Montblanc

The customer base for these will probably largely be recruited from men in their thirties and forties – those that still get fascinated by driving and who are expanding their appreciation of mechanical timepieces.

And to capture the well heeled motorsport interested horologists, who would otherwise consider a Richard Mille, there are the TimeWalker Chronograph Rally Timer Counter Limited Edition 100 (more on this here: www.watchprosite.com ) and the TimeWalker Chronograph 1000 Limited Edition 18 (a further development of the TimeWalker Chronograph 100).

The non-limited edition collection is composed of the TimeWalker Chronograph UTC, the TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic and the TimeWalker Automatic Date. All share a vintage themed style, great legibility and an ample level of robustness to easily shrug off anything an active lifestyle will throw at them. They come with a WR rating of 100m, so if you go for the rubber strap or the steel bracelet, swimming should be no problem, either. Many motorsport inspired materials are used, such as black ceramic (bezels, crowns, chrono pusher surrounds), satinated steel, titanium or rubber. The collection also has smoked sapphire case backs, allowing a peek at the movement within.

There are no signs of downsizing here - the chronographs coming in a TimeWalker typical 43mm and the Automatic Date in a slightly smaller 41mm case (both work even on my slender wrists, so the size should not be a problem). The cases are an evolution of the Bodino designed Timewalker series, which is probably the most recognisable Montblanc line to the non-WIS population. The skeleton lugs are more hinted at than fully executed and the six sided glacier logo screws attaching the straps are gone. In fact the case most closely resembles the one of the TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra Light Concept shown last year. 

Starting with the TimeWalker Chronograph UTC shown above, this is likely to be the sweet spot of the collection. Combining a chronograph with an UTC complication (and a possible third timezone via the rotatable bezel) makes for a very versatile watch. I have posted some first impressions previously ( www.watchprosite.com ), so just a short summary here. It is the only 'all black' piece in the collection, meaning the dial, subdials, bezel and a DLC treated steel case, strap and deployant clasp. 

Like the other pieces it comes with a knurled bezel and crown, which makes for both a nice tactile feel and an excellent grip. Winding is buttery smooth - much better than generally found in this price range - and neither the crown nor the pushers are of the screwed down variety. This I personally prefer, as it raises everyday usability - admittedly one needs to be more careful with regularly checking water resistance when the watch ages.

Here you can also see the new lug design, which is one of the most easily recognisable differences from the previous TimeWalker references. 

The TimeWalker Chronograph Automatic mainly differs in leaving out the UTC complication and in coming in a satinated steel case. The finish is supposed to provide a motorsport inspired look (successfully IMHO), as well as increase the resistance to dings and scratches. 

You can still use the ceramic bezel to quickly check for a second time zone, if needed. There are two versions available - with either a sunburst pattern silver dial (above) or a sunburst pattern black dial (below). In both cases the chronograph subdials are accented with a contrasting ring around them - a useful detail to separate the timing and chronograph functions. The running seconds subdial at 9 o'clock has Montblanc logo etched into it, which is a nice detail. 

And while a date is probably unavoidable in this type of watch, at least the date disc is dial coloured, making it a bit less obvious.

My favourite feature by far, though, is the red Minerva arrow tipped seconds hand, which is common to all models. It is understandable that getting Villeret movements at this price range isn't feasible but this is a charming detail for all of those who do not yet have a devil's tail on the movement side in their collection.

Last but by no means least, there is the TimeWalker Automatic Date. Slightly smaller at 41mm, it keeps most of the design elements of the chronographs, including the arrow tipped seconds hand. It makes for a solid entry point into the collection - or an alternative for those that prefer time / date only watches to chronographs.

Here too, a black and silver dial version exists and both have a sunburst pattern. The black dial version also sports an additional interesting detail - instead of hour markers, it comes with markers from 5 to 60 (indicating minutes / seconds) mimicking Minerva stop watches from the beginning of the 20th century.