The year 1858 holds utmost importance to Richemont-owned Montblanc. It’s the year where in Villeret, just a few hours from LeLocle, watchmaker Charles-Yvan Robert founded the Minerva (named after the Roman goddess of wisdom of handicrafts, the professions, and the arts). Professional watches, chronographs, stopwatches, monopushers, and GMT are hallmarks of the Minerva collection. Over these years, Montblanc has established itself as one of the key players in the watchmaking industry and Minerva has played a vital role in backing this claim. Let us look at the entire collection from the 2022 Watches and Wonders, Geneva.

1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow

Since its inception in 1927, the Minerva has boasted the fluted bezel and an internal countdown rotating bezel. At this year’s Watches and Wonders, Mont Blan unveiled Ref 129614, limited to 88 pieces, gets a smoked blue dial that turns black moving down. The 42mm stainless steel watch with a steel caseback gets beige Arabic hour markers, hour, and minutes get Super-LumiNova and turn green when exposed under low light conditions.

The fluted bezel can be rotated in both directions and has multiple uses in combination with the red arrow. When the red arrow and the hours, minutes and seconds work in cohesion, the wearer can track the elapsed time. Also, the countdown timer can be set by rotating the bezel and the red arrow is placed at a specific time.

Also Read: Roman(cing) Numerals: 5 Watches That Do It Best

The watch gets a telemeter scale on the outside of the dial, above the Arabic numerals, a tachymeter at the centre of the dial. While the fluted crown is made in stainelss steel. Also getThe chronograph gets a 30-minute sub-dial at 3 o’clock and a seconds sub-dial 9 o’clock, while Mont Blanc logo sits below 12 o’clock. The watch marks the return of the iconic red arrow above 12 o’clock.

Powering this watch is Mont Blanc’s in-house calibre MB M13.21 manually wound movement with 60 hours of power reserve, 2.5Hz frequency. The case and caseback get scratch-resistant, domed-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating with the number of the individual watch. The watch comes with a 30metre water resistance. The watch is completed on a semi-mat black alligator leather strap with beige stitching and black lining with a polished stainless steel double deployant buckle

1858 Geosphere Chronograph

First launched in 1928, the 1858 Geosphere Chronograph has become one of Mont Blanc’s most sought-after timepieces. The watch Ref. 129624 displays global time at 12 o’clock for northern hemisphere and 6 o’clock for the southern hemisphere. The 44mm titanium case watch is limited to just 290 pieces features a new chronograph movement with hours sub-dial at 9 o’clock and minutes sub-dial at 3 o’clock. The blue and block combined dial gets white Super-Luminova with Arabic numerals with rhodium plated hour and minute hands.

The Mont Blanc logo sits at 3 o’clock with a white date window. The watch comes with a bi-directional black ceramic knurled bezel with ‘N’ for North engraving and ‘S’ for South engraving with a start/stop pusher at 2 o’clock and reset function at 4 o’clock. The titanium caseback gets Everest 3D colour engraving with a fluted titanium crown. The watch gets a 100metre water resistance.

The watch is powered by an in-house calibre MB 29.27 movement with new manufacture automatic movement with 46 hours of power reserve, 4Hz frequency. The watch is completed on a blue sfumato calf leather strap with titanium deploying buckle.

Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date

The first ever sports diving watch from Mont Blanc, the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date features a glacier pattern. The watch come in 3 dial options - blue, green and black. The watch gets a unidirectional bezel with white Arabic numerals, dot marker has super-lumiNova, the hour markers on the dial get a combination of bar shaped and Arabic hour markers for 12 'clock, 6 'o'clock and 9 o'clock with super-luminova, a date window at 3 o'clock, a glacier engraving at 6'clock. The watch gets domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.

The 41mm stainless steel Ref. MB129369 watch gets polished and curved lugs while the caseback get the engraving of a scuba diver with an iceberg background. The watch features a screw down crown with Montblanc emblem. Powering the new 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date is the MB 24.17 automatic self winding movement with a 38 hour power reserve, 4Hz frequency. Completing the watch is a stainless steel bracelet with a quick release levers for an easy switch to a blue or black rubber strap. the watch gets a water resistance of 300metres.

Montblanc 1858 GMT Automatic Date

The watch Ref 129766 comes in two dial options of sunray blue and black. The watch turns red on the perimeter to indicate the tracking of the GMT. The GMT watch gets a aluminium fixed knurled unidirectional bezel in blue or black colours with white Arabic numerals. The GMT time is indicated on the perimeter in square and rectangular shapes that displays square for full hour and rectange for half an hour.

The hour markers on the dial get a combination of bar shaped and Arabic hour markers for 12 'clock, 6 'o'clock and 9 o'clock with super-luminova, a date window at 3 o'clock. The watch gets a date window at 3 o'clock, MontBlanc logo below 12 o'clock and GMT engraving at 6 o'clock.

The caseback gets the European time zone, marked by Villeret, Montblanc's headquarters. The 42mm stainless steel case watch is powered by calibre MB 24.33 automatic movement with 42 hours of power reserve and 4Hz frequency. Completing the watch is an adjustable and interchangeable stainless steel strap with stainless steel double deployant buckle with an option oif a black rubber strap. The watch gets a water resistance of 100metres.

Minerva Secret Chronograph

The two versions of the watches come in 18karat lime gold (limited to 18 pieces) and stainless steel (limited to 58 pieces). The 43mm watches are the first open dialed from Montblanc. The watches come with a with a fluted bezel.

The lime gold version displays green hands and '12' Arabic numeral in green with bar shaped hour markers while the stainless steel version gets white gold fluted bezel with white and blue hour and minute hands and a complete blue seconds hands with '12'Arabic numeral in blue. On the central dial the lime gold version gets Mont Blanc in gold while the stainless steel verion gets Mont Blanc logo on a steel plate.

The limited editon skelton chronographs feature a 30 minute counter at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 ’clock. The caseback features a 'Fait A Villeret' engraving along with the individual number of the watch with a 3D photo of the Montblanc Manufacture at Villeret and '1858' engraving. The watches come with a fluted monopusher crown with Montblanc emblem engraved. Both the lime gold and stainless steel watches come with a 30metre water resistance.

Powering both the watches is the in-house calibre MB M16.26 with 50 hours of power reserve and 2.5Hz frequency. The 18karat like green watch gets completed on a green alligator strap with ecru stitching and Green lining alligator small scales with Lime Gold pin buckle while the stainless steel watch gets the blue alligator strap with blue stitching and blue lining alligator small scales with stainless steel pin buckle.

Images: Courtesy Montblanc