Hands On: Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Watch (Prices)

Just a few weeks ago, we brought you some of the best new watches from the Montblanc 1858 collection, including the Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch LE 100  and the limited edition Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph in green. Now we bring you a look at a (relatively speaking) more affordable collection: the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE 1600 and the non-limited edition Geosphere. This watch is a beauty and has a lot to offer in terms of both form and function. Before we delve in, though, we want to recall that Montblanc has introduced Geosphere watches in its past, predominantly in the high-complicatoins Villeret line.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE 1600

As with the entire Montblanc 1858 collection, this watch pays tribute to 160 years of Minerva history.  Easily one of the hottest new “mainstream” watches in the new collection designed to appeal to hikers and mountain climbers, is the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE 1600 – a new worldtime complication with two turning hemispheres on the dial. The northern hemisphere, with a day/night indication, resides at 12:00 on the dial, while the turning southern hemisphere, also with day/night indication, sits on the southern most part of the dial at 6:00. The northern hemisphere rotates counter-clockwise, while the southern hemisphere rotates clockwise. The watch offers a second time zone and a separate second-time-zone corrector. It also offers hours, minutes and date indication. Both the local time and home time are set directly from the crown.

Equipped with a compass bezel, this 42mm Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is powered by the brand’s MB 29.25 mechanical movement, and carries the brand’s 500-Hours testing certificate.

The case back of the Montblanc 1858 Geospheres watch is a tribute to The 7 summits challenge – with the highest peak of each continent engraved on the outer edges. Additionally, on the hemisphere globes, the seven summits are also indicated via a red dot. Just 1600 pieces of the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE 1600 will be made in bronze with a ceramic bezel and calfskin strap. The brand offers this watch on a leather strap, or on a convertible “fat” strap that has a more vintage appeal. Water resistant to 100 meters, this timepiece retails for an incredible EURO 5,890.

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Stainless Steel 

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere is also being offered a stainless steel case on a vintage-inspired leather strap, or on a black micro-fiber strap. This stainless steel version is not a limited edition and is slightly more affordable than the bronze sibling, at  Euro 5,190.

This collection, as mentioned,  is part of the all-new direction of Montblanc — embracing the spirit of the great outdoors, hiking, and mountain climbing. We — of course — love the limited edition bronze watch, but we also are really impressed with the stainless steel version. The watch has a real substance to it without being too big and bold on the wrist.  The  dial, with two turning hemispheres is a real head-turner and it is a lot of look and function at a pretty incredible price range. We expect this watch to be a big seller for Montblanc.