2012/10/22 - Montblanc TimeWalker Twinfly GreyTech – Introducing a new manufacture calibre

 

Few brands can rival Montblanc’s skill in imbuing their products with unmistakable and timeless iconography. The Rieussec chronograph collection has achieved an enviable status and the TimeWalker line represents the modern personification of Montblanc’s DNA. The appeal of the TimeWalker collection stems from its sleek and distinctive styling, which is strongly inspired by modern architecture. This collection received great acclaim last year with introduction of the TwinFly Chronograph fitted with Montblanc’s own movement. Now it has been taken one step further with the debut of the GreyTech.

Double Flyback in Shades of Grey

Montblanc was highly praised for the launch of the TimeWalker TwinFly in 2011, a manufacture chronograph. It has both an elapsed-seconds hand and a 60-minute counter at the centre of its dial and is manufactured in steel and also in a limited titanium edition. This wristwatch enjoyed such remarkable success that one year later Montblanc decided to present a second limited-edition model with exclusive styling: the Montblanc TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph GreyTech, of which only 888 pieces will be manufactured. This watch perfectly combines technical refinement, innovative materials and discriminating design.

This model has a very distinguished but modern and technical appearance. Satinised and pearl-blasted finishing gives the solid titanium case a rich monochrome hue. Various shades of grey distinguish the large dial with its seven time indicators, generously proportioned apertures for the grey date disc, a pierced and anthracitegrey hour-hand and minute-hand, and large Arabic numerals. The sapphire crystals on the front and back of the case have anti-reflective coatings on both sides. Grey elegance continues on the back of the watch where the movement with its dark grey rhodium-plated chassis parts, can be admired through the display case-back. Its dark grey contrasts beautifully against the golden wheels, the blued screws and the red ruby bearings. It is a perfect synthesis of technically oriented design, highly robust and extra-light case material, and elaborate micromechanics.

Chronograph Calibre MB LL100 – A Montblanc Movement with Manufacture Quality

Calibre MB LL100, developed exclusively by Montblanc, is a self-winding fly-back chronograph that is assembled, finely adjusted and encased in the brand’s spacious ateliers in Le Locle. It is very appropriate that this manufacture movement is a chronograph, because the world’s leading name in exclusive writing instruments also strives towards a similar leading position among “time writers” – chronographs. The speed and dynamism of developments at Montblanc has been so remarkable that this ambitious goal doesn’t seem audacious. The functions of the Calibre MB LL100 chronograph are controlled by a column-wheel and a modern and extremely lowwear disc-coupling engages to transfer energy from the fourth-wheel to the chronograph-wheel. A newly calculated profile for the teeth of the gearwheels significantly improves the efficiency of energy transmission.

The most eye-catching feature of this watch is the chronograph display: a long elapsed-seconds hand and a shorter counter for 60 elapsed minutes are both mounted at the centre of the dial. When the flyback function is triggered, these two indicators race back to their starting position and instantly restart to measure another interval of elapsed time, which was the inspiration for the “TwinFly” name of this model. The elapsed seconds are shown on the track at the outer edge of the dial, and the elapsed minute counter has a large and therefore readily legible 60-minute scale around the centre of the dial. Other functions include a date window at 9 o’clock and a 24-hour subdial for the second time zone at 12 o’clock. A special feature of Calibre MB LL100 is the use of twin barrels, which give this movement a power reserve of approximately 72 hours. This means it is easily able to cope with amplitude fluctuations when the chronograph function is started or stopped, and it also ensures its rate is stable in all other modes, too.

GreyTech Expresses Technical Elegance

The matte grey titanium case is distinguished by the unmistakable styling of Montblanc’s TimeWalker family. The generous 43mm case and the narrow bezel result in a very large dial: that enhances the legibility of the information displayed.

The horns, which are skeletonised in the typical TimeWalker style, securely hold the alligator-skin strap, which has large reptilian scales and grey stitching, with a pronged buckle made of bead-blasted titanium. In keeping with the understated styling in shades of grey, the case has a matte finish all around, the middle part of the case is vertically brushed, and both the bezel and the edge of the case-back are bead blasted. The result is a discreetly technical look that instantly identifies this watch as a functional time-measuring instrument.

The pierced dial in various shades of grey has circular apertures inside the hourcircle to provide a view of the darker date disc which has raised anthracite-grey numerals; six raised anthracite-grey numerals mark the hour-circle; white scales are printed for the second time zone at 12 o’clock and for the small seconds at 6 o’clock.

A shiny anthracite-colored sunburst in raised relief adorns the display’s 24-hour dial for the daytime hours from 6 am to 6 pm, while the nighttime hours are portrayed by a net of arcs which symbolize the paths of the stars across the firmament. The smallest details are of the utmost importance on a wristwatch. The anthracite-grey hour-hand and minute-hand are coated with luminous material, which combines with noctilucent indices to assure good legibility in the dark. Because these hands sweep across the scale of the 60-minute chronograph counter they’re pierced so the wearer can see through them to read the minute scale.

Another attractive aspect of the GreyTech is visible through the sapphire case-back: the movement with its black rhodium-plated components. A layer of dark grey rhodium has been applied to the bridge, which is decorated traditionally with “Geneva waves”. The same coating embellishes the generously skeletonised winding-rotor with its extra-heavy oscillating weight and pierced Montblanc emblem. The columnwheel that controls the chronograph’s functions is also visible.

The new Montblanc TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph GreyTech will be manufactured in a limited edition of 888 specimens.