Montblanc's 1858 Geosphere Meets Desert

After ascending the mountains, discovering the forests, and exploring the glaciers, the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 finds inspiration in the colours of the desert environment.

This new theme is also introduced as a nod to Reinhold Messner’s 2004 solo trek of 2000 km across the Gobi Desert with its extreme temperatures from frozen winters to hot summers.

From Military Chronographs and the Spirit of Exploration to the Montblanc 1858 timepieces

Precise, legible, and robust for use in extreme conditions, the legendary professional Minerva chronographs from the 1920s and 1930s were conceived for military use. Reinterpreting these historical timepieces that were inspired by the Spirit of Exploration, the Montblanc 1858 watches are designed and conceived as tool watches, linking the past and the present through history, complications, and style.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 in a Desert Colour Scheme

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is one of the key icons of the Montblanc 1858 line with its two distinctive domed turning hemisphere globes and in-house world time complication. Inspired by the explorations of legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, Montblanc unveils the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 that pays tribute to his five-week solo trek across the Gobi desert in 2004. Reproducing the rocky terrain colour scheme, the timepiece harmoniously combines a satin-finished bronze case with a special engraving on the case back, a bi-directional shiny brown ceramic bezel, a smoked brown and beige lacquered dial, and a matching vintage-brown Sfumato calf strap.

Inspired by Reinhold Messner’s 2004 trek, the case back unveils a unique engraving that shows the Gobi Desert’s famous Flaming Cliffs, also known as Bayanzag, that were on Messner’s route across Northern Asia. The cliffs are famous for the significant paleontological discoveries that have been found there, especially those unearthed by the American palaeontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, who in 1920 found fossilized dinosaur eggs and specimens of Velociraptors. Roy Chapman Andrews gave the name to the location, referring to the red or orange colours of the sandstone cliffs that light up like fire at sunset. The case back also depicts a wind rose compass with a decoration representing the wind whose patterns are inspired by traditional Mongolian ornaments.

Montblanc uses a very special technique to highlight the Gobi desert on the back of the watch giving it an authentic rendering in 3-dimensions, providing depth and realism as if it was a photograph. Made of titanium, the metal must first be structured, which means that the decoration will be engraved by laser, taking into consideration the relief of the drawing. Then the desired finish (matt and shiny) is also achieved by laser. Finally comes the colouring phase. The colours are created with laser-generated oxidation. It is the level of oxidation that determines the final colour obtained (and desired). Montblanc is one of the most advanced Swiss Maisons to use this technology on such a large surface. This innovation is in line with the brand‘s spirit of exploration.

Special attention has been paid to the dial with smoked brown to beige. A lacquered finishing combined with warm rose gold-coated elments, such as hands and applied indexes, complete the overall design of this modern tool-style watch. For great readability, the day/night indicator, the cathedral-shaped hands, the indexes, the compass indications, and the hemisphere globes are all coated with beige-coloured Super-LumiNova® that has been applied by hand.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 is powered by the Manufacture automatic Calibre MB 29.25. This distinctive complication displays two hemispheres that bring an instinctive way of reading different time zones. The timepiece has two domed turning hemisphere globes at six and 12 o’clock, which are surrounded by a fixed scale with the 24 time zones and include a rose gold-coated and brown day/night indicator (for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres). The longitude reference meridian for both hemispheres is highlighted with a black line coated with Super-LumiNova®. Furthermore, a second time zone, used as a home time indication, is located at nine o’clock and a date aperture (linked to the local time) is located at three o’clock.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 is completed with a vintage-style brown Sfumato calf strap with beige stitching.

Reinhold Messner & the Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert is Asia’s largest one, spanning 1,600 km across China and Mongolia, and is the fifth-largest in the world. It is also recognized as one of the most famous paleontological sites in the world where important fossils can be found. The desert is a combination of sand and exposed bare rock. It plays an important role in history as part of the great Mongolian Empire, serving as the location of several importantcities along the Silk Road.

In 2004, Reinhold Messner was the first to trek solo 2,000 km (1,250 miles) across the Gobi desert. Following an old dream, the mountaineering legend wanted to try to cross the Gobi desert lengthways in his own way: alone, completely on his own and without any logistical support. His 2,000-kilometer hike through the West Gobi and over the Altai Mountains becomes an unprecedented borderline experience for him, physically and mentally, and an act of self-determination with an uncertain outcome.

“Gobi cannot be won, because the look at this emptiness is almost unbearable,” Reinhold Messner, Gobi.

Montblanc & Reinhold Messner’s partnership

Reinhold Messner (born 17 September 1944) is an Italian mountaineer, explorer, and author. He is renowned for his pioneering ascents of the world’s highest peaks, and his variation of the Seven Summits Challenge, known as Messner’s List. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen along with Peter Habeler. He was also the first person to climb all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres (26,200 feet). In 1989-1990, Reinhold, his brother Hubert and German explorer Arved Fuchs were the first to cross Antarctica and Greenland on foot without the use of dog sleds or snowmobiles. In 2004, he was also the first to trek 2,000 km (1,250 miles) across the Gobi desert on his own.

He has published over 60 books about his experiences, has served one term (1999-2004) in the European Parliament, where he championed environmental issues, and in 2018, he received the Princess of Asturias Award in the Sports category, along with fellow mountaineer Krzysztof Wielicki.

He is now overseeing the creation of 6 museums dedicated to alpinism and the mountains. Messner’s achievements and inspiring journey through a life led by pass on are living proof that following your personal path of success and fulfilment defines you as a person, making him the perfect Mark Maker for the Maison, celebrating those who have already found true vocation and inspiring others to express their full potential on their own terms.

MONTBLANC 1858 GEOSPHERE LIMITED EDITION 1858

IDENT. 128504

MOVEMENT CALIBRE:

- MB 29.25 WITH MANUFACTURE WORLDTIME COMPLICATION

TYPE OF MOVEMENT:

- MECHANICAL MOVEMENT WITH AUTOMATIC WINDING, WORLDTIME

NUMBER OF RUBIES:

- 26

POWER RESERVE:

- APPROX. 42 HOURS

BALANCE:

- FLAT HOOP

FREQUENCY:

- 28,800 A/H (4 HZ)

HAIRSPRING:

- FLAT

DISPLAYS:

- HOURS AND MINUTES FROM THE CENTRE, DATE AT 3 O’CLOCK SECOND TIME ZONE AT 9 O’CLOCK DOMED TURNING NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE GLOBES AT 12 O’CLOCK AND 6 O’CLOCK WITH A 24-HOUR SCALE AND DAY-NIGHT INDICATION

HABILLAGE

CASE:

- SPECIAL ALLOY OF BRONZE WITH SLIM CURVED HORNS FEATURING SATIN-FINISHING BI-DIRECTIONAL BRONZE BEZEL WITH SHINY BROWN CERAMIC, KNURLED FINISHING AND ENGRAVED CARDINAL POINTS COATED WITH SUPER-LUMINOVA®

CRYSTAL:

- SCRATCH-RESISTANT, DOMED SAPPHIRE, ANTIREFLECTIVE CRYSTAL

BACK:

- BRONZE-COATED TITANIUM WITH GOBI DESERT LANDSCAPE & WIND ROSE COMPASS SPECIAL ENGRAVINGS

DIMENSIONS:

- DIAMETER = 42 MM; HEIGHT = 12.8 MM

WATERTIGHTNESS:

- 10 BAR (100 M)

CROWN:

- SPECIAL ALLOY OF BRONZE WITH POLISHED AND FLUTED FINISHING WITH MONTBLANC EMBLEM IN RELIEF

DIAL:

- SMOKED BROWN TO BEIGE, LACQUERED WITH ROSE-GOLD COLOURED LUMINESCENT APPLIED ARABIC NUMERALS, ROSE GOLD-AND BEIGE-COLOURED LUMINESCENT CATHEDRAL-SHAPED HOUR-AND MINUTE-HANDS, BEIGE-COLOURED LUMINESCENT SECOND TIME ZONE HAND, BEIGE-COLOURED LUMINESCENT NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES GLOBES, HISTORICAL MONTBLANC LOGO AT 3 O’CLOCK

WRISTBAND:

- BROWN SFUMATO CALF LEATHER STRAP WITH BEIGE STITCHING AND BRONZE-COATED STAINLESS STEEL TRIPLE-FOLDING CLASP LIMITED EDITION: LIMITED EDITION OF 100 PIECES

Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500

Montblanc - A Swiss Watchmaker since 1858

Montblanc watchmaking is built on a unique set-up that brings two manufactures together, based in Le Locle and in Villeret, in the Swiss Jura mountains. The Montblanc watchmaking story began in 1858
when Mr. Charles-Ivan Robert founded a watch workshop in the Saint-Imier valley. This marked the beginning of the historic Minerva era. By the end of the 19th century pocket watches started to gain recognition for their crown winding system. The Manufacture’s success resulted in the company becoming a leading specialist in professional watches (stopwatches and chronographs) for measuring small intervals of time with high precision during the 20th century. Today, Montblanc timepieces continue the journey of over 160 years of Minerva history through four fine watchmaking product lines: Star Legacy, Bohème, Montblanc 1858 and Heritage, all linking the past and the present through design, style and technical innovation.

ABOUT MONTBLANC

Synonymous with excellence in craftsmanship and design, Montblanc has been pushing the boundaries of innovation ever since the Maison first revolutionized the culture of writing in 1906. Ingenuity and imagination continue to be driving forces for the Maison today as it advances its expression of fine craftsmanship across product categories: writing instruments, watches, leather goods, new technologies and accessories. Reflecting upon its ongoing mission to create fine lifetime companions born from bold ideas and expertly crafted through the skills of the Maison’s artisans, the iconic Montblanc Emblem has become the ultimate seal of performance, quality and an expression of sophisticated style. As part of its on-going commitment to elevating and support those who strive to leave their mark, Montblanc continues to assert its encouragement of education programs around the world and initiatives that inspire people to express their full potential.