Montblanc the Star Special Edition Carpe Diem

As precious as time itself

The Montblanc Star Special Edition Carpe Diem will be presented to the public and the international press at the “Watches & Wonders” exhibition in Hong Kong on 25 September 2013. This watch collection prompts us to ask ourselves how we deal with life’s most valuable treasure: fleeting, ineffable, irretrievable time.

The Montblanc Star Collection is dedicated to classically beautiful watches that combine this brand’s unmistakable aesthetic and the traditional Swiss art of watchmaking. For more than fifteen years, the distinguishing features of the Montblanc Star Collection have been classical forms, materials, techniques and embellishments with a beauty that has been appreciated for decades and that will continue to be admired in the future. This tradition continues with the new wristwatches in the Montblanc Star Special Edition Carpe Diem, which will be manufactured solely with stainless steel cases. This cool, hard and brightly gleaming metal has long since leapt from casual, sporty, daily use and into the domain of luxurious elegance. This collection’s models range from a sleekly simple self-winding three-handed watch through the Chronograph UTC to the Quantième Complet: three different mechanical timepieces that share a unified look and the common denominator of an eye-catching red second-hand from the centre of the dial to symbolize “carpe diem”.

Carpe Diem – The value of the here and now

Carpe diem: few people have never heard or read this familiar Latin phrase, which is usually understood in its Epicurean interpretation as meaning “use the day”, i.e. as a reminder to overcome lethargy and get to work. But “carpe diem” is interpreted differently by the many people for whom life is an art. Construing the Latin aphorism to mean “enjoy the day”, they freely indulge in a bit of well-earned hedonism. Does “carpe diem” stand for an austere work ethic or lusty joie de vivre? None but its author, the Ancient Roman poet Horace, can ultimately answer this question. In the final lines of the “Ode to Leuconae”, which Horace wrote in 23 bc or thereabouts, the bard urges his readers to enjoy the brief span of their lives and not to wait for tomorrow: “Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”, i.e. “Seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the next”. Whether Horace meant this as an appeal to industriousness or to the pleasures of the senses remains to be determined by historians, classical philologists and literary scholars, who have spent the past two millennia debating this question and failing to reach a consensus. We prefer to assume the validity of both interpretations and to focus on the heart of carpe diem: namely, the here and now. Our lives are finite. A day, after it has been spent, is forever gone and never returns. Time unalterably passes by the hour, the minute and the second, a fact that can be observed on the face of a clock or the dial of a watch, where the second-hand sweeps its circles and leaves the past irretrievably behind. The long, slender, bright red second-hand on the Montblanc Star Special Edition Carpe Diem watches accordingly guides our gaze and reminds us, with each glance at these timepieces, that our lives occur here and now. What came before is past. What lies ahead is an uncertain future: we cannot predict what it will bring. That’s why Montblanc echoes Horace and proclaims: “Carpe diem!”

Carpe Diem – The watch as philosophical statement

Carpe diem confronts Montblanc’s watchmakers with a twofold obligation. As masters of fine mechanics, they continue the centuries-old tradition of measuring the physical dimension of time with maximal precision, thus making it useful for human beings. Time measurement is a pillar of physics, without which such achievements as accurate navigation, industrial production, global commerce, communications satellites and much more would never have been possible. But time at Montblanc is also inseparably linked to its philosophical aspect. How do we deal with time, how do we use it, how do we cope with the contradiction of the endlessness of the phenomenon of time on the one hand and the radically delimited finitude of our own time on the other? Montblanc’s watchmakers devote their hearts and minds not only to watches as instruments for measuring and displaying time, but also to the contemplation of that which watches measure and display: precious time itself.

Both aspects motivate Montblanc’s watchmakers to seize the day, to use time wisely, and to enjoy their lives by practicing a profession that is also their greatest passion. For the Montblanc Star Special Edition Carpe Diem, they have indeed made excellent use of their time and created precise timepieces that embody the best Swiss-made quality. And they have equipped each of these watches with a slender red second-hand whose ceaseless motion reminds us of time’s diverse aspects and priceless value.

Classically elegant bearer of calendarical information

A classically round wristwatch with a full calendar (i.e. date, day of the week, month and lunar phases) is a rare species. Either its calendar shows only the date or else the watch boasts a full-fledged perpetual calendar and costs several tens of thousands of euros. Montblanc closes the gap between both extremes with the Quantième Complet of the Star Special Edition Carpe Diem.

The name is indeed descriptive. Francophone watchmakers use the terms “quantième” to describe the calendar function and “complet” to mean “complete” or “full”. This latest model in the Montblanc Star Collection has a classically elegant dial that shows both the time of day or night and a full array of calendarical data. The date is indicated by a hand which culminates in a little red crescent that sweeps along a wreath of thirty-one digits around the dial’s periphery. In accord with the best tradition, the day of the week and the month appear in little windows arranged along a horizontal line at the “12”. The lower half of the dial is reserved for the moon-phase display, which also emulates the changing phases of this heavenly body during the day, when the real moon is either pale or entirely invisible. All this takes place on a dial that boasts all the attributes of timeless elegance. The centre bears a fine guilloche décor. The brand’s name is written on a cartouche at the “12”.

A wreath of black Roman numerals indicates the hours. This circle is concentrically succeeded by the minute-ring with its segmented scale. As already mentioned, the extreme periphery hosts the date-ring, which is calibrated from 1 to 31. A set of blued steel hands orbit above this noble background: the hours and minutes are indicated by feuille-shaped hands; the date by a baton hand with its little red crescent.

Completed by the red second-hand with its skeletonised distinctive Montblanc emblem as counterweight – that reminds us every second with 8 little movements: Carpe diem.

A timeless investment

This classically handsome face is framed by an elegant, round, 42-mm-diameter stainless steel case with harmonious proportions. The dial is protected by a slightly domed sapphire crystal, which has received antireflective treatment. A screwed back with a transparent pane of sapphire crystal forms the case’s back and offers an unobstructed view of high-quality, self-winding, mechanical calibre MB 4810/912 which, with quintessentially Swiss precision, controls the displays of both the time and the calendarical information. If the watch has not been worn for a longer period of time, its movement can also be manually wound by turning the fluted, readily grasped crown, which is topped by Montblanc’s emblem. The date, day of the week, month and moon-phase displays can be quickly, simply and individually reset by pressing the corresponding buttons, which are built into the flank of the case. These buttons can be pressed with the tip of a little corrector wand that is delivered along with each watch. This timepiece is worn in the classical manner on a noble black alligator-leather strap that is closed and opened by a pronged buckle.

With its new Star Quantième Complet, Montblanc launches a timepiece that possesses all the attributes of a genuine classic and combines sovereign elegance with masculine flair.

The Star Special Edition Carpe Diem includes next to the Quantième Complet a Chronograph UTC with 42mm diameter case and a three-hand mechanical timepiece with a 39mm case, that is available either with black alligator strap or with stainless steel wristband.

The Montblanc Star Special Edition Carpe Diem will be available starting from October 2013.