HOLIDAY BUYING GUIDE: The Montblanc 1858
Felix Scholz
The latest addition to Montblanc’s smart and sophisticated line-up is the heritage-inspired 1958 collection. Taking design cues from pilot’s watches of yesteryear, the brand are flying right, with another surefire hit on their hands.
Montblanc’s 1858 collection is based on timepieces produced in the 1930s by Minerva, which they acquired in 2006. The key words here are rugged and charm.
Pride of place in the 1858 collection goes to a masculine 44mm mono-pusher, cased in red gold and powered by the mesmerisingly beautiful MB M16.29. Produced in a very limited run of 100 pieces, we wouldn’t be at all surprised if this one’s already sold out.
The mainstay of the new collection, however, is a hand-wound time only piece called the Small Second. With its spartan black dial, luminous Arabic numerals, cathedral-style hands, titular small seconds and vintage Montblanc logo this watch looks like it’s straight out of the 1930s. Also sized at 44mm, the Small Second is powered by a slower beat Unitas based movement famed for its robustness and reliability.
The regular production steel piece is well priced at $4,500, and for a small premium there’s also a limited edition version with vintage-look lume and a saddle-stitched alligator strap.
With their simple tool-watch, wartime-era aesthetic and sturdy construction, none of the Montblanc 1858 Collection would look out of place on the wrist of someone scaling the brand’s eponymous peak. But we won’t hold it against you if you stick to wearing yours at work.
RRP A$4,500 MONTBLANC.COM