A couple of years ago, I had the good fortune of joining Montblanc in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where the brand introduced a host of new products. Among them: the Geosphere world time watch.  It was one of the most beautiful affordable watches I had seen in a while, and with a highly practical function. Since then, the brand has released the 1858 Geosphere in several versions. The newest one, just unveiled to the world today, is the 1858 Geosphere in  a key color code for the brand this year: blue. Additionally, the watch has been updated with an incredible amount of attention being paid to the details.

 

The New Montblanc 1858 Geosphere in Blue

An icon for Montblanc (in fact, it is one of the best-selling watches for the brand, the Geosphere features two distinctive domed hemisphere globes that turn — offering world time indication. The dials are made completely in house and are incredibly complex to build. The new version, with blue dial and domes, and bright white accents, is crafted in Grade 5 titanium. The smokey blue dial features cathedral-shaped domed hands. The hands, indexes,  and the hemisphere’s globes are all coated with Super-LumiNova that is hand applied.

Adding an element of the great outdoors to the 42mm watch,  each Geosphere has the world’s Seven Summits marked on the turning globes. After all, this collection was initially launched as part of Montblanc’s exploration concept, wherein the brand embraces today’s active lifestyles. The summits are also engraved on the case back along with a drawing of the Mont Blanc mountain, a compass and two crossed ice pick-axes. The watch boasts a fluted bi-directional steel bezel with blue ceramic inset that indicates the four cardinal points in Super-LumiNova.

What’s Inside the dual-hemisphere watch

In addition to the keen aesthetics of the 1858 Geosphere in blue, the movement offers an easy way to read the different time zones. Each of the turning domed globes is surrounded with a fixed 24-hour scale and a day/night blue indicator. The longitude reference median for both hemispheres is highlighted with blue Super-LumiNova.  There is also a second time zone indication at 9:00 and a date aperture at 3:00 for date in the home location.  The MB29.25 automatic winding movement offers 42 hours of power reserve and is water resistant to 100 meters. Each watch undergoes the Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500 — meaning it is tested for 500 hours for wear and tear in many different conditions.

The new blue edition is finished with blue Sfumato leather strap with white stitching or with a new vintage-inspired bracelet made of satin  and polished stainless steel. As with all  Montblanc watches, a choice of hand-crafted NATO straps are also available separately on the brand’s e-shop or in boutiques.

What I like About This Watch

I have to say that when I sat with the Montblanc executive team from both New York and Switzerland a while back to view this watch — and its other new pieces  (such as the Star Legacy and the Split-Second Chrono)  — I couldn’t help but fall in love with this new Geosphere. What do I like most about the new 1858 Geosphere in blue? Well, other than the rich blue color, and the gorgeous lume it has in the dark … the grabber is definitely the affordable price: $5,800.

According to Davide Cerrato, head of watches for Montblanc, “The Geosphere is the number one product in terms of identity for Montblanc. This new version offers a contemporary look, whereas the versions before it were very vintage thanks to the green dial and the black dial. The blue is really universal and easy for everyone to wear.”

Technical Specs of the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere

Ident. 125565

Movement Caliber: MB 29.25 with Manufacture worldtime complication,  Mechanical movement with automatic winding, flat-hoop balance, 28,800 A/h, 26 rubies, flat hairspring, Approximately 42 hours of power reserve.

Displays:  Hours and minutes from the centre, date at 3 o’clock, Second time zone at 9 o’clock, Turning northern and southern hemisphere globes at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock with a 24-hour scale and day-night indication

Case: Grade 5 titanium with slim curved horns featuring polished and satin-finishing. Bi-directional stainless steel bezel with blue ceramic, knurled finishing and engraved cardinal points coated with SuperLuminova

Crystal:  Scratch-resistant, domed box-shaped sapphire crystal with antireflective coating

Back: Titanium with “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” special engraving

Dimensions:  Diameter = 42 mm; Height = 12.8 mm

Water resist:  10 bar (100 m)

Crown: Fluted in Titanium with Montblanc emblem in relief

Dial: Blue with white luminescent Arabic numerals, rhodium-coated and white luminescent cathedral-shaped hour-hand and minute-hand, white luminescent time zone hand, luminescent northern and southern hemispheres globes, historical Montblanc logo at 3 o’clock

Strap: Blue Sfumato calf-skin strap from Pelletteria in Florence, Italy with Titanium triple-folding clasp; Also available with a bi-metal titanium and stainless steel bracelet and a stainless steel triple folding clasp (ident. 125567).

Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500

Price: $5,800.