Foversta provides an exclusive look at Montblanc's 2017 novelties presented in Paris, covering leather goods, writing instruments, and watches. The author highlights the brand's strategic focus on 'racing' and 'bronze' as key trends for the year, offering detailed impressions of the new timepieces, including the Timewalker line and 1858 collection additions.
A few days ago, Montblanc organised a presentation of the 2017 novelties (leather goods, watches, writing instruments, accessories) in a prestigious hotel close to the Place de la Concorde. Clients of the brand and journalists were invited to discover them in the different rooms of the suite which was booked for this purpose. For me, it was a good opportunity to discover the timepieces novelties since I couldn't attend the SIHH. Sadly, this 2017 collection was not comprehensive even if the key pieces (the most important ones when it comes to the sales figures) were available.
If I could sum up the 2017 trend for Montblanc, I would use the following words: racing and bronze. Racing because the world of racing cars is the base and the inspiration of the new Timewalker line made of several models including the reedition of the Rally Timer based on the Minerva movement 16.29 and a new version of the Chronograph 1000 using the Miverva movement 66.26. Bronze because the 1858 collection gets some nice additions featuring a bronze case (for the chronograph) or bronze bezels (for the automatic or automatic dual time pieces). I propose you to discover the pictures I took during the event.
This is a true artist! This man is an italian craftsman who is able to create the most complex leather shapes thanks to his skills and control. I was very happy to discuss with him and Montblanc had a very good idea to make him available to the visitors of the exhibition.
Let's take an example: what about this very nice little crow? Cute, isn't it?
The strategy of Montblanc is based on three pillars: timepieces, writing instruments and leather goods in order to meet on a wide basis the expectations of its customers. A focus was made during the exhition on the leather goods and I could appreciate the different textures of leather and a broader choice of colors in some specific collections.
Obviously, the travel bags remain a large part of the leather goods collection with 24h or 48h items.
Let's focus now on the watches.
You may think that I got confused and that piece is NOT a 2017 novelty. But please have a closer look on this Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum dial. You will notice that Geneva replaced Paris for the GMT+1 timezone. The pictured watch is actually the UNICEF limited edition. 500 pieces are available with a latin font and 500 with a chinese one. I really like this watch and I still prefer this version to its 4810 sister due to its smaller size. Moreover, I have the feeling that the central part is more colorful on this version than on the first Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum which was featuring only shades of blue.
This is a piece I also like. I find that the bronze bezel works pretty well in the context of the 1858 Dual Time. It brings a warmer and refined touch to a large and somehow massive (44mm) watch. The good point about this large diameter is that the date window is in the end well located inside the subdial and doesn't cut anything. I also like the design of the second timezone hand and the day/night display. A good surprise... more convincing than the 1858 Automatic which is definitively too large for a watch without any complication (and which could have been better without the automatic word on the dial). The Automatic Dual Time avoids this problem!
Montblanc seems to target a lot the customers who travel the world... because another novelty is dedicated to them with the 4810 Dual Time. The watch is smaller than its 1858 equivalent but the dial looks much busier due to the specific decoration style of the collection and its lay-out. Frankly speaking, I much prefer the 1858 approach which is more elegant in my point of view. On the other side, the 4810 Dual Time offers more specific Montblanc elements of design like the guillochage of the dial and the roman numerals.
In the Heritage Chronometrie collection, here comes the Twin Date with a blue dial. It is a simple and elegant piece which looks a bit smaller than its actual size due to the dark dial. The dial color is well made and even if this type of date display is not very practical (let's face it: a window is much more legible), I like the feeling of balance created by the two subdials. A watch for people who look for discreet watches with a little twist brought by its main color.
The last two pieces I saw during the event belong to the new Timewalker collection. They feature a black ceramic bezel and in both cases, two types of dial are available: silver or black. I tend to prefer the black ones because they create a harmonious design with the bezel. I was less convinced by the contrast between the dial and the bezel with the silver finishes. The red central second hand is a tribute to the Minerva arrow. The three-hand watch has a 41mm diameter while the chronograph has a 43mm one. Please note that there is also a Chronograph UTC in the collection.
The Montblanc star is displayed on the left subdial:
This is my fav watch of the new Timewalker collection. The numerals, the black and red atmosphere are faithful to the inspiration of the collection.
Sadly, I couldn't see the two masterpieces of the collection: the Rally Timer and the Chronograph 1000 but who knows, maybe I will have an opportunity to see them during the year!
Thanks a lot to the Montblanc France for the invitation and the organisation of the event.
Fx
