Inspired by historical Minerva wristwatches from the 1940s and ‘50s, Montblanc unveils the new Heritage Manufacture Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 100 featuring vintage aesthetics with a new burnt caramel dial and a fully polished 18 K rose gold case.
With its patented Manufacture complication developed internally, this timepiece is one of the most readable with well positioned indications and the possibility of setting the time both forwards and backwards through the crown, allowing the rapid adjustment of one month in under a minute.
The new Heritage Manufacture Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 100 indicates the hours, minutes, day, date, month, moonphase, and leap year in an extremely legible way thanks to its large counters at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. This year, it comes in a new aesthetic with a brown colour scheme that goes from the dial to the strap.
Launched two years ago, the perpetual calendar complication took three years to develop due to the complexity of the function. Protected by a patent, the Manufacture calibre MB 29.22 comprises 378 components of which 259 are dedicated to the perpetual calendar function.
It is composed solely of wheels and cams, in contrast to most perpetual calendars that use levers. This mechanism first enables the user to adjust the watch via the crown in both directions (which is not possible with levers). Secondly, thanks to a safety feature, it prevents any setting between the hours of 6 pm and 12 pm, when manipulation could damage the movement.
The perpetual calendar complication is principally made of a central “crown” that drives the entire system with several wheels and three cams with specific rotations that allow the date to jump. The first cam is for the jumping of the date from 28th to 29th (one turn every four years), one is from 29th to 30th (one turn per year), and the last one from 30th to 31st (turns every 31-day month). The cams work independently when there is no modification of the calendar displays when the date changes from 28th to 31th, from 29th to 31st, and from 28th to 31st.
Furthermore, the watch offers an outstanding view on a realistic domed rose gold-coated moonphase surrounded by a starry sky which is extremely precise and only requires adjustment every 122 years. It is combined with a very practical dual-time function with a 24-hour indicator, which is particularly useful when travelling.
Reminiscent of historical Minerva timepieces, the domed lacquered dial is of particular note. The warm and intense vintage shade of brown has been realized by a special process that takes dexterity and time to achieve. The dial is first produced with two different motifs – a sunray decoration in the centre and a “grainé” finish on the hour ring.
After the decoration is added, a Sfumato brown colour is applied to the dial to provide different shades of brown radiating from the centre. It is lighter in the centre and gets darker towards the outside. Several layers of translucent lacquer are then applied to the dial, allowing time to dry between each layer, to enhance the sunray pattern and create a contrasting shine on the final timepieces.
In line with the design codes of the Heritage product line, the watch comes in a 40 mm fully polished 18 K rose gold case with curved horns and is fitted with a sapphire crystal glass box for an elegant vintage look. A brown sfumato alligator strap completes the overall design.
Technical details
Model: Montblanc Heritage Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 100
Ident. 128669
Movement
Calibre MB 29.22
Mechanical movement with automatic winding, perpetual calendar
Dimensions Diameter = 25.58 mm; height = 5.80 mm
Number of components 378
Number of rubies 77
Power Reserve Approx. 48 hours
Balance Flat hoop, diameter = 8.00 mm; moment of inertia = 6.3 mgcm²
Frequency 28,800 A/h (4 Hz)
Hairspring Flat
Plate Rhodium-coated with micro-blasted finishes
Bridges Rhodium-coated with circular “Côtes de Genève”
Displays
Hours and minutes from the centre
Perpetual calendar indications with month and leap-year at 3 o’clock, date and moonphase at 6 o’clock and day at 9 o’clock
Second time zone from the centre with 24-hour display at 9 o’clock
Habillage
Case
18 K rose gold case
Crystal: Scratch-resistant, domed box-shaped sapphire crystal with antireflective coating
Back: 18 K rose gold with inset pane of sapphire crystal
Diameter = 40 mm; Height = 12.25
Water-resistance: 5 bar (50 m)
Crown: 18 K rose gold with Montblanc emblem in relief
Dial
Domed “burnt caramel”-coloured dial with “grainé” hour ring and sunray finishes, 18 K rose gold-coated luminescent applied Arabic numerals and dots as indexes, 18 K rose gold-coated luminescent bent dauphine hour- and minute-hands, 18 K rose gold-coated curved skeletonized second time zone hand, 18 K rose gold-coated 24-hour-hand, 18 K rose gold-coated baton date, 18 K rose gold-coated day- and month-hands, black lacquered leap year-hand, historical Montblanc logo at 12 o’clock
Strap
Brown Sfumato alligator strap with 18 K rose gold pin buckle
Edition
Limited Edition of 100 pieces
Certifications
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
Retail price
24’900 Euros
[Also available in a stainless steel version: 14’900 Euros]
