SIHH 2016: Introducing the Montblanc ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Limited Edition Hand-Painted Watch in the new 4810 Collection (original photos)

We’ve said it before and we will say it again, Montblanc is brand commanding you to sit up and take notice. Especially since being under the direction of powerhouse CEO Jerome Lambert who knows watches probably better than the back of his own hand.

As such we fully expected to be wowed again at this year’s SIHH — and the brand did not disappoint. In fact, Montblanc has unveiled an all-new collection (seems to be a pattern here over the past three years) and antis up with three new in-house made movements. The 4810 collection (referring to the height of the Montblanc mountain) is designed for the worldly traveler and offers important functions.   The line also celebrates the brand’s 110^th anniversary.

The part of the 4810 collection we are most excited about is the artistically inspired ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Limited Edition (continents) watches. While other watches are equipped with what the brand claims is the smallest automatic tourbillon and other new movements, we are enthralled with the artistic elegance and technical performance of these watches.

The extremely alluring 42mm ExoTourbillon Slim 110 Years Limited Edition watch is a prime example of technology and art. Drawing inspiration from the Golden age of cross-Atlantic travel, luxury ocean liners and budding pioneer travel, the watch features a miniature hand painting on each dial. Three dials are being created: one with the North American continent, one depicting Europe and one showcasing Asia. Each watch is expressly unique due to the hand painting on the dial, as each is individually done by a single master artisan in Hamburg, Germany (headquarters of the brand) over the course of a full week per dial.

The stunning hand painting with dimensional appeal occupies the upper portion of the dial, while the technologically advanced ExoTourbillon sits majestically at 6:00 amidst the lower section of the dial that is decorated with the Cotes de Genève motif.

The watch is powered by the brand’s in-house Calibre MB 29.24 patented movement that has been redesigned and now features a micro-rotor. As if incorporating the ExoTourbillon (a magnificent tourbillon mounted on a cylindrical hairspring for hypnotic appeal) into the already beautiful watch were not enough, the brand also reconfigured its quick stop-seconds function so the seconds are indicated on the tourbillon cage (with a red arrow) instead of blocking any view of the hand painted dial. The quick stop-second function allows the user to set the time to the exact second.   Essentially, the stop-second “stops” the screw balance via use of a tiny spring, and so stops the balance from rotating instead of stopping the tourbillon cage, for precise setting.

The incredible mechanical movement with automatic winding consist of 202 components and 29 jewels. The patented ExoTourbillon (with one revolution per minute to indicate the seconds) features a steel tourbillon bridge. To fulfil the wearer’s needs, a discreet minute track adorns the outer portion of the dial with a red “60” at 12:00 for easy reading. The caseback is sapphire crystal to allow viewing of the meticulously finished movement with micro rotor.

Crafted in 18-karat white gold, the watch has been certified by the Montblanc performance Test 500, which tests it for 500 hours under extreme circumstances. Just 38 of the North American version and 36 each of the Asia and  Europe versions will be made. Each watch is water resistant to 5 bar – but really – would you swim with this beauty on your wrist?  Stay tuned; we will bring you more exciting news from Montblanc soon.