The Montblanc 1858 Small Seconds is a charming, hand-wound timepiece that?s inspired by a vintage classic, the Minerva Pythagore Caliber 48. Here’s a hands-on review of the watch, courtesy of our colleague Nitin Nair at WatchTime Middle East.
The Montblanc 1858 Small Seconds is inspired by aviation watches made in the ’30s.
It?s ironic that in an era when we?ve had glimpses of what the future of timekeeping could look like, thanks to smartwatches, watch brands have increasingly looked at past classics to create timepieces that can still leave watch enthusiasts weak-kneed. Montblanc?s 1858 Collection ? introduced last year to celebrate the founding year of the jewel in its watchmaking crown, Minerva ? pays a handsome tribute to the legacy of the Villeret-based watchmaker. Minerva was an artisanal watchmaking business based in Villeret and known for its handcrafted movements and chronographs, made by employing traditional methods. The Richemont Group acquired the ailing business in 2006 and used it to boost Montblanc?s watchmaking expertise, which until then was limited to its facility in Le Locle. The first watch in the collection ? the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter ? took its inspiration from the pocketwatch chronographs Minerva produced in the late 1920s and ’30s. However, this is a limited-edition model, built at Villeret and costing in excess of $30,000. But Montblanc hasn?t entirely abandoned its core segment of affordable luxury watches. The second...