VISUAL ATTRACTION
For the 2019 SIHH trade show in Geneva, Montblanc has enriched its collection with a sports-style chronograph displaying a “reverse panda” dial.
It all began in the late 1960s. Black sub-dials were added to a white dial on a famous chronograph. The ultra-readable dial recalled the face of the charming giant panda and turned out to be a big hit. Since then, all sports-style watches with this design are named after the cuddly herbivore. Montblanc has already released watches of this kind in the past. This year, the brand has introduced a model called the TimeWalker Automatic Chronograph with a “reverse panda” dial. Unlike the classic tricompax or bicompax designs, the chronograph’s totalisers here are white and placed on a vertical axis. The seconds sub-dial is discreetly located at 9 o’clock, providing a visual and symmetrical reply to the date counter at 3 o’clock. Otherwise, the watch has all the regular aesthetic features of the collection. The dauphine-style hour and minute hands move around an hour rim made up of generously proportioned indices and numerals. The central second hand still has a tip with a Minerva arrow, while a fixed, ceramic bezel with a tachymetric scale encircles the dial.
The time information and split-time measurements are driven by the calibre MB 25.07 (46 hours of power reserve), an automatic movement housed in a 41mm-wide steel case.
And to round off the racing vintage spirit, the TimeWalker Automatic Chronograph comes with a perforated black rubber strap.
Price: 4,000 EUR
By Dan Diaconu