Montblanc first appeared on the horizon as a luxury fountain pen company. Their fountain pens are wonderfully beautiful and elegant. There is nothing like signing an important document with the flourish that only a Montblanc fountain pen can provide. Montblanc has since diversified their collection and they have been in the horology field for quite a while now. The beauty and elegance exquisitely executed for their fountain pens is also seen in their timepieces.
When Richemont, Montblanc’s parent company, acquired Fabrique d’Horlogerie Minerva SA in 2006, this brought together the previous watchmaking experience of Montblanc and the expertise that Minerva had established in its long history. Some touches of the Minerva watches can be seen in Montblanc timepieces today.
Montblanc launched their new timepiece, the Montblanc Heritage collection, at SIHH 2019. The aesthetic is classic, vintage-inspired and the highlight is the Heritage Pulsograph Limited Edition 100. The Maison drew inspiration for this piece from the ‘doctor’s watch’ that physicians used to check a patient’s heart rate. The chronograph is a stopwatch feature, allowing you to time things without needing a separate tool. In the case of the Heritage Pulsograph, this is a monopusher chronograph, meaning there is only one button to start, stop, and reset the mechanism. Montblanc has used this complication before, in the Star Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph. The monopusher chronograph gives you the added facility of a stopwatch while keeping the look sleek and elegant since there is only one button. The iconic snowcap seen on Montblanc fountain pen caps makes its appearance on the watch crown.
Not everyone needs to check someone’s heart rate, but surely everyone needs a fantastic, elegant watch, and the Heritage Pulsograph, in a limited edition of 100, fits the bill quite nicely. This watch has a stainless steel case partnered with a Grey Sfumato alligator-skin leather strap. The domed salmon-colored dial is 40mm in diameter, and the Maison puts all that space to good use. Salmon is on-trend perhaps due to ‘living coral’ being the Pantone Color of the Year for 2019. The dial has exquisite detailing with the hour ring, sunray finishes, and the anthracite applied numerals. The watch’s design codes are also a nod to the precursor, the Minerva wristwatches from the 1940s and 50s.
Powered by the Calibre MBM13.21, the Heritage Pulsograph Limited Edition 100 is a manually wound monopusher chronograph with pulsometer scale. The watch has the hours and minutes in the center display, while the 30-elapsed minute counter is at the 3 o’clock. The chronograph button is at the 2 o’clock. The salmon-colored dial is sophisticated and modern, yet combines seamlessly with the vintage design touches. The combination of the soft coral pink dial with the stainless steel case is modern and elegant. The Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph is sure to get your heart beating faster.
