Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Complet Vasco da Gama
Surely the most popular arrangement of displays for a timepiece with this complication is the one that indicates the day in one window and the month in another, while showing the current date by the tip of a centrally axial hand which sweeps around a wreath of dates that’s concentric with the minute scale.
The so-called “full calendar” (or “Quantième Complet” in French) provides comprehensive calendar data, but occasionally requires manual assistance from its owner.
Unlike a perpetual calendar or an annual calendar, this watch’s calendar mechanism doesn’t automatically “know” the various lengths of the months. It accordingly assigns 31 days to all twelve months.
The date therefore requires manual resetting at midnight on the last day of any month with fewer than 31 days. Montblanc developed a little setting stylus to simplify this little task. If the stylus isn’t close at hand, the inset buttons on case’s flanks were designed to be large enough so that they can also be pressed with the ball of an ordinary ballpoint pen.
The silvery white dial has a sunburst pattern; the rhodium-plated facetted indexes and the numerals “3”, “9” and “12” are applied to the dial. Two facetted, sword-shaped, and likewise rhodium-plated hands indicate the hours and minutes. The date-hand bears a little red crescent at its tip to enhance the legibility of the date display.
As on the annual calendar, so too on the full calendar, the moon-phase display is embedded in an accurate emulation of the starry night sky above the Southern Hemisphere as it appeared to the mariners in 1497.
The Southern Cross is distinctly visible with its bright stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma (depicted in a slightly reddish hue to match its celestial namesake) and Delta. To display the phases of the moon, the beautiful blue-lacquered constellation holds an aperture for a golden turning disc below featuring the moon in the night sky.
Montblanc’s emblem, crafted as a distinctive relief atop the crown, is a distinguishing feature of the entire collection. The leather strap is made at the Montblanc Pelletteria, the Maison’s own leather manufacture in Florence, Italy.
The strap is secured by Montblanc’s new and uncommonly flat double folding clasp. This timepiece is available in a 40-mmdiameter and 9.7 mm tall steel case.
Technical details
Model: Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Complet Vasco da Gama, Ident. 112539
Movement
Calibre MB 29.16
Mechanical movement with automatic winding, full calendar and a moon-phase display with an aperture for a golden turning disc below featuring the moon in the night sky
Number of rubies: 25
Power reserve: Approx. 42 hours
Balance: Flat hoop
Frequency: 28,800 A/h (4 Hz)
Hairspring: Flat
Displays
Hours and minutes in the centre, date indicated by hand around the dial periphery, day and month in a window at “12 o’clock”, moon-phase display on a sub-dial at “6 o’clock”
Special features
Easy adjustment of calendar functions; individual correctors for each function to be set with a dedicated pin delivered with the timepiece Habillage
Case
Stainless steel; polished case, polished and satin-finish bezel
Diameter = 40 mm; Height = 9.7 mm
Crystal: Scratch-resistant, domed and antireflective sapphire crystal
Back: Stainless steel with inset pane of sapphire crystal with the Vasco da Gama’s Flagship São Gabriel and his signature
Water-tightness: 3 bar
Crown: Stainless steel with Montblanc emblem in raised relief
Dial
Silvery white dial with sunburst pattern, facetted indexes, Arabic numerals “3,9,12” as rhodium plated appliqués, rhodium-plated sword hour-hand and minute-hand, date hand with a little red crescent at the extremity, blued lacquered sub-dial at 6 o’clock depicting the sky with the Southern Cross in the Southern hemisphere and an aperture for the moon-phase indication
Wristband
Black alligator-skin strap crafted in the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence with stainless steel triple folding clasp
Certification
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
Price
4’350 Euros
