Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition
Among Montblanc’s heritage collection, the 1858 series, the Geosphere stands out as an impressively unique and handsome piece. This year’s iteration finds inspiration in the colours of the Gobi desert and pays tribute to Reinhold Messner’s legendary 2,000 km solo trek of said desert in 2004.
This incredible feat of the legendary alpinist is commemorated in this limited edition timepiece. A bronze case houses the bi-directional brown ceramic bezel that marks out the cardinal points, and a brown fume dial. Within that dial are the signature domes representing the Northern and Southern hemispheres that frame the rest of the more conventional aspects of the watch, the Geosphere’s method of indicating world time and day/night. The second time zone is clearly displayed at 9 o’clock, free of fuss.
Whilst previous versions evoked scenes of serene wilderness (green and bronze) and icy frost caps (blue and steel), this version conveys the expansive warmth of desert dunes.
While Messner’s expedition must surely have been arduous, wearing the Geosphere is, by contrast, a warm, soothing and comfortable experience. At 42mm in diameter and 12.8mm thickness, it should wear well with most wrists.
Turn it over and you will be greeted with an engraving of the Gobi Desert’s famous Bayanzag (Flaming Cliffs), part of Messner’s route across Northern Asia. Overlaid on the landscape is a wind rose compass decorated with wind patterns inspired by traditional Mongolian ornaments. These are achieved through Montblanc’s laser engraving and patented laser oxidation process for the colours.
Powering the world (being a Geosphere) is the MB 29.25 automatic movement, with 42 hours of power reserve. The case provides a water resistance seal of 100 metres. As with all Geospheres, this has gone through Montblanc’s Laboratory Test 500 certification to ensure that it will withstand your adventures in the wild.
This is limited to, you guessed it, 1858 pieces.