Watches and Wonders 2025: Montblanc New Releases

The new Geosphere 0 Oxygen edition is limited to 986 pieces as a nod to 1986 – the year when Messner made his ascent of Mount Vinson. The timepiece comes in a 43.5mm titanium case that is directly inspired by the Mount Vinson landscape with a brand-new composite middle case crafted from quartz fibres, aluminized basalt fibres, CaCO3, and light blue resin. This composite mix creates a design reminiscent of the colours and patterns of age-old glacial ice found in Antarctica with its interlocking networks of crystals that have been frozen in time for millennia. The older glaciers become, the less oxygen they contain and the denser they become, resulting in this deeper blue colour.

Reinforcing the world of adventure and exploration, the middle case is adorned with a luminous outline of Mount Vinson that shines white by day and luminous blue by night. It is positioned on the left side of the case so only the wearer can see it.

A Worldtime Complication

The timepiece is powered by the Caliber MB 29.25, featuring an automatic movement with Montblanc’s Manufacture Worldtime complication with approx. 42 hours of power reserve. Like with all 1858 Geosphere models, both the Northern and Southern hemispheres are represented by two three-dimensional globes that turn anti-clockwise and include a day and night indication so that the wearer can see what time it is across the Earth at a simple glance. A keen eye will also notice that Montblanc has included dots marking the seven peaks of Messner’s List on the Northern Hemisphere globe and the Mont Blanc summit. There is also a date at three o’clock and a dual time indication at nine o’clock.

Mount Vinson Caseback

To celebrate the full beauty of Mount Vinson, Montblanc has also added an engraving of this majestic peak on the caseback using a technique that provides an authentic 3D rendering that looks almost like 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. Next, the desired finish (matte and shiny) is similarly achieved by laser. In the final colouring phase, the colours are created with laser-generated oxidation: the desired colour is determined by the level of oxidation. Montblanc is one of the most advanced Swiss Maisons to use this technology on such a large surface.

Annual Calendar Functions

For the annual calendar functions, the large date is positioned at 12 o’clock, just above the historic Montblanc logo, and features two large apertures positioned side-by-side. The date is easily adjustable thanks to a corrector located at 2 o’clock For the months, Montblanc has chosen to display them around the dial periphery via a red arrow showing the month in question, making them easily readable at a glance. The red arrow is a nod to the Roman goddess Minerva, the deity of craftsmanship, who was known for carrying a spear with an arrow at its tip. It also has a rich history rooted in early aviation Minerva chronographs from the 1920s and 1930s. A keen eye will notice that the month of July has been replaced by the word ‘Minerva’ as it was on July 30th 1887 that the Minerva trademark, and its recognisable arrow, were registered.

Hand-Painted Northern Hemisphere Globe

The visual focal point of these timepieces is their hand-painted, three-dimensional, rotating globe featuring the Northern Hemisphere and a Day & Night indication. The globe also indicates Greenwich Mean Time line with an orange line and a 24-hour scale. Crafted from sapphire crystal, each globe is hand-painted on the underside by a Swiss artisan, who spends four hours meticulously painting each one. The globes in these two new models represent the Northern Hemisphere, while the Southern Hemisphere is available on request.

Glacier Dials

The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 41mm in distressed steel comes with a grey sfumato glacier pattern dial that replicates the colour and texture of ice. It is created using a special technique called gratté-boisé at the base, giving the dial the impression of genuine depth and luminosity. This time-consuming process takes four times longer than a standard dial to complete and requires over 30 separate steps. The result captures the texture of glacial ice with its interlocking network of crystals that have been frozen in time for millennia. The grey dial also features a sfumato effect which is created using an old Italian technique where the tones and colours gradually merge into each other, producing softened outlines and hazy forms.

A New 38mm Diameter

The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date collection, launched in 2022, caught the watch world’s attention with its sporty design and dials inspired by glacial ice from the Mer de Glace on the Mont-Blanc Massif. Enriching the collection, Montblanc unveils four new models in a smaller 38mm case. Previously available in a 41mm diameter, this reduced case size is suitable for both men and women looking for smaller diameters.

Glacier Dials

Inaugurating this new case size, Montblanc is unveiling two new glacier pattern dial colours in white and light blue. All of the Montblanc Iced Sea dials feature a glacier pattern that replicates the colour and texture of ice. The pattern is created using a special technique called gratté-boisé as the base, giving the dial the impression of genuine depth and luminosity. This time-consuming process takes four times longer than a standard dial to complete and requires over 30 separate steps. The result captures the texture of glacial ice with its interlocking network of crystals that have been frozen in time for millennia.

Surprising as it may seem, this is the first time a Montblanc Iced Sea model has been created in a pure white colour. The light blue version is also a new tone in the collection and comes adorned with a sfumato effect. This smoky aesthetic comes from an Italian technique where the tones and colours gradually merge into each other, producing softened outlines and hazy forms.