Reaching New Heights: Montblanc brings the Spirit of Mountain Exploration to SIHH
Immersive experience tells the story of the Maison’s professional watch manufacturing legacy and the extraordinary mountain exploits that inspired its new 1858 Collection
During the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Montblanc revisits the extraordinary watchmaking heritage of the Minerva Manufacture and its legendary professional watches created for military use and mountain exploration during the 1920s and 1930s. Highly accurate, legible and made to endure the most extreme conditions, these historic watches are the inspiration for Montblanc 1858, the new vintage exploration-inspired timepieces that take centre stage at this year’s annual watch event. The Montblanc booth is a modern interpretation of the collection’s mountaineering theme with natural wood finishes creating a warm modern chalet environment to house the new watches. Stepping into the lounge visitors are transported to an unforgettable mountain adventure. In the newly created social media area, today’s explorers are invited to express their own spirit of adventure inside a mountain expedition photo booth where they can defy gravity as they climb up along a mountain face, their exploit forever immortalized in photography. Virtual reality takes the bravest to new heights, offering them an immersive mountain exploration experience without ever having to leave the comfort of the Montblanc booth.
Reminiscent of the original Minerva chronographs, the vintage design codes of 1858 are evident throughout the Montblanc space from leather furnishings evoking the aged calfskin leather watch straps to brushed bronze surfaces mirroring the bronze of the vintage-inspired watches. The references to mountain exploration throughout the booth underscore the role chronographs and professional watches have played for mountaineers, trusted companions in their relentless pursuit to conquer new heights.
Stepping into the concentric lobby, visitors are transported into the universe of Montblanc1858, surrounded by breath-taking vistas of the Mont Blanc evoking the spirit of mountain exploration. A spherical cage wood structure is home to the new timepieces created for today’s fearless adventurers and the intrepid explorers who set their sights on their goals in their pursuit of new heights. Above the central lobby, the complexity and virtuosity of Montblanc complications is
expressed in the large-scale replica of the innovative Tourbillon suspend movement from the Maison’s Star Legacy that floats in mid-air. In the centre, watchmakers from the Maison’s manufactures are at work, demonstrating the craftsmanship and know-how that goes into the creation of every timepiece.
Covering one of the walls, a timeline charts the major milestones in the history of Minerva, the manufacture founded by Charles-Ivan Robert in 1858 as a manufacturer of pocket watches before gaining international recognition for its precision timepieces and becoming a leading specialist in the fabrication of professional watches and stopwatches. In addition to charting the evolution of classical watchmaking, the timeline highlights key milestones in the spirit of mountain exploration as well as the spirit of racing, and the role Minerva played in each of those. Key milestones include the development of a number of movements equipped with chronograph functions such as the legendary calibre 19.09 in 1909 featuring the recognizable patented V-Chrono shaped bridge, the first manually wound monopusher chronographs specially developed for wristwatches in the 1920s, and the iconic calibre 17.29 from the 1930s, one of the slimmest monopusher chronographs of the time. Along a library wall, the innovative calibres exhibited highlight the Maison’s ability to delve into its rich heritage to push watchmaking excellence to new limits with high performance calibres.
From the base of the mountain to its snowy peaks, the Montblanc experience takes modern-day explorers on a journey to discover new heights of watchmaking, paying tribute to the 160 years of the Minerva Manufacture and its horologic achievements along the way. A total of 148 watches are on display during SIHH including the new pieces from the mountain exploration-inspired 1858 Collection and Star Legacy, a collection inspired by the spirit of classical fine watchmaking.
About Montblanc
Guided by the pioneering spirit since 1906, Montblanc revolutionized the culture of writing with breakthrough innovations. Today, the Maison continues to push boundaries and evolve the expression of fine craftsmanship across each of its product categories: the pinnacle of luxury writing instruments,
timepieces, leather goods, accessories, fragrances and eyewear. With every innovation, Montblanc offers new functionalities and groundbreaking designs imbued with the Maison’s heritage of sophistication and crafted to the highest standards through the skills of its artisans in each of its manufactures whether Hamburg, Germany for its writing instruments, the Swiss Jura in Le Locle and Villeret for its timepieces or Florence, Italy for its leather goods. Reflecting its ongoing mission to create fine lifetime companions born from the most pioneering ideas, the iconic Montblanc Emblem has become the ultimate seal of performance, innovation, quality and expression of style. With its origins deeply rooted in the culture of handwriting, Montblanc continues to assert its cultural commitment around the world with the creation of wide-ranging initiatives to promote arts and culture in many forms, while honouring the modern day patrons who support the advancement of the arts.
During the launch of Montblanc 1858 Collection and in keeping with the concept of exploration, different summits were set up: the Mountaineering 101 activity which ignited familiarization on packing for an outdoor adventure, the Paracord Bracelet Making, and the Virtual Reality (VR) station where guests viewed the peak of Mont Blanc.
