We’ve been talking quite a bit about Montblanc recently, and it’s adding to its accolades in design with a new record in watchmaking. The brand is, thanks to Jérôme Lambert and Davide Cerrato, the CEO and watch managing director respectively, creating a range of very handsome and accessibly-priced timepieces. But that’s not enough. Montblanc wants to go further and now it’s tackling the arena of innovation with a groundbreaking timepiece.
The Timewalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept was designed in mind to associate the brand with its brand ambassador Lin Dan, the world class badminton player whose shuttlecocking is the pride of China. At the same time, it also revives an old Minerva movement, the calibre 48, which was used in the old Minerva Pythagore (hence the name). The Minerva Pythagore came in many editions with the calibre 48 offered up in both small counter and central seconds versions.
The new Montblanc calibre 62.48 is a revival of the original with some material differences. The new movement comes in titanium for the bridges and baseplate and is the first (if we’re not mistaken) for Montblanc to use titanium so extensively within the watch. On the case, a brand new material to watchmaking is being explored by the company, called Innovative Technique Revolutionary Resin Kevlar/Carbon composite, or ITR2ⓇKevlar/Carbon.
Kevlar fibres and carbon fibres are arranged, joined using the resin and then compressed (we think) to create a material that’s 4 times lighter than titanium and it’s also hypoallergenic. The watch is designed to be ultra-light and durable.
The calibre 62.48 is also different from its inspired predecessor. It’s bigger and has a swan neck regulator, but runs at the same steady 18,000 vph. It also comes with the Montblanc 500 Hours Lab test certificate, so you know it’s precise. It’s definitely a nice break from the classic timepieces we’ve seen from Montblanc, and really makes us wonder what’s next for the brand. And yes as far as we can gauge, it’s the lightest mechanical wristwatch in the world at 14.88 grams. World standard.