Montblanc updates iconic TimeWalker and Star Legacy collections

At this month’s Salon de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Montblanc will flex its muscles with timepieces that fuse modernity with classic design codes based on its watchmaking heritage.

A prime example is the popular TimeWalker collection, which is updated with two new additions this year: the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph and the TimeWalker Rally Timer Chronograph Limited Edition 100.

Montblanc has had a fascinating history with motor racing and creating precise time-measuring instruments. The TimeWalker collection, for example, is a direct descendant of its motor racing days. In 1911, the maison laid claim to producing stopwatches that could measure 1/5th of a second, and later in 1916, its instruments could measure as precise as 1/100th of a second.

The new TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph features a classic panda design: a white dial face populated with black tri-counters. The design is evocative of the dashboards fitted into classic racing cars, and has found its place as one of the watchmaking industry’s most distinctive aesthetic style.

It is powered by a manufacture chronograph calibre MB 25.10, and is equipped with a traditional column wheel, a horizontal coupling and a stop-second mechanism. It comes with a new vintage brown Sfumato aged calf leather strap with perforated holes. The timepiece is water resistant to 100m.

The new Rally Timer Chronograph Limited Edition 100 will no doubt be making the rounds on social media throughout SIHH, from January 15 to 19. As the name suggests, it is limited to 100 pieces.

The timepiece is inspired by the maison’s iconic Minerva Rally Timer stopwatch from the 1960s, and features a “reverse panda” dial (black face with white counters). Inside ticks the handcrafted manufacture monopusher chronograph calibre MB M16.29, with a tachymeter scale and a power reserve of 50 hours. The calibre is inspired by the original Minerva calibre 17.29 from the 1930s.

The most interesting, and fun, feature is that the timepiece can be used either as a wristwatch or transformed into a pocket watch or even a dashboard clock. All that needs to be done is to fold the strap attachments under the case (to be made into a pocket watch) which can then be either propped up using its two arms below the case, or clipped to a metal plate fixed onto a car’s dashboard.

The 50mm case is satin-finished grade-two titanium, with the middle section knurled and coated with black DLC to give it an extra layer of hardness. An open case back shaped like a car grill allows watch enthusiasts to admire the movement.

The masion also breathes new life into its Star Legacy collection, inspired by its Minerva roots, with two new chronograph models as part of its offerings for SIHH: Star Legacy Automatic Chronograph and Star Legacy Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph. The two models are not only in line with Montblanc’s DNA – they are also evocative of its heritage.