The editorial team of Chronos Japan, a watch magazine, covered the new watch industry trade fair Watches & Wonders 2025. This article, originally published in the magazine under the title "New Watches Shining in Geneva: The Keywords 'Color' and 'Small Diameter'," is now republished on webChronos. This article looks back at Montblanc's diverse lineup of models, from the Montblanc 1858 Annual Calendar Geosphere Limited Edition, featuring the new Minerva movement, to the standard Montblanc Ice Sea Automatic Date Zero Oxygen 38mm.
Equipped with a new Minerva movement that combines an annual calendar and world time. The exterior has a classic feel reminiscent of the 1950s. Manual winding (Cal. MB M14.58). 64 jewels. 18,000 vph. Power reserve approximately 65 hours. 18K lime gold case (42mm diameter, 13.3mm thick). Water resistant to 30m. Limited to 30 pieces worldwide.
Photographs by Ryotaro Horiuchi
Hiroyuki Suzuki and Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and text
Text by Hiroyuki Suzuki, Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
New Minerva movement portfolio and diversified case designs
Montblanc decorated its booth with a dollhouse reminiscent of a mountain hut, welcoming visitors with a warm and calming image. However, the new products announced are more serious. The first highlight is the new portfolio of Minerva movements. The Montblanc 1858 Annual Calendar Geosphere Limited Edition combines an annual calendar and world time for the first time. The annual calendar mechanism, which displays the month with a large date and a pointer on the outer periphery, uses "MINERVA" to indicate July. The world time display, located at 6 o'clock, features a northern hemisphere on a hemispherical sapphire crystal, with the Greenwich meridian indicated by an orange line.
The case is made of copper-aluminum, which has a bronze-like color. In addition to the Zero Oxygen inside, the material itself is highly corrosion-resistant, and over time, the patina will develop. Automatic movement (Cal. MB 24.17). 26 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 38 hours. Copper-aluminum case (diameter 41mm, thickness 11.3mm). Water resistant to 100m.
The case is a hybrid material made primarily of light blue resin, with quartz, basalt, calcium carbonate, and other elements added. The random fibrous texture is beautiful. Automatic movement (Cal. MB 29.25). 26 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 42 hours. Light blue resin case (diameter 43.5mm, thickness 13mm). Water resistant to 100m. Limited to 986 pieces worldwide.
The standard lines "1858" and "Ice Sea" incorporate Zero Oxygen technology into all new models. It has been announced that existing Ice Sea models will also be able to be converted to Zero Oxygen through after-sales service (the timing of this introduction in Japan has yet to be determined). Both collections have further advanced the hybridization of case materials, with the introduction of new resin fiber-based materials and distressed stainless steel materials.
This new model features a stainless steel case with a distressed effect. The surface is roughened by blasting using quartzite from the Mont Blanc massif, then a black PVD coating is applied to create the effect of aging. Automatic movement (Cal. MB 24.17/SW200). 26 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 38 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 41mm, thickness 12.9mm). Water resistant to 300m.
The Ice Sea now comes in a smaller 38mm case. Like the previous 41mm model, it conforms to the ISO 6425 diver's watch standard. The bezel plate is made of white ceramic. Automatic movement (Cal. MB24.17/SW200). 26 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve: approximately 38 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 38mm, thickness 12.3mm). Water resistant to 300m.
An Interview with Montblanc's Director of Watches
Montblanc has been streamlining its collection and focusing on sports models in recent years, a solid approach under the direction of Laurent Lecrin, director of the watch division.
Born in France. After graduating from Neoma Business School, he worked in the Wine & Spirits division of LVMH before moving to the watch industry. In 2008, he co-founded his own watch brand, Cyrus. In 14, he joined Carl F. Bucherer, serving as Vice President of Sales and CEO of the Japanese subsidiary. In 21, he became Director of Montblanc's Watch Division, where he will promote a new watch strategy while leveraging the legacy of Minerva.
Montblanc continues to stand out this year with its simple and robust design, following a unique path
"This year we have some particularly interesting models for Japan. In addition to the traditional 41mm diameter, the new Montblanc Ice-C has a new 38mm diameter model this year. We have also adopted the Zero Oxygen Concept for the first time in the Ice-C collection." The Zero Oxygen Concept completely removes oxygen from the watch, meaning there is no problem with long-term use. What's more, this year we have added white and blue dials. "The dial has 30 layers that mimic ice, and it takes one month to make one," he says, sounding very serious.
It must be quite a lot of work, but Montblanc wants to make this zero oxygen one of its selling points. Zero oxygen was also used in the collaboration with Reinhold Messner. "This model pays homage to the famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner, and is named after the highest peak he ever summited. Furthermore, the Geosphere model uses a special material. This material is made from converted CO2, and recreates the texture of a glacier. The application of Super-LumiNova is also all done by hand." Just like Lecan's explanation, the products are honest in a good way.
Speaking of honesty, the new Minerva movement is also unique. Who would have imagined that Minerva, a company known for making chronographs, would release a hand-wound annual? "This is an annual calendar with a large date display and world time function. The annual calendar's month display also jumps every four days, and is designed so that the mechanism will not be damaged even if the hands of the watch are turned backwards. Of course, it's all made in-house." He doesn't make a big deal out of it, but when it comes to making practical watches, Montblanc is currently quite good. This seriousness is also reflected in the service they offer to existing customers, including Zero Oxygen.
"Even if you buy a luxury item, after a few months, service becomes more important than the product itself. If something is missing, customers will become frustrated. That's why we are offering the Zero Oxygen service to existing IceC customers as well. It costs 170 euros. Customers can visit a store with their existing model and receive the upgrade. To be honest, it's not that customers have complained, but we want to build long-term customer relationships."
Under Laurent Lecrin, Mont Blanc has taken on a surprisingly serious character. It lacks the flashiness of 10 years ago, but perhaps this simplicity and sturdiness is precisely what defines Mont Blanc. "Customers always say the price is too low, but isn't it a good investment for them?"
