Racing Into 2018

Montblanc’s new Timewalker vintage racing collection promises to thrill the senses with ‘panda’ and ‘reverse panda’ dial animations.

Last year’s launch of Montblanc’s Timewalker Collection was a recall of the legacy Minerva manufacture’s close ties to vintage racing. The vintage timepieces of Minerva, a maker of stopwatches and chronographs which Montblanc acquired in 2006, became the inspiration block to this bevy of new sporty timepieces coded in historical aesthetics.

For 2018, the new Montblanc Timewalker Manufacture Chronograph in 43mm satinfinished stainless steel casing features a tri- counter ‘ panda’ dial. The so called ‘panda’ design of three black counters offers a deep contrast for the gentleman driver – much like the dashboards which adorned classic racing cars. A five-minute track in Superluminova coating offers visibility in low light, while rhodium-plated hour and minute hands, as well as a vivid red chronograph seconds hand (complete with a Minerva arrow) races around the dial when activated. To complete the vintage look is a perforated brown Sfumato aged calf leather strap. A second piece, the Montblanc Timewalker Rally Timer Chronograph Limited Edition 100 is, as its name suggests, rather scarce in availability. Its updated look from its 2017 brethren includes the ‘reverse panda’ dial and a new Sfumato aged leather calf strap. The transformative quality of this timepiece into pocket watch and dashboard piece are augmented by its hardy 50mm case milled from grade-two titanium. Inside, the manual-wound monopusher chronograph calibre MB M16.29 utilises a column wheel, horizontal coupling and 50 hours of power reserve to set the rhodium-plated seconds hand racing across jet black dial. Both these timepieces undergo the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500, which simulate intense reallife wear conditions across 500 hours. www.montblanc.com ≠