Montblanc’s bezel-activated Unveiled Timekeeper chronograph gets a new look
Following the launch of the Montblanc Unveiled Timekeeper in 2023, the Maison is introducing a new limited edition in distressed steel with a grey aesthetic. Based on a historical calibre from 1923, Montblanc’s Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva has rethought the way we record elapsed time: all the traditional Minerva design codes and watchmaking finishes are present, and yet there is no chronograph pushers to activate the chronograph.
The Montblanc Chronograph
Montblanc’s chronograph story began in 1858 when Charles-Yvan Robert founded a watch workshop in the Saint-Imier valley. As early as the 1880s, the Minerva Manufacture in Villeret had already gained international recognition for its precise timekeepers. In 1909, Minerva started to develop chronographs, quickly becoming a specialist in the fabrication of professional watches and stopwatches, and in 1923, it unveiled its first manually wound monopusher chronograph dedicated to wristwatches.
Today, Montblanc continues the Minerva chronograph legacy with the Unveiled Timekeeper, transforming this much-loved complication from the past to the present through design and technical expertise.
The Story of the White Gold Fluted Bezel
In 1927, Minerva was among the first manufactures to make a fluted bezel as well as an internal countdown rotating bezel. This was followed in 1939 by its first wristwatch chronograph with an external rotating bezel and a reset function.
In 2022, the Maison unveiled the 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow LE88 inspired by these rare external rotating bezel models. The key elements from the past included a fluted bezel, now in white gold, and Minerva’s recognizable red arrow that allowed a quick and easy reading of elapsed time.
Following the two limited editions released last year ¬– one in stainless steel and the other in Lime Gold – Montblanc unveils a new edition that is housed in a 42.5mm contemporary distressed steel case. This special finish is achieved by treating the stainless-steel case with a black coating. It is then manually washed and brushed with quartzite from the Mont Blanc mountain and limestone from the “V”-shaped mountain opposite the Villeret manufacture, called La Combe Grède, bringing the mountain and valley together. Thanks to this special treatment, each timepiece in this 100-piece limited edition gets its very own patina and singular appearance.
The distressed stainless steel case is dressed with an 18K white gold bezel, in keeping with current Minerva timepieces, while the grey dial takes its inspiration from Minerva chronographs from between the 1940s and 1960s. Staying faithful to these historical pieces, this new edition comes with sunray finishing; luminescent hands, numerals, and indexes; elegant subdials; tachymetre scales (with a base of 1000m, 400m, and 200m); and white indications for easy reading. The new edition also comes fitted with a grey interchangeable calf leather strap with alligator print.
Calibre MB M13.21
The Calibre MB M13.21 is the latest version of the historical Calibre 13.20 that was launched over 100 years ago. The Calibre MB M13.21 is a hand-finished, manually wound movement with a 60-hour power reserve. The chronograph seconds are indicated with a contrasting blue-colored chronograph seconds hand with the Minerva arrow as the counterweight, while a 30-minute chronograph counter is positioned at three o’clock, and a small seconds’ indication balances the dial at nine o’clock. All the chronograph hands are in blue to provide an elegant visual contrast with the grey dial and create a clear distinction with the white indications of the time display.
How does the chronograph function works?
The new Montblanc Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva takes the fluted bezel from the 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow and turns it into a chronograph function, marking the first time in Montblanc’s watchmaking repertoire it has been possible to activate a chronograph without having to press on a pusher.
Thanks to an innovative mechanical function, the Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva chronograph is activated via its elegant 18K gold fluted bezel, which has been refined even further in this new edition, and defines all new timepieces crafted at the Manufacture in Villeret. Just rotating the bezel clockwise with one click will start the chronograph, a second click will stop it, and a third click will reset it, transforming the way a chronograph has traditionally worked. The bezel has 30 jumps/steps per whole turn, meaning that it can time 10 separate events in one complete turn. Montblanc is one of the few watchmaking companies to have developed such a system and has filed several patent applications for it. This hidden feature respects the beauty of the historical calibre, while incorporating modern-day know-how to create a truly contemporary timepiece.
A Caseback Paying Tribute to the Minerva Legacy
The Montblanc Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva is completed with a caseback that tells the complete story of Minerva, starting with the name of the collection and the date of birth of the Minerva Manufacture at six o’clock. On an inner ring, key dates from the Minerva chronograph story are separated by little stars from the original Minerva logo, with the Minerva arrow at 12 o’clock. These key dates include:
1887 – Minerva brand and arrow symbol registered on July 30th, 1887.
1908 – Development of the first Manufacture chronograph movement (19/9CH) for pocket watches.
1912 – The Minerva V-shaped chronograph bridge is patented on April 10th.
1920 – Development of the Manufacture chronograph Calibre 13.20 for wristwatches.
1927 – Production of Minerva’s first fluted bezel and internal countdown rotating bezel.
1929 – Development of the Manufacture chronograph Calibre 17.29 (evolution of the Calibre 19/9CH)
1948 – Development of the Pythagore Manufacture Calibre 48 using the Golden Section ( = 1.618…).
2003 – Development of the Manufacture chronograph Calibres MB M13.21 and MB M16.29, respectively, inspired by the historical Calibres 13.20 and 17.29.
2023 – Launch of the chronograph function through the bezel.
Through the caseback, more than 165 years of watchmaking novelties are documented, right up to the present day with the introduction of Montblanc Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva Limited Editions. Their classic and elegant aesthetic holds within them fascinating chronograph novelties of watchmaking’s modern era, showing that the Montblanc chronograph story is only beginning.
