as simple or as complex as one would like.

The new watches from the range include two 30mm models and two 34mm designs – each one on a bracelet or a deep blue alligator leather strap. All three of these designs feature a stunning silver guilloche-textured dial, sprinkled with diamond dot indexes around the hour track and a set of blued steel hands. To distinguish between day and night, the indicator transforms to show a light blue sky and gold-coloured sun during the daytime hours or a silver-coloured moon against a midnight blue sky for the evening hours. This complication is made possible thanks to the MB 24.20, housed inside a 30-meter water-resistant steel case. Amongst the new Boheme Day & Night watches is a bi-colour case fitted on a black alligator leather strap. The ref: MB127357 features an 18ct rose gold bezel set with glistening diamonds against a steel case, adding a halo of light around a timeless silver guilloche dial.

Tradition Automatic

Watches from Montblanc’s Tradition line are, as their names suggest - classic instruments for those who prefer unfussy designs. Elegantly crafted, the dials of each timepiece promote clarity and a relaxed approach to timekeeping. They also make great dress watches, pairing easily with smart, casual and formal attire. The new Montblanc Tradition Automatic watches come in a 32mm size for women and a 40mm size for men, both of which are fitted on a classic black alligator leather strap. A stainless steel bracelet version is also offered in both sizes and there’s also a 30mm quartz version to choose from.

The dials of the new Montblanc Tradition watches are silver and feature Roman numeral hour markers at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock. The rest of the hour markers are represented by baton markers except the 3 o’clock location, which features a date window. The central hour and minute hands are slender, tapering into a fine point, whilst the needle-fine second hand stretches out to a railway minute track. Whilst these timepieces will appeal to those who collect classic dress watches, they equally make for great office companions thanks to their easily readable hour markers and their comfortable leather and metal strap options.

If you’d like to take a closer look at Montblanc’s 2021 watch releases, you can view all the recent additions, together with the rest of the range here. Alternatively, a member of our sales team here at Jura Watches will be more than happy to run through the details of any of the featured watches for you on 01335 453453