Montblanc, which was highly acclaimed by the watch enthusiasts with its novelties that were introduced at the SIHH 2018 exhibition, is the guest of our Hands On corner with the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere (Ref. 119286) model. The new timepiece attracts attention with the hemisphere indicators at 12 and 6 o’clock, and its relatively affordable price tag.
I do not need to mention Montblanc’s evolution with its luxury watchmaking division in recent years. The brand, which became powerful than ever before with some serious investments including the acquisition of Minerva, continues to push the boundaries of traditional watchmaking by launching amazing timepieces in both technical and design aspects. With game changing prices...
Today’s guest of our Hands On corner, Montblanc 1858 Geosphere (Ref. 119286), is an exceptional timepiece that confirms what I told above. Introduced at the SIHH 2018 exhibition, the model was among the most noteworthy novelties not only for Montblanc but the fair itself as well.
The new model is offered with two case options as stainless steel and bronze. As seen in the photos, the one we have here is the stainless steel version (Ref. 119286 to be specific). Mostly finished in matt, the case measures 42mm in diameter and 12.8mm in height. Besides being quite comfortable on the wrist, the case looks slightly bigger thanks to its small lugs and thin bezel insert. The stainless steel bezel on the front side is equipped with a black ceramic compass type insert. The markings on the insert nicely match with the retro character of the model in terms of font and color. The bezel, which is designed in coin edge style that we also see in the single winding crown, is easy to grip with a smooth and secure feel of rotation. There’s also a recessed corrector at 10 o’clock used for synchronizing home time and second time zone. The case is equipped with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal on the front side and a solid stainless steel caseback at the rear side. The case is water resistant to 100 meters.
Undoubtedly, the most striking part of the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is its dial. The dial features a 3D geographic representation and day/night indicator along a second time zone sub-counter. The local time is shown with the main hands, and the home time (hours only) is read through the sub-dial at 9 o’clock. The dial is mostly dominated by the Northern and Southern hemisphere day/night indicators at 12 and 6 o’clock. In practice, pulling the crown out to the first position adjusts the date and the local time (it’s a good thing to have the hour hand jumps in one hour intervals).Second position of the crown adjusts both time zones and the hemisphere indicators. As mentioned before, there’s also a corrector at the right side of the case to synchronize home time and second time zone.
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is powered by the Caliber MB 29.25 which is manufactured by Sellita, which we frequently encounter in entry and mid level Swiss mechanics, and modified with an in-house world time module. The self-winding movement beats and 4Hz and offers 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound. The caseback sports information about the model and a beautiful engraving that tributes to mountain exploring which is the 1858 Collection’s inspiration.
The model we have here comes on a hand-sewn cognac calf strap that is secured by a stainless steel folding clasp. There also NATO and Bund strap options in the model family. MSRP for Montblanc 1858 Geosphere (Ref. 119286) is 5190, 00 Euro. There is also a Bronze case version which is limited to a span of 1600 units only.
