Simply Abu Dhabi XX

1 1 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I A s a privileged member of the Montblanc 4810 Club, it was with great enthusiasm that Simply Abu Dhabi arrived in New York City for the much anticipated unveiling of some Montblanc Pre-SIHH watches, as well as a sneak preview of some of next year’s innovations. We have always been great admirers of Montblanc’s peerless writing instruments, but also staunch fans of the almost-century old company’s diversified luxury goods, such as the exquisite leather pieces, jewellery, fragrances, eyewear… but especially their sublime watches. In the sophisticated confines of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Battery Park, Montblanc revealed an exciting range of timepieces. They were all outstanding, but here I’ll focus on the Montblanc TimeWalker ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph, Limited Edition 100. With this eye-catching new piece in the TimeWalker range, Montblanc has, for the very first time, equipped its urbane TimeWalker collection with an exclusive in-house patented ExoTourbillon. The result is a dynamic alliance of this high performance regulating organ with a monopusher chronograph, daring and imposing aesthetics and a mix of lightweight yet highly resistant materials. As soon as I held this watch, the weight was significant and the levity distinct. The watch world is changing and hefty, weighty watches are not so easily equated with quality, ergo value. Watch consumer’s see lightweight items as progressive and ultra modern – like a new Airbus. Luxury goods can be lightweight, as long as there are enhanced values present, such as strength and durability, which this TimeWalker has to spare. Montblanc is among those brands trailblazing and using high-tech materials such as titanium, carbon fibre and diamond-like carbon (DLC). The TimeWalker traits are all here in this bold new watch: minimalised bezels, distinctive contoured typography, lancet-shaped hands and skeletonised horns. They all lend an air of conviction in the contemporary. The patented ExoTourbillon complication has been used in a number of Montblanc timepieces in the classic Heritage Chronométrie collection, but it’s great to see its debut in the TimeWalker line. The one-minute ExoTourbillon complication was developed entirely in-house by the master watchmakers at the Montblanc Manufacture. The Exo in the name is derived from the Greek for external and refers to the screw balance, which is positioned outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage. This original patented architecture allows the cage to be smaller and free of the weight of the balance, saving 30 per cent more energy than a conventional tourbillon. The fact that the balance is positioned outside of the rotating cage also means that it isn’t affected by the inertia of the cage, thus improving precision. A particularly useful feature of this movement is its stop-second mechanism, which directly halts the screw balance by means of a tiny spring, and allows the user to also set the seconds precisely. The stop-second mechanism instantly stops the balance from rotating, instead of halting the tourbillon cage, which can cause the balance to continue swinging and upset the precision. A practical hour setting allows the user to advance the hours in hourly increments in the second position of the crown ensuring quick and uncomplicated time setting. Repositioning the hour hand has no effect whatsoever on the minute and second hand, so the precise time is always preserved. Also here for the first time, the movement’s skeletonised winding rotor, with its piercedMontblanc emblem, has been darkened with a coating of black rhodium and is on full glorious display through the timepiece’s titanium caseback. Looking striking on a black alligator strap with red stitching this is sure to be a popular watch. All 100 pieces in this limited edition have been rigorously tested by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500 that simulates real-life situations for 500 hours.