Montblanc’s new 1858 collection reminds us all of the famous Minerva military chronographs from the 1930s, with a super chic bronze twist this time. The renowned German company managed to combine traditional Swiss artisanal watchmaking with a genuine material from watchmaking history, with bronze making its way onto the dials and the antique-style straps, to get a true vintage design that will surely charm many, many people.
The historical cues inspired by the original 1930s Minerva chronograph include large cathedral hands, vintage shaped crowns and classic minute railway tracks around the dials. These beautiful watches will also come with the original Montblanc logo, as well as fresh cognac colored calfskin or alligator straps. But let’s take them one by one right now.
First, the Montblanc 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter comes in a limited run of 100 pieces, with a 44 mm bronze case, a domed AR-coated sapphire crystal, and the ability to handle 30 meters deep waters. Movement is provided by the Swiss manual-wind Montblanc in-house by Minerva caliber MB M16.29, backed up by 50 hours of power reserve.
The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Dual Time looks similar, but with a touch of stainless steel from place to place. This time, it’s the Swiss automatic Montblanc caliber MB 29.19 that makes everything tick, with only 42 hours worth of reserve energy backing everything up.
On the other hand, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic shows off a satin-like stainless steel with an engraving of the Minerva Manufacture in Villeret, rhodium-plated luminescent hands indicating the time, as well as a cognac color aged-calf leather strap. Which one do you prefer?
