The chronograph is the most visceral, immediate and interactive of all of horology’s great complications – being ready to respond at a moment’s notice as per the user’s desire, to allow the measurement of elapsed time.  

In order for this to work in a mechanical watch, a complex system of levers, gears and wheels come together in an organised way to perform their duty, and it is in the appreciation of these parts that we find the artistry behind the chronograph.  

In this regard, have you ever wanted to have an up-close and personal look at the components of a chronograph, particularly one of the great chronograph movements of our time from Montblanc/Minerva, as it is disassembled? 

Now you have an opportunity to do so via our exclusive online Zoom event, with me, Adi Soon, founder of ISOCHRONO and Master Watchmaker Julien Miribel on the 12th of July, Monday at 5-6pm (Singapore Time).

In this one hour session, you will have the opportunity to admire the beautifully finished components of the Minerva chronograph calibre that Julien will be working on, as well as to ask him any question relating to Montblanc, Minerva, high-end finishing or watchmaking in general. It will be as if you are right there with us as we peer into the movement and enjoy the details together.

In order to join us, register for this online event now by clicking this link: https://richemont.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NEoMXmXmTbyesSaYhXSwvg

About Julien Miribel

Julien trained as a watchmaker at the Ecole Technique Le Locle, Switzerland between 1995- 2001, and thereafter at Minerva S.A. was involved in building the first prototypes of the chronograph calibres 16.29 and 13.21 while being responsible for the “Atelier assemblage”- or the final assembly department

After the acquisition of Minerva by Montblanc in 2006, Julien became Head of the Prototyping workshop at the newly created Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie, responsible for the creation of new complications and the total assembly of unique, highly complicated movements.

He continues to serve this function as well as being a trainer and consultant for the Fine Watch brands within the Richemont Group.

Register for this online event here: https://richemont.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NEoMXmXmTbyesSaYhXSwvg

In order to remain fresh and relevant though, one area in which the watch industry enjoys experimentation is through different dial colours – we have often seen blue, grey and tones of brown make their debuts throughout the years. In the last two years however, we have seen a verdant explosion of green dials, not only in models focused for more casual wear, but also permeating through classically designed watches as well. In 2021, we have seen this trend persist through the releases at the recent Watches and Wonders show in Geneva – here we will explore some of the best green watches that have been released this year.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Green

The Art Deco legend from La Grande Maison receives the green treatment this year, with a sunburst finishing radiating from the centre of its dial that brings subtle changes to its appearance, depending on the way the light hits it. Everything else is classic Reverso, including a small seconds indicator, Dauphine hands and the emblematic Art Deco gadroons at the top and bottom of its swivelling case. The reverse side is a blank canvas – for the owner to leave clean as a reminder of its Polo origins, or for personalisation (models of the past are renowned for having their owner’s initials engraved on the reverse side). The watch is mounted on a green calf-skin strap in the signature Casa Fagliano style with the stitched fold close to the lugs, and powering the watch is the in-house Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 822/2 – a manually wound shaped movement that features in much of the Reverso line.

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014 with Green Dial

With the “it” watch of the last few years being discontinued, the Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711 has its last hurrah with the 5711/1A-014, featuring a subtle olive green dial to be produced for the year of 2021 only. The rest remains familiar – its Gerald Genta design featuring a case and bracelet that has a strong interplay between its satin brushed and polished elements, requiring 55 steps in the process of its finissage. It is a watch that has remained bold in its execution since 1976, with its porthole-inspired design embodying a casual elegance that is virtually unmatched by other watches of a similar ilk. Housed within the stainless steel case is an improved version of Patek Philippe’s reliable Calibre 324 S C – the 26-330 S C upgrades this movement with an improved winding system and hacking seconds. All in all, a fitting send off for the legendary Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A, something that is sure to have collectors champing at the bit to get their hands on one.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K

For what was originally meant to be a tribute to tool watches of yore, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight welcomes a precious metal version in 18K Yellow Gold with a green dial in 2021. Sporting an entirely brushed finish, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K manages to make this usually loud material into something rather understated, and even suggests a form of utilitarian toughness. The green of this dial is also slightly muted, whilst simultaneously complementing the yellow gold case with its gilt markers and Snowflake hands. It may not make sense at first, but once you take a deeper dive with the watch, there is an intangible understanding of the method behind the madness. Housed within the 200m water resistant case is the Tudor in-house Calibre MT5400, that is visible behind a sapphire crystal caseback – a rarity amongst watches from Tudor.

Rolex Datejust 36 with Palm Motif Dial

Evoking a lush green tropical forest, the Rolex Datejust 36 with Palm Motif Dial brings the essence of the wild to the wrist. This watch exhibits Rolex’s commitment to dial-making, showing off the Palm Motif in two shades of green, on an olive green background. Whilst this may sound like the colours would blend into each other, the reality is that the shades are distinctive enough for the Palm Motif to be made out, even at just a glance. This variant was presented to us in an Oystersteel case with domed bezel, mounted on an Oyster bracelet. Housed within the 36mm case is the Rolex Calibre 3235, with additions such as the Chronergy escapement that aids with movement efficiency and enabling a 70 hour power reserve, as well as holding the Rolex Superlative Chronometer certification –  guaranteeing timekeeping thresholds of -2/+2 seconds per day.

Panerai Luminor Marina eSteel PAM01356, Verde Smeraldo

A green dial for an environmentally friendly watch – fitting for a watch featuring the debut of Panerai’s eSteel. The case of the Luminor Marina eSteel contains 89 grams of recycled steel, which, out of the 152.4 grams of the total weight of the watch, comprises 58.4% of the total weight. This includes the trademark crown-protection system that is the signature element of the Panerai Luminor line. This development is remarkable, because it signifies the arrival of Panerai into sustainable watch manufacturing, whereas many other watch manufactures will use virgin  material for the construction of their watches. This notion of sustainability goes right down to the strap and buckle – the strap being crafted out of recycled textiles, and the buckle being hewn from the same eSteel as the watch case. Powering the watch is the in-house Calibre P.9010, automatically wound with 3 days of power reserve. The Verde Smeraldo version, PAM01356, is a boutique and eCommerce exclusive – if you want one of the greenest watches out there (literally and figuratively), best to talk to Panerai as soon as you can.

Cartier Tank Must

Bringing back an aesthetic of the 80s back into the present-day, the new Cartier Tank Must features a set of three monochromatic colours that echo the spirit of the original Tank Must models of the late 70s and early 80s. In particular, a Green dial version is the latest addition to this series, having never before been offered in the Must collection of yore. A vibrant addition to the series, the green is certainly vibrant and eye-catching. The watches feature a dial with no markings – freeing itself from traditional watchmaking design cues, and creating a clean slate of colour. Housed in a stainless steel case, the Tank Must is powered by a Quartz movement, and mounted on a matching strap respective to its dial colour.

Montblanc Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 18 – Lime Gold

Minerva is undoubtedly the unsung hero of Montblanc, creating some of the finest watches that the industry has to offer. For 2021, the brand introduces a slight variation of green to their Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 18 – a case crafted of their exclusive material, Lime Gold. An 18K alloy of Gold (750 parts/1000), Silver (238 parts/1000) and Iron (12 parts/1000), this combination gives a distinctive greenish hue to what is normally a yellow metal. The intended effect is to evoke a sense of vintage aesthetics through its colour – combined with the Cathedral hands, green numerals and the gold coloured dial, the watch certainly evokes the sense that it is from another era. This combined with the colimacon (snail) tachymetre scale, further reinforces the old-world feel of this watch. When the watch is turned over and viewed through the sapphire crystal caseback, we see the gorgeous Minerva Calibre MB M16.31 – traditionally hand finished with bridges crafted of German Silver that has been coated with 18k gold. A manually-wound, monopusher split-second chronograph movement, the watch contains two column wheels to control the chronograph and its ingenious split second mechanism.

IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 – Green Dial

The IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 is traditionally a design that is conservative, with a black dial echoing the original “Mark” series wrist watches first issued to the RAF in the late 40s and 50s. In recent times, however, we have seen blue and brown dials, paying tribute to Le Petit Prince and Antoine de Saint Exupery respectively. For Watches and Wonders 2021, we see an unusual addition to this line, a green dial version of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 in regular production. Appearing as a rich, dark green, it almost resembles British Racing Green in its tones – the sunburst finishing on the dial definitely helps with this. This new model also features the brand’s EasX-CHANGE system, that enables quick strap changes between bracelet and leather options. Housed within the watch is the in-house Calibre 69385 movement, an Automatic Chronograph movement visible from its sapphire crystal caseback.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer – Green Dial Titanium

The Aquaracer, is a favourite first watch for many people who like watches (certainly in Australia), and this year, it has been given a facelift and an upgrade, particularly in the materials department. Most notably, the green version of this watch now features a titanium case and bracelet, bringing lightness and comfort to this model, in addition to its toughness and high water resistance. The horizontal ridges of the previous models are retained, whilst the ceramic bezel now features a sunburst brushing with a yellow triangle at 12. The bracelet clasp also receives an upgrade, now equipped with a fine adjustment system that is operational even whilst the watch is on the wrist. Housed within the titanium case is the TAG Heuer Calibre 5 Automatic, featuring the date at 6 o’clock.

Speake-Marin One&Two Openworked Dual Time Mint

Bold and contemporary with its choice of colour, the Speake-Marin One&Two Openworked is a mint green number with a DLC coated case. Coming in either 38mm or 42mm case sizes, the brand’s signature Piccadilly case is modernised to enable a better fit on the wrist by integrating the strap closer to the case itself. This duality of the anachronistic, yet modern case lends itself to the movement that hosts the audacious choices of colour. The Calibre SMA02 incorporates darkened bridges on the dial side, as well as a mint green backdrop that accentuates these structures. In addition, the subdials at 1:30 and 9:00 (for the sub-seconds and the dual time respectively), feature mint green accents for an extra colour pop. The movement is also wound through a micro-rotor, and also features a retrograde date underneath the seconds subdial.

Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept La Cotes aux Fees Edition

Coming in at only 2mm thick, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept remains the thinnest mechanical watch in the world – to honour the place where Piaget continues to further the art of ultra-thin, the brand unveils the Altiplano Ultimate Concept La Cotes Aux Fees Edition, with green integrated components that echo the forests and green fields that surround the manufacture. This watch began its journey in 2018 as a true concept watch, and it was unknown to the public whether this would become a production piece. In 2020, a production version was realised, officially making it the thinnest mechanical watch in regular production. The case, mainplate and bezel is all one piece, and is machined out of a cobalt alloy for rigidity. All of the movement components are placed into the case to reduce its case height to the extremes, and even the crown is rectangular and telescopic to reduce the overall thickness of the watch.

Green on watches is a colour that, when done right, can be incredibly wearable and complementary to many wardrobes. In addition, some of these watches with exceptional colour hold exceptional movements, as seen in some of the examples above. We at ISOCHRONO believe that there is no doubt that green is here to stay, being a welcome addition to many watch collections.

1858 Monopusher Chronograph Origins Limited Edition 100

Montblanc is keeping things special with the Monopusher Chronographs. The newest in the line-up is a re-edition of the 46mm military monopusher chronograph from the 1930s proudly displayed in Montblanc’s museum.

Encased in a bronze alloy, which seems to be Montblanc’s metal of choice for its heritage models, the Origins LE closely replicates the original design – case size, black dial, bicompax subdials, Arabic numerals, cathedral-shaped hands and even faux aged lume. Say what you will about faux patinated lume, it does look good on vintage-inspired designs, especially with a bronze case. With this edition, Montblanc also decided to proudly declare its ghost in the shell, the calibre MB M16.29, based on the original Minerva calibre 17.29 pocket chronograph, with a little logo on the dial.

The shout-out doesn’t stop there. The Origins LE also features an “officer” case back, laser etched with an image of the goddess Minerva, textured and coloured through the use of laser oxidation. Open up the case, and you are greeted by the engraved text “Ré-édition du chronographe militaire Minerva des années 1930 doté d’un calibre fait main dans la pure tradition horlogère suisse.”  (“Re-edition of a Minerva military chronograph from the 1930s equipped with a hand-made calibre following the Swiss watchmaking tradition.”) on the case back… um… back. Then you get the full view of the diva beneath.

As you would have come to expect from previous issues of the movement, the aesthetics do not disappoint. What is different in this iteration is the absence of the rose gold plating, which makes it less fanciful but more historically accurate and, in my opinion, more authentic to the style of a military watch.

The Origins LE is limited to 100 pieces, once again depriving the masses of a great movement. That’s the price of keeping it special, I suppose.

1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition

Since its introduction in 2019, the 1858 Split Second Chronograph has been making quite a statement as a high-end complication with a strong value proposition. Montblanc had also opted for bold colours, including the Only Watch with a blue agate dial and bronze-cased nephrite jade dial.

The 2021 version features a case in what Montblanc calls “Lime Gold”, which is a proprietary gold alloy made of 18K gold, silver and iron. This imbues a certain faint greenish hue, reminiscent of vintage gold. At least that’s what the pictures look like, and we’ll have to look at it in the metal to get a better sense of it.

To complement the new colour in the 44mm case is a gold sunray dial and green, well, almost everything else except for the gold central chronograph second hand and the 30-minute and small-second counters. There are some variations to the shades of green, and overall legibility is very good. The applied green Arabic numerals are full monobloc lume which create depth and should be highly visible in the dark.

The monopusher split second chronograph is powered once again by the excellent manually wound calibre MB M16.31, beautifully decorated and layered, enhanced by the gold plating on German Silver. This is a view that never gets old, and it has got its history to prove it.

The Lime Gold 1858 Split Second Chronograph is limited to only 18 pieces, so if you miss out on it and see it on someone else’s wrist, you will surely be green with envy. I apologise, but I just couldn’t help myself.

Among Montblanc’s heritage collection, the 1858 series, the Geosphere stands out as an impressively unique and handsome piece. This year’s iteration finds inspiration in the colours of the Gobi desert and pays tribute to Reinhold Messner’s legendary 2,000 km solo trek of said desert in 2004.

This incredible feat of the legendary alpinist is commemorated in this limited edition timepiece. A bronze case houses the bi-directional brown ceramic bezel that marks out the cardinal points, and a brown fume dial. Within that dial are the signature domes representing the Northern and Southern hemispheres that frame the rest of the more conventional aspects of the watch, the Geosphere’s method of indicating world time and day/night. The second time zone is clearly displayed at 9 o’clock, free of fuss.

Whilst previous versions evoked scenes of serene wilderness (green and bronze) and icy frost caps (blue and steel), this version conveys the expansive warmth of desert dunes.

While Messner’s expedition must surely have been arduous, wearing the Geosphere is, by contrast, a warm, soothing and comfortable experience. At 42mm in diameter and 12.8mm thickness, it should wear well with most wrists.

Turn it over and you will be greeted with an engraving of the Gobi Desert’s famous Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs), part of Messner’s route across Northern Asia. Overlaid on the landscape is a wind rose compass decorated with wind patterns inspired by traditional Mongolian ornaments. These are achieved through Montblanc’s laser engraving and patented laser oxidation process for the colours.

Powering the world (being a Geosphere) is the MB 29.25 automatic movement, with 42 hours of power reserve. The case provides a water resistance seal of 100 metres. As with all Geospheres, this has gone through Montblanc’s Laboratory Test 500 certification to ensure that it will withstand your adventures in the wild.

This is limited to, you guessed it, 1858 pieces.

In 2019, the Heritage Small Seconds Limited Edition was released, featuring original Minerva MB M62.00 calibres that were found in the archives. Digging deeper into the roots of the movement, you’ll find the Pythagore calibre 48. This was first introduced in 1943 and was designed by Minerva’s Andrey Frey. What made this calibre special, as hinted by its name, was that it tried to incorporate Pythagoras’ Golden Section theorem, better known as the Golden Ratio, into its design. Fast forward to 2021, and Montblanc’s Heritage Pythagore Small Second Limited Edition 148 is born.

As the name of the watch implies (Heritage, not Pythagore. We’ll get to the latter in a bit) this is a vintage inspired piece. This is available in both rose gold paired with a brown dial, and white gold paired with a blue dial. The sfumato dials are finished with two motifs – sunray in the centre, followed by a “grainé” finish on the hour ring. The result is a beautifully textured dial that enjoys a fair amount of light play. Applied Arabic numerals and dots, dauphine hour and minute hands as well as a baton small second hand complete the look. These are housed in a 39mm case with a sapphire crystal box glass for that added vintage flavour.

But the golden section (see what I did there) is found within. The brand new calibre MB M14.08 is the result of Montblanc’s reinterpretation of the Minerva calibre 48. As a quick refresher to what the Golden Ratio is, it’s the “divine proportions” of geometry found in the beauty of nature. This ratio has been used throughout history to create harmonious aesthetics in geometry, architecture and art. It’s all very mathematical in theory, but the end result is always visually pleasing. And so it is here with the calibre MB M14.08.

The movement showcases straight parallel lines and geometrical angles. The diameter of the calibre was defined with 14 lines to form a golden pentagon, in which a five-point star is created through the intersection of golden triangles. Other dimensions were also calculated to be multiples of or fractions of the golden number. The decorations also work in tandem with the geometric design. Even the name of the calibre is derived from the theorem, with 14 being the diameter lines and 8 being part of the Fibonacci sequence. Don’t ask me what that is. I’m writing about a watch, not conducting a math lesson.

Suffice to say, what you get is a good-looking watch, both inside and out. This is another great addition to Montblanc’s repertoire, and should encourage the brand to continue exploring its archives thoroughly.

Each colour iteration of the watch is limited to 148 pieces. Please don’t make me explain why.

With this being said, the one element that has been the talk of our industry, especially in the first half of 2020, was that of the tradeshow. Adi Soon, our editor has written extensively about his opinions on the demise of Baselworld (see his article: The Golden Goose (Baselworld) is Finally Dead), as well as the writer of this article (see Martin Goh’s article: Opinion – Baselworld’s Demise and the Meaning of Privilege).

The future of the watch industry tradeshow seemed very much in doubt last year, with cancellations and “postponements” being a result of the global health crisis – however, one tradeshow went ahead, and showed the possibility that brands bring the impetus needed to a digital version of a tradeshow, and this was Watches and Wonders, formerly the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH).

Four brands that arguably have the largest pull factor to the show – Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Rolex effectively heralded the death of Baselworld, with many of their executives expressing their dismay at the fair. In particular, Thierry Stern of Patek Philippe summed up their feeling as such: “Today Patek Philippe is not in line with Baselworld’s vision anymore, there have been too many discussions and unsolved problems, trust is no longer present”. As Wined Dined and Timed has written, much of the industry is based on gentlemen’s agreements, agreements that were very much violated during the “postponement” phase of Baselworld during the pandemic.

However, the 2020 edition of Watches and Wonders proved that a digital watch tradeshow can exist, and be successful. Furthermore, a press release dated in November 2020 from the organising committee of Watches and Wonders also shows the future of the watch tradeshow – with the continued pandemic raging in Europe, a digital version of the show was a no-brainer. Curiously, the 4 brands that were supposed to have a show concurrent to Watches and Wonders have now signed on to exhibit at Watches and Wonders – Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Rolex. This not only demonstrates the viability of the digital tradeshow, but also the level of trust between the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and the 4 brands that left Baselworld. There is also no doubt that these brands will bring many more visitors to the digital tradeshow, given that their presence at Baselworld drew most of the crowds for watches.

There is no doubt that brands have changed their ways of communication during the pandemic, and rightfully so. However, I do not believe that a digital-only tradeshow or unveiling will be the way of the future. There will always be a place in the luxury industry for physical gatherings, and where possible, these will occur so that journalists and enthusiasts can touch, feel and experience the product. Watches are a part of the luxury industry that still needs physical presence for the watch to have an effect on the viewer, and so I believe that tradeshows will go back to being physical tradeshows when possible, but include much more digital interactivity than ever before. Unveilings may be made live, like with the recent Hublot x Murakami piece that was released at LVMH Watch Week in 2021, and keynote speakers may feature again, like at SIHH 2019 (recommended viewing: https://youtu.be/M9Pqi-QMoQw – Max Busser’s Keynote at SIHH 2019). 

The operation of a simultaneous digital and physical tradeshow will bring much more attendance through the following means – journalists and enthusiasts are brought together in one place to broadcast the new releases, and watch connoisseurs on far-flung sides of the Earth can enjoy the media and created content at their convenience. In this way, it is really a win-win situation for all parties involved – even the brands get more impressions on their pieces. Now, it just comes down to how much the brands are willing to invest into such an omni-channel experience. We can only hope that the brands see the value in this omni-channel method, from first viewing (online through watch media or through advertising) all the way to final purchase that can occur months or years down the line.

Montblanc Geosphere in Bronze – Travelling Through Time

As for the brand’s recent push towards being associated with exploration and the outdoors, the Geosphere that I got to wear while swimming the ancient caves of Vietnam survived and survived well, so for me at least, I have no issues with this direction. Mountains are after all not just for achievements celebrated with fountain pens after all.

Swimming in caves with the Montblanc Geosphere

For Watches & Wonders 2020, the brand has doubled down on the Geosphere, introducing a new version of the watch with a blue theme and some technical enhancements.

The marketing visuals say as much, whereas the previous versions of the watch had a more forest green and brown theme going for it, this new blue themed Montblanc looks especially suitable to be worn under conditions of snow and ice.

The graduated blue enamel dial with white elements presents a very different feel to the basic design and with a bezel also in blue ceramic, it all fits in very well.

One element though was a surprise, and that is Montblanc’s decision to have the new watch in Grade 5 titanium. Not only that, this is the first Geosphere that also comes with the option for a new bi-metal bracelet. What does bi-metal mean? Well, the bracelet is both in stainless steel and titanium, with the central links that look like “grains of rice” being polished stainless steel, with the outer bigger links in matte titanium.

The design of the bracelet straddles the line between being sporty and dressy, although in person it’s the titanium portion that makes a bit more of a statement with the stainless steel links just adding a slight amount of shine. If you’re using this watch for more everyday purposes, the bracelet does feel like it can transition well from casual to formal settings. However use it up a mountain, and the polished bits might turn matte quite quickly, and then it will look as sporty as sporty can be.Titanium is an interesting choice for a mountaineering watch, since I can imagine that the lightness would be of great value when carrying a lot of stuff up a mountain. Add to that the low thermal conductivity of the metal, meaning that it isn’t affected by temperature changes means that it is great for a cold environment, without the shock of frozen stainless steel on the wrist. Montblanc has made the right choice here, since the technical ingredients of the watch add up. The signature grey colour of titanium also adds to the technical aesthetic that the watch has, and also fits in to the general monochromatic theme of the collection.For those not too keen on the bracelet, the watch is also offered on a blue vintage Sfumato calf and alligator leather straps, and also a woven blue NATO strap.The rest of the details of this Geosphere have been seen before, for example the case-back with an engraving of the Montblanc mountain, with a compass and two crossed pick-axes, as well as the text for the Seven tallest summits on each continent.On the dial, there are also the same cathedral shaped hands with “cloisonné” design, with Arabic numerals coated in white Super-Luminova, and with the dial signed with the original Montblanc logo. The views of the northern and southern hemisphere as well come with blue luminova dots to denote the location of the seven tallest summits on each continent, as well as something new, a new blue luminova line to denote the longitude reference meridian through Greenwich in the UK. This means that the watch preserves its party trick of having the globes and the other important indications, glowing in the dark, but this time with the visibility of the reference meridian as well.

Find out more at www.montblanc.com

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As I attempted to overcome the cramps that were forming in my legs, as well as the aches that were forming in muscles that I didn’t know existed, I asked myself – why did I agree to do this?

Well, it was all my fault in any case. I recall the moment when my fate was sealed when I was asked by the President of Montblanc South East Asia, Matthieu Dupont, what my level of fitness was. I told him that it was decent, (I lied, I hadn’t exercised regularly in years). On hearing that, he replied with a casual grin, “Good, then you’re going to Tu Lan Vietnam.”

Montblanc Geosphere in Bronze – Travelling Through Time

A History of Adventure

Montblanc has over the past few years, been making good strides in their watchmaking division, releasing watches that have gained the respect and attention of watch connoisseurs. Last year was a particularly high watermark in terms of their latest releases, which came in the form of the Geosphere, a rugged watch with world-timer and dual-time functions, that looked to be perfectly suited to be worn on extreme outdoor adventures, especially with the bronze cased variant.

In fact due to the success of Montblanc as a global brand, it is sometimes easy to forget that it was named after a mountain, specifically, the tallest mountain in continental Europe standing at a height of 4,810 metres.

This is worth remembering every now and again, and in the context of Montblanc’s recent direction of creating watches for exploration and the outdoors, it is something that makes sense and that I can whole-heartedly agree with.

Notwithstanding the fact that the namesake mountain is the tallest in Europe, which also connects strongly with ideas of achievement and success, something that the brand’s pens already do so well, it’s nice to see another new dimension coming into focus, with the mountain itself making the easy connection to nature and exploration.

The embodiment of this new direction is the Geosphere, one of the most sublime releases ever from the brand, coming with a robust 100 metre water resistant case and complications that suit the modern adventurer who has to travel to faraway places.

In fact, it was, as I would realise, particularly suited to the adventure that I would face. Firstly, that it is a mechanical watch, something I realised would be important in an extreme environment, where electronic communications and a reliable electricity supply were non-existent, and secondly, that it also had day/night indicator – in the form of the world timer function on the dial, that would be ideal (theoretically) for exploring caves.

I say this because we all know about the Rolex Explorer 2, the only watch I can think of that was initially created for spelunking, or the exploration of caves. The key feature that enabled it to function for this purpose, aside from the robust build of the watch itself, was the addition of a 24-hour hand that allowed the wearer to know if it was am or pm. This makes sense since caves are places where sunlight rarely penetrates, and it is easy to lose track of time.

The Geosphere might not implement its day/night indication in the same way, but it can function well enough by keeping track of the location of where you are in the world against the 24 hour day and night track in the two world-timer sub-dials. This is certainly usable for caving and also and as a bonus, other things if you’re more of a traveller than an adventurer. Feature for feature, the rest of the watch, compared with the Rolex Explorer 2, matches up very well.

In any case, I would be able to find out for myself if the Geosphere would be a capable spelunking watch, with Montblanc providing, for the small group of us participants from the Asian press, two watches to be rotated among us to wear while on the adventure. The first, the Geosphere in Bronze case, with the new for 2019 green dial, and the second, a similarly appointed 1858 Chronograph.

The Tu Lan Cave Cave System

The Tu Lan Cave System, the staging point of my adventure, was surprisingly, only discovered in 1992. Situated somewhere in the middle of Vietnam, it is a remote and mountainous area covered with dense jungle and vegetation. More importantly it’s also where your mobile phone signal goes to die.

Comprising 10 caves in all, the Tu Lan Cave system was only revealed by the discovery of the first cave – Hang Tom cave in 1992. Subsequently, and due to the way caves are formed, more were discovered in the same area.

With the mountains in the region formed by tectonic plates that have always been moving and bumping into each other, water from rain, forming into rivers has continually cut into the bottom of the rock surfaces, carving new caves over time.

As these caves move upwards due to active shifts in the tectonic plates, the water continues to find lower ground, carving new caves in the process. That’s why the river caves in the Tu Lan cave system such as Ken Cave and Tu Lan Cave are very young, only about 3 million years old, and why the higher, dry caves (dry Tu Lan and Hang Tom Cave) are much older, and date to around 5 million years old.

Potentially of course, many undiscovered caves might still exist. Case in point is Kim cave, which was named after a Dutch tourist who wandered off from his group to relieve himself, only to discover a new cave and get himself into the history books. Although some people have said that it was so named as a marketing tactic to encourage new visitors, so that they might feel inspired to find a cave and have it named after them. That might certainly be the case, although I’d suggest you don’t try, as you shall see why.

A bit of a hike

The various caves of the Tu Lan cave system are not accessible by road, as I had initially and naively thought. Instead the journey requires a 2.5 km trek starting at base camp towards the point where one heads up (30m) and down (100m) a relatively small mountain to Hang Tom cave for lunch, then to another longer and far treacherous trek up and down Mango mountain, so named for the large mango tree that marks the peak. We were not given the height for this second mountain, except that the distance for this section totalled 3 km. They probably didn’t want to scare us.

I was with a small group of of my fellow press members from around Asia with the tour led by Oxalis Adventure Tours, who are the only tour company certified to lead tours into the various cave systems in the area. The company was established in 2011 with help from members of the British Cave Research Association, who were the first cavers who helped to map and explore the system when it was first discovered. The Tu Lan cave system is only one of a number of systems that are possible to explore in the region, with each one varying in difficulty. Apparently, the tour I was on was in the middle in terms of difficulty, but I was not to be fooled. Luckily I was scared enough by the physical challenges that were to be expected that I did train for a few months beforehand – I just wanted to survive.

It did not take me long to realise how unforgiving the terrain would be. With uneven ground, rocks strewn everywhere and in ways that I could not foresee, it required not just stamina and physical strength but a good sense of balance to use all four limbs to navigate and climb the rocks. The jungle as well was hot and humid and as we experienced these conditions, one of the tour guides joked about how it was during the Vietnam War, that all the Vietcong had to do to prevent captured US soldiers from escaping, was to remove their shoes.

I can believe that. In this place, there is no way that you could travel far without shoes, not to mention proper trekking ones, as well as gloves, long sleeves and lots of water.

Of course, I had already expected the journey to be tough, because I had seen the YouTube channel of Oxalis Adventure Tours to get a sense of what to expect. Have a look at some of the videos yourself, and you’ll realise that it is something that requires some level of physical fitness and mental preparation.

Whats it like in a cave? 

It takes going into a cave to realise how sanitised our modern world is, with its flat surfaces and flat walls, and the rough edges of nature essentially non-existent.

Just moving forward with the rocky surfaces all around was made more difficult by the lack of light in the cave. With the only light sources being the torch on our helmets, and occasionally the powerful floodlight used by the guides to show us the rock formations and for photography, it was basically pitch black with all the lights turned off. In fact, your eyes cannot even adjust to the dark because there is no light at all for your eyes to adjust to.

Challenges get even more pronounced when you consider the swimming, which requires the wearing of life jackets and big waterproof backpacks. It was possible to move forward in the water, but it was awkward. Also, swimming in the cave was not as straightforward as swimming in a pool, as there were strangely shaped rocks underwater that one had to be careful about. Basically gentle movements were required while swimming so as to avoid smashing oneself into underwater rocks. Along the way, some of the people swimming in front of me started calling out to those who were following to warn them about rocks in the water ahead. I dismissed these warnings only once, for when I came to the rocks I was warned about,  I realised that they were shaped so oddly that I wondered how it was possible to contort my body to swim around them.

Photography

Understanding the situation I would be in, I realised that my normal practice of lugging a big DSLR was out of the question. Photography is next to impossible if you are inexperienced as a caver. Basically, you use all your hands and legs to move around, and you are only concerned with just surviving the environment. There is no mental energy or physical strength to do photography properly. Not to mention that you have to protect your camera in some way from the water while swimming, and carry that protection as extra weight on your back.

That’s why I was unable to show you more pictures of the cave. Whatever pictures that I have taken were done from a position of stability, when I was not moving. It helped in my case that I used a small, and light camera in the form of the Sony RX0 Mark 2, which is water-resistant to 10 metres, that allowed me to clip it onto my life jacket and shoot with one hand when I could and when there was some light from the guide’s floodlight. 

If you want to do photography properly, you have to be superman fit, just like the official tour photographer shown below, who carried his naked Canon DSLR on his head while swimming the caves, using his other free hand to do what I could barely manage with two hands.  

The Reward of Being in a place like this

Caves are environments that are utterly unique, closed eco-systems, that are carved out by nature in ways that are difficult to imagine. They are also dark and dangerous, with a myriad of ways for things to go wrong if you are unlucky or not careful. With the right preparation though, it is definitely worth it.

Concluding thoughts

As you can tell by the fact that I wrote this article, I did survive the caves, and it was mostly down to the professionalism of Oxalis and their guides who made sure that we are all safe. Even though I left Vietnam with an aching, tired body, I took away an experience that I had never had before, and the pride of undergoing a decent amount of suffering, while getting to understand some of the natural processes that the earth undergoes. 

It’s the type of trip that I’ve never looked to go for in the past, but the physical challenge, the sights and the time that I was disconnected from the modern world were all very satisfying. In a way, my eyes are open to going on more trips like this, so thank you Montblanc, the suffering was worth it.

What about the Geosphere?

Well, that and the 1858 chronograph both survived as it was worn in rotation on the wrists of everyone who attended, while engaging in the activities that I showed here. And while we never went deep enough or long enough to test out if the day/ night indication of the Geosphere works well, I think that on balance, it works for me, since it survived what I went through, a real cave exploration. I find it hard now to doubt the seriousness of Montblanc and its watches in this particular genre of watchmaking. After-all, I experienced a real adventure with them myself. 

Want to go on the same adventure? Check out the link below for information from Oxalis Adventure Tours!

The Star Legacy collection for example, introduces what I would consider the highlight so far for Montblanc next year, a pair of Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronographs, both with anthracite dials, with one cased in red-gold and the other in stainless steel. The Nicolas Rieussec Chronographs have always been for me, the signature and icon of the brand, but these watches had been sidelined for the past few years.

When it came back however at SIHH 2018, now grouped under the Star Legacy collection as the Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronographs, the response was overwhelming, with many collectors having been familiar with the watches of the past, remembering again why it was such a landmark watch when it first appeared in 2008.

The new watches from this year come equipped with the MB R200 Manufacture Monopusher Chronograph, featuring as well, a dual time zone function and 72 hour power reserve. With features like these, and the new case and dial options, this is a very strong indicator that the Nicolas Rieussec watches are back to form an integral part of Montblanc’s offer in the future.

Also new for the Star Legacy Collection are the Star Legacy Automatic Date and Star Legacy Full Calendar, with the new options coming, this time, with Roman Numerals, and extending the options for a typical classical dress watches that is good for the office.

Over on the sporty side of Montblanc, the two chronograph models of the TimeWalker series, the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph Automatic 43, and TimeWalker Automatic Chronograph 41, now come with “Reverse Panda” dials.

We first saw the Montblanc TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph introduced this year at SIHH 2018, but that was a limited edition model with a unique aesthetic, coming with a cream dial that was contrasted with black sub-dials for a vintage motor-racing look. That “Reverse Panda” look now makes it to the standard models, with the dials now being in black, and the sub-dials in white.

These watches are just the first salvos from the brand and more good stuff will certainly be announced in Geneva next year? Will there be something else like the Geosphere for example? We’ll have to wait and see.

In any case, I am particularly sensitive to a good example from this genre, and the Geosphere from Montblanc, a watch that was launched only this year at SIHH, is special enough to make the grade, and for me to characterise it as a “complete” watch, a statement I would only make after spending a decent amount of time with it on my wrist.

Why do I say this? Because it has all the important complications that horology has to offer that are useful on a daily basis, and is basically the kind of watch that you can buy, strap on, and really just wear for the rest of your life because you’ll want for nothing by way of what is can do for you, and how useful it can be in most situations.

After all it comes with a bunch of complications that I would deem the most practically useful – in order of importance – it has the time, date, and dual time function – something that has become more necessary in our present time when everyone is travelling all over the place. But wait – it goes a step further – it even has a worldtime function that as we shall see later on, is different from most others and is in my opinion, is that final sweet touch to round off a very nice list of goodies.

What makes the Geosphere particularly enticing as well is its price, which let’s face it, it’s much lower than what one would think of paying for a watch with complications like this. Furthermore, if one were interested in a slightly different implementation of a relatively common complication – such as the dual timezone, one finds it in the Geosphere.

Most dual timezone watches of course rely on a centrally mounted 24-hour hand to display the second timezone, the Geosphere relies instead on the 9 o’clock sub-dial to tell home time on a 12-hour basis, after you have moved the hour hand to your new local time (when travelling) by adjusting it with the crown in one hour jumps (or the correct and true GMT way). Then how do you tell whether it is day or night at home? Simple, move your eyes to the middle two sub-dials, one under the 12 o’clock position and the other above the 6 o’clock position. These two sub-dials by the way are for world time.

Now bear with me, as some explanation is required. The top sub-dial or the one under the 12 o’clock position is for worldtime and displays a view we all know of the world from the northern hemisphere. From here, most of the countries and land masses are recognisable, and one can sort of eyeball the position of where “home” is, and use the black or white sections of the 24-hour ring to infer whether it is day or night there. Now I know that the map is small, and quite difficult to see, but after some practice, it works well, and it looks really nice. What then of the other sub-dial above 6 o’clock?Funny story – I got a Montblanc Time Walker Hemisphere’s Southern Hemisphere watch to review way back in 2013, and I had a hell of a time trying to figure out how it worked. I managed to solve it in the end when I realised, on account of the name of the watch, that the dial of the watch showed a view that is basically that of the world from the bottom of the planet or the Southern Hemisphere. That view is exactly what you see here in the Geosphere’s 6 o’clock sub-dial, and just to confirm, look for the recognisable shape of Australia in the picture above. In terms of the case shape, there is nothing too out of the ordinary. It is simple, tough and bold at 42mm wide. Additionally, the ability of the watch to make the hour hand jump to adjust timezones is what makes the difference between this and most of the other me-too GMT watches on the market that are basically run off a module on a base ETA movement, and have the 24-hour hand jump instead. Why is this important? I’ll explain this in another article, but suffice it to say, this feature alone makes the Geosphere’s dual time function, the correct and proper way, and useful to real travellers. Make no mistake. This is a big deal.

Of course the fact that this watch can do this means that there is no independent date adjustment, which is fine in practice, because other watches of the same ilk, proper GMT watches like the Rolex GMT Master 2, also change the date in the same way, by advancing the hour hand to run the date. It can be done relatively quickly, since two complete revolutions of the hour hand make one day and there is no need to advance the time through the entire 24 hours to advance the date.

Of course I would have liked to have the watch have running seconds, in order to tell at a glance if it was running, but realistically, there is no space on the dial for that, ditto for a screw down crown which the Geosphere lacks. Lastly, the Southern Hemisphere sub-dial does take up some precious real estate from the dial, but it completes the concept of the watch and does imbue sense of romance. Also it is possibly useful to SOME people, particularly those from Australia or New Zealand.

Aesthetically, the details on the watch are fetching and while some might not like the simulated aged lume seen in the Arabic hour numerals and the hands, I find it fitting with the overall look of the watch. The simulated aged look does make the world maps look very good, with the view getting better in the dark since they glow as well. As for the red dots representing the highest peaks on each continent, I’m quite indifferent to it either way, but it is a nice reminder of the various mountains that exist around the world. In that way, the red dots don’t ever let you forget about them, which makes sense for a “mountaineering” watch such as this.

Rounding off an already well put together package, we find on the case-back, a beautifully engraved case-back image, which is – and what else could it be – an image of Montblanc, as in, the mountain.

How does one make all these features even better? Well, make the watch in bronze. Thankfully Montblanc was able to anticipate and realise  this beforehand, and while the stainless steel version is nice, the bronze one does kick things up a notch, looking right at home in the rugged wilderness.

My favourite by far? This one you see here, bronze and full of patina and looking very nice on the brown sfumato calf leather Bund-style strap.Incidentally that bund strap combination you see here makes the watch feel extremely secure and comfortable on the wrist, leading me to forget at times that I even had it on. There was a day when I had worn the watch and only realised before I was going to bed that I still had it on. This was a strange thing as I normally do take off my watches at home. Well, what can I say about that? I think perhaps, and I am not qualified to make such an assessment, that this is a useful feature when you’re out and about in nature and you’re doing important things like ensuring your survival. Having a watch that is always there when you need it, and receding into the background when you don’t, should be quite useful there, and in daily life.

In the end, it was difficult for me to return it to Montblanc as one of the realisations I quickly made with it was how easy it was to live with, and how interesting horologically it was. It has definitely been placed on my list of watches to buy given the compelling feature set and the price and who knows, I might pick one up in the near future.

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