Montblanc timepieces seek their inspiration from nature and while we’ve seen homages to a desert and the ocean in the past, an icy inspiration was always on the cards. The Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date is a stunning watch that carries the icy ominousness of the Mont-Blanc Massif Mountain range, located in France.
The 41mm dial is fashioned with admiration for the texture of glacial ice, in an unprecedented pattern. One challenge that presented itself was the recreation of glacial depth, which creates the magnificent illusion of centuries-old crystals interlocked together. With the help of a forgotten technique, called gratté boisé, on the dial markers to create the illusion of depth. You will find the date at 3 o’clock.
The Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea’s deep blue dial is complemented by an interchangeable and adjustable stainless-steel bracelet. It can be swapped for a rubber one, without requiring any tools or expert intervention. Switching to the less bulky rubber bracelet makes sense if you want to stretch the watch’s capacity to the maximum. After all, it is a sports watch. The ISO 6425 certification is testimony to its ability to accompany divers. It is also shock, magnetic, temperature, and water-resistant (30 bar). It is adaptable to the night as well, with white Super-Luminova on the hands and indexes, which glows in the dark.
The watch is beautiful, with an engraving of a scuba diver who has plunged into the icy water. It is powered by the in-house MB 24.17/SW200 caliber movement and offers a 38-hour power reserve. You have the choice of a Black, Blue, or Green option, for the dial. Being thematically inclined towards glaciers, the Blue option seems to be the natural pick. However, all three colors can be observed in glacial ice, naturally.
