Video Exclusive: Montblanc “Unveils” Its Latest Minerva Monopusher Marvel

Video Exclusive: Montblanc “Unveils” Its Latest Minerva Monopusher Marvel

Check out our new exclusive video and get better acquainted with the amazing Montblanc’s latest limited edition honoring one of horology’s most cherished innovators. Meet the 1858 The Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph.

By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
By Marco Gabella
Chairman & Executive Publisher

The special connection between legacy timepiece maker Minerva and its modern spiritual home within Montblanc is one of the watch industry’s most interesting sagas.

Minerva traces its beginnings to watchmaker Charles-Yvan Robert, who founded the company in 1858 (hence the 1858 collection appellation within the Montblanc brand) just outside Villeret, Switzerland. Once established, the company quickly forged a sterling reputation for reliability and accuracy, gaining multiple patents for component innovations that enhanced precision.

Thus, watches for professions that required unmatched timing (like pulsometers for doctors), extremely accurate chronographs, and, especially, stopwatches brought Minerva fame in its early years. (Luckily for the watch enthusiasts of the 21st century, this dedication to precision continues today.)

Among the historical highlights, Minerva developed a manual monopusher chronograph movement compact enough to fit in a wristwatch case as early as the 1920s. Then, within a decade, the company came out with a version of the same movement that was just 5.6mm in height, which was incredibly slim for its time.
 

Honoring Minerva

Officially, the Richemont Group acquired Minerva in 2006. Then, the following year, it became a “department” within Montblanc, which had begun its own watchmaking efforts in 1997.

In 2018, we saw a Minerva-inspired Montblanc 1858 collection that included the uncanny 1858 Geosphere that depicted the rotation of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in two golden domes on the dial. The following year gave us the dynamic 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition.

More recently, in 2020, Montblanc debuted new models within its Heritage line based on archival Minerva movement designs. And other Minerva-honoring models have followed.

Of course, the saga continues with the recently debuted 100-piece limited edition Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph. Yes, that’s a heck of a mouthful, but in terms of pure monopusher commemoration, it might be the brand’s most astonishing ode to Minerva to date.
 

A Mythical Monopusher

Let’s go ahead and open our breakdown of this new piece with the backstory of the “Unveiled” moniker as it, ahem, gives a great starting view to the overall timepiece.

The “Unveiled” label is due to the five crystal apertures along the side of its 43mm steel case that give the wearer multiple views into the gorgeously constructed manual-wound Calibre MB M17.26 monopusher movement. Plus, these apertures allow an abundance of light to enter the case, which makes observing this bit of wrist theater all the easier.
 

Moreover, the new movement has been both “flipped” over, thus bringing the mechanical chronograph action to the dial side of the watch, and constructed on layered pillars, which emphasizes the interaction between the movement’s 291 components.

Modern Touches

The German-silver plates and bridges have been rendered in serene blue to contrast with the rest of the 50-hour power-reserve movement and to complement the rich blue sfumato calf leather strap. Meanwhile, a white-gold fluted bezel ups the ante on the piece’s overall sophistication (not that it needed any help on that front).

However, the uncanny visibility of the movement remains at center stage. The Minerva signature arrow movement indicator and v-shaped chronograph bridge never looked so good.
 

Don’t believe us? Check out the video below to fall in love with the new Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph.
 

You can file your inquiry to secure one of the $44,000 timepieces via Montblanc’s website.

(Images © Montblanc. Video by Papilllon)

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