SIHH 2015: Introducing the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time – Hands-on withLIVE Photos, Specs and Price

Montblanc keep surprising friend and foe, both with spectacular timepieces, like the ExoTourbillon that we showed you this morning, and with very useful timepieces like the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time. Last year Montblanc already surprised every one with a perpetual calendar at the price of € 10k Euro and now they present the Dual Time for below €4k Euro. Again a very competitive price for a very elegant, and very useful timepiece.

In these modern times, timepieces with complications like a second time zone or even a worldtimer (like Montblanc’s new Orbis Terrarum) are among our favourites. And there’s a properly good reason for that because these complications can and WILL be used on a daily basis. The new Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time is part of the Heritage Chronométrie collection, which comprises the new ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph and two new watches with a calendar complication (an annual calendar and a complete calendar.)

A Traveler’s watch with a second time zone

The new Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time features an additional hour hand and a 24-hour hand. The stainless steel hour and minute hand are to indicate the local time, whereas the blued steel hour hand indicates the home time. The 24-hour hand is connected to the local time, while the date is connected to the local time. Both are very practical. When traveling you want to know whether it’s day or night at home, so you won’t accidentally wake up your wife or kids during their precious hours of sleep, when you call. You will know whether it’s day or night in your local time zone, simple by looking out the window. Well, this is not applicable when you suffer from a severe jet-leg or when traveling in the Nordic/Scandinavian countries.

When at home you can chose to “hide” the blue hand underneath the local time hour hand. This way the watch indicates only the home time, which is exactly the same as your local time. When traveling, you only have to pull the crown to the first position and adjust the stainless steel hour hand to the time in your destination. When turning the crown, the local time hour-hand makes one-hour increments and you’ll feel a palpable sensation. This will not affect the timekeeping, as the second and minute hand keep running when the crown is in the first position. In other word: the correct time will be preserved, although the crown was pulled. When you travel to a destination where it’s already “the next day” the date will switch when the local time hour-hand passes 12 o’clock.

Inside ticks an Montblanc calibre MB 29.19, which is in fact a Sellita SW300 calibre with a dual time zone module. The Sellita SW300 is an ETA 2892/A2 clone, which has always been considered the more refined ETA movement. Montblanc states that the module is developed in-house by Montblanc in Villeret, where the movement development team is now located. Like all timepieces from the Heritage Chronométrie collection (and Nicolas Rieussec collection, and TimeWalker TwinFly models) it will be subjected to the strict 500 hours Montblanc Laboratory, which will be conducted in the manufacture in Le Locle. The module consists of only 21 components and is quite slim. The overall height of the 41 mm case remains under 10 mm and that’s something that we here at Monochrome really like.

A slim case and an in-house… leather strap

As you can see, the bezel has a flat surface that’s polished and its side is satin-finished. The rounded horns are also polished and so is the side of the three-part case. With a diameter of 41mm and a thickness that remains below 10mm, the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time wears very pleasantly. A next, and in my eyes a very logical step, of the integration that Montblanc’s CEO, Jerôme Lambert, seems to be pursuing, is the integration of the various expertises of the Maison. The beautiful black alligator leather strap comes from the Montblanc Pelletteria manufacture, which is Montblanc’s own leather manufacture in Florence. After creating the Extreme Leather strap that is resistant of water, abrasion and even fire, now ‘normal’ alligator leather straps from this own leather manufacture will be used. Montblanc is one of very few Swiss watch manufactures that can equip their watches with leather straps of their own fabrication.

However, as you’ve seen on photos above, the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time also comes on a steel bracelet. I prefer a steel bracelet on a sports watch, not on a classically styled watch like this Dual Time. However… I kind of dig this steel bracelet, as it’s also very thin and due to the many links, it’s very subtle to wear. It is at least as comfortabel as the Rolex Jubilee bracelet that is praised for its comfort. You might think this a bold statement, but by all means, when you’re in the market for such a watch, do try the bracelet. It might also be a wise choice when you live in a warm climate.

Stylish dial and markers

The silvery white dial features a lovely sun-ray brushed finish and it’s adorned with eleven facetted applied indexes and an Arabic number 12. The hands are classic styled sword-shaped hands; rhodium-plated hour-hand and minute-hand, and a blued steel hour-hand for the second time zone, and another blued steel hand for the 24-hour home-time indication. At three is a small aperture for the date and, as on all Heritage Chronométrie models, the crown bears a relief engraving of the Montblanc emblem.

Specifications and price

• Case: stainless steel, 41 mm in diameter, 9.97 mm thick, polished three-part case
• Movement: Montblanc calibre 29.19 (Selitta calibre SW300 + in-house developed dual time module), automatic winding, 42 hours of power reserve, 28,800 vph (4Hz)
• Strap: alligator leather strap, manufactured by the Montblanc Pelletteria manufacture in Florence, on a stainless steel double folding clasp

The Montblanc Heritage Chromométrie Dual Time retails for € 3,990 Euro.