Review
Foversta shares a hands-on review of the Montblanc 1858 Manual Small Second Limited Edition, a watch he unexpectedly discovered. He delves into its design cues, drawing parallels to vintage pilot's watches, and critically assesses its value proposition within the competitive market.
The Rolex Bubble Back, reference 1858, represents an early example of Rolex's self-winding waterproof wristwatches. This reference is part of the broader Bubble Back family, characterized by its distinctive domed case back designed to accommodate the thicker automatic movement of the era. It showcases Rolex's foundational efforts in developing robust and reliable automatic timepieces for everyday wear, laying groundwork for future Oyster Perpetual models.
This particular reference features an 18k white gold case, measuring 38mm in diameter. It is fitted with a sapphire crystal, protecting a silver dial. The watch is powered by an automatic movement, specifically the Boucheron 1858 caliber, offering a power reserve of 42 hours. The fixed bezel and leather strap complete the watch's classic presentation.
For collectors, the reference 1858 holds interest as an early and relatively rare iteration within the Bubble Back series, especially in white gold. Its larger case size for the period also makes it appealing to modern tastes. The presence of a date complication adds to its functionality, distinguishing it from simpler time-only Bubble Back models and highlighting Rolex's early integration of practical features.
... I still feel it is an opportunity missed. First I thought that MB was bringing back Minerva as a brand - they had a similar looking Pythagore Aviation, also with cathedral hands and lume. That one came with a Minerva Cal. 48 movement, which was probably more appropriate for the price demanded. Maybe an even more limited edition in the future?
Market has changed and such movement would be found in a much more expensive watch, not to mention that due to its availability, the LE would be very limited. So I agree with your final comments... maybe one day we will have a more limited edition in the future but with a different price tag! Thanks!
Not claiming to understand watch making economics in any detail but that movement must have had all the development expenses covered long ago, the machinery written off equally long ago and not so massively more manual labour involved? Or is it the scarcity factor? But if you are approaching it from the what the market can bear perspective, it could probably be much more expensive... As said, lovely watch but maybe a more limited edition could follow
The watch looks quite nice from the front side, reminding older vintage watches (and the chrono looks great with its movement) but the Backside of this one.... erf. I think they created a very nice image for the "Villeret 1858" tag with the previous editions, so using the "1858" name for this one, isn't a good move to me as it reduce the nice effort they made these last years. Cheers, Mark
Robin, I can't seem to find any historic reference to this mountain logo. MB registered the name in 1910 and AFAIK the star was their first symbol in 1913. When was the mountain symbol used and on what product? On a side note, I would be thrilled to know if this watch is suitably water/weather resistant to survive a climb of Mont Blanc, one peak still on my bucket list.
Is 30 meters only so not suitable for sports activities such as swimming. Dean, I think you need another watch which is like 100m water resistance. I am hoping Montblanc upgrades the water resistance of their Timewalker line which can be worn for sports I feel. As for the logo, I am checking with Montblanc. Stay tuned Dean Cheers Robin
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