Montblanc’s products for 2015 confirm the brand’s strategy of attacking the market on two fronts, high-priced complication watches with in-house movements (reflecting the Villeret manufacturing unit, previously Minerva, where watches are made by hand using antique machinery) and very competitively-priced pieces based on third-party movements with small additional complications. The Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time is a relatively low-priced piece based on a movement made by an external manufacturer, to which Montblanc has added an extra module consisting of 21 components for the dual time display.
A practical dual time display for travellers
The second time zone (generally the home time when you are travelling) is displayed in two ways, by a second blue hour hand, and on a 24-hour subdial at 12 o’clock with day/night indication. When you’re not travelling and you don’t need the second time zone, you can set the blue hour hand to correspond with the silver-colour hour hand so that all you see are the two silver hands (local time) for hours and minutes, with the same time on the 24-hour display above.
Easy adjustment
All adjustments are performed from the crown. You just pull the crown out to the first position, and then turning the crown moves the local time hand in one-hour increments, with tangible clicks from the crown at every one-hour increment. During the process, the movement continues to run, and the second and minute hands continue to advance, so that the exact time is not affected. The date window is linked to local time. The MB 29.19 calibre movement is automatic, providing a power reserve of about 42 hours.
Dress-watch style case
The timepiece has a sort of dress-watch simplicity, and its size makes it ideal for use during the day and evening, with a diameter of 41 mm and thickness of 9.9 mm. The case is in steel, with areas of polished and satin-finished steel. The dial has a silvery sunburst finish. The watch is mounted on a leather strap made by Montblanc’s leather factory in Florence.
Price
The Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time costs €3,990. More information from www.montblanc.com
