On May 16th 2022, Nimsdai Purja achieved the extraordinary feat of being the first mountaineer to ascend the summits of Everest, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga without supplemental oxygen in the record-breaking timeframe of just 8 days, 23 hours and 10 minutes and a second record of doing the Everest to Lhotse traverse without oxygen in 26 hours. He undertook this challenge wearing the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Chronograph “0 Oxygen” LE290 on his wrist, a timepiece devoid of all oxygen, putting the timepiece through the ultimate test.
From May 7th to May 16th 2022, Nepal-born British mountaineer Nimsdai Purja pushed the boundaries of what is possible by first climbing Kanchenjunga, followed by Everest and finally Lhotse, all without any oxygen to assist him.
“I am thrilled to have completed the challenge I set myself, and in doing so, continue to prove what humankind can do with the right preparation and focus. I am very thankful for Montblanc’s support, not just providing me with this innovative watch built for extreme conditions, but also participating in our collective efforts to tackle the issue of the accumulation of expedition waste that is polluting the environment of the Himalayas,” says Nimsdai Purja.
The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Chronograph “0 Oxygen” timepiece, limited to 290 pieces, has several benefits for explorers who need their equipment to work in some of the harshest environments. Zero oxygen inside the movement not only eliminates fogging, which can occur with drastic temperature changes at altitude, but also prevents oxidization. Without oxygen, all the components last far longer and will provide greater precision over time.
Each timepiece comes with a zero-oxygen certificate that attests to the fact that the watch has been successfully encased without oxygen. In addition to the certificate, each timepiece undergoes the Maison’s unforgiving 500-hour test. But Montblanc wanted to take things one step further by taking the new 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen LE290 on a real mountaineering expedition to the world’s highest mountain above sea level –Mount Everest.
In addition, Montblanc is proud to support the Nimsdai Foundation’s Big Mountain Cleanup initiative to keep these magnificent mountains clean for future generations. The initiative is aimed at addressing the waste generated by the increasingly popular mountain expedition culture by providing full time, seasonal clean up teams on all widely climbed mountains around the globe paired with associated regional recycling and educational initiatives.
