KMII
[Montblanc Moderator]
41676
SIHH 2017 - Relaunch of the Montblanc TimeWalker pt.1 - the Automatic Chronograph UTC
"Life is incredible and at the same time you have to look forward, you must always let so much go on, we must be optimistic but we mustn’t forget what happened yesterday because what happened yesterday if we don’t build on it and we wont know where to go and that’s why we're here.”
Ari Vatanen
Not a bad motto to live by and a good inspiration for Montblanc's relaunch of the Timewalker series. Before the veil is fully lifted, here a small preview of it.
Montblanc has a rich racing heritage through its Minerva past, which at one point view for absolute supremacy in the race and sports event timing sector.. At the same time the Timewalker is a signature watch - possibly the most recognisable piece to the general population - and another proud part of its (more recent) heritage. At the same time it is neccessary to keep even signature lines fresh, which is where this is going.
Combining the two produced a great sports chronograph. The iconic TimeWalker case design by Giampiero Bodino has been updated somewhat and is most reminiscent of the TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra Light Concept. It is stil recognisable but also somewhat freshened up. While the dial layout is now somewhat different from the usual TimeWalker one, with running seconds at 9 (small subdial), a minte counter subdial at 12 and a 12 hour subdial at 6, it will be immediately recognisable due to the unique numerals (applied), that are a signature feature of the line. Like the case, these have been updated but remain recognisable enough.
The case is stainless steel and it comes with a rotatable ceramic bezel. Other signature elements, such as the six sided glacier logo on the crown remain. And I have to say it has a extremely smooth winding and the crown, pushers and bezel all offer superb tactile feedback - something rare in watches of this class. And the watch offers a 100m WR in spite of neither the crown nor the pushers being of the screw down variety - something I appreciate a lot, since I find it much more useable this way (and perfectly adequate for anything but a dive watch.
The strap is of perforated calf leather and as comfortable as their straps have become known for. It comes on a deployant buckle in unblackened, natural stainless steel. While the movement comes with neither the devil's tail, nor any other Minerva details (more on that to follow), the brand is referenced via a Minerva arrow on the seconds hand, which is a neat touch.
Overall I'd say it makes for a great sports watch and while one may primarily contemplate it for casual activities / outfits, it will dress up well enough if required. The case size is successfully managed through a great fit and a snug lug design, so it will not look unduly large even on moderately sized wrists. And finally, legibility is superb, especially for a black dialled watch (cannot say what the luminosity will be but it looks decent, with the hour and minute hands and the hour markers all lumed). With the GMT complication in addition to a chrono it has a good range of complications for travel, and should be able to take the odd knock with aplomb, given the blackened case and the ceramic bezel.
Stay tuned for further updates!
SIHH 2017 - Relaunch of the Montblanc TimeWalker pt.1 - the Automatic Chronograph UTC
"Life is incredible and at the same time you have to look forward, you must always let so much go on, we must be optimistic but we mustn’t forget what happened yesterday because what happened yesterday if we don’t build on it and we wont know where to go ...
I look forward....
to seeing where this goes. Always thought the best of Mr. Lambert so my expectations are indeed high . Cheers. Filip
As the embargo allows ;)
There are some interesting things coming shortly - stay tuned!
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I'm not sure if I like this relaunch. The skeletonized lugs which was a big part of the original TimeWalker is now mostly gone and the numerals which used to be a strong focal point of the dial is also continually reduced since the revamp from a couple ye...
I hear what you're saying
At the same time the design elements you mention are kept in a way, just adapted / updated. The question remaining is whether the new and old TimeWalker aesthetics will co-exist or if this is a 1 to 1 replacement.