2023-10-09 22:05:44
Montblanc’s global CEO shows rare creativity – and full of surprises – for Only Watch
Only a few brands from the Richemont group participate in Only Watch. Why is this an important event for Montblanc?
For several reasons. The first is that Only Watch is reaching new heights this year, and when it comes to climbing new heights, Montblanc is naturally the most legitimate brand. When we talk regarding Only Watch, we reach new heights not only for our unique piece, which is a true world first, but also for its case, such as has never before been designed. It is an addition of several peaks climbed in homage to Only Watch, an organization which is also aiming for the summits this year.
The second reason is that, for us, Only Watch represents something very special to which we feel intimately close, because it has a real purpose. It’s an auction that donates 99% of its proceeds to the fight once morest Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It’s rare to see that almost all the funds collected for the sale of a watch are actually dedicated to a cause and will, in the end, have a tangible, real impact.
What makes the Montblanc Only Watch 2023 unique piece so special?
The idea is that for Only Watch, we wanted to offer something a little crazy, which is linked to the mountains, which are also the universe of Montblanc. This is why we chose to design a pretty crazy box. Usually, when a customer buys a watch at auction, it is placed in a safe where it cannot be handled. With us, it will be the opposite. We have created a frozen watch in an oxygen-free case.
The client will then be given an ice ax to break the ice. He will then have two options: either he will break the ice case and therefore let the oxygen enter so that he can then wear the watch, or he will leave it as is, like a work of art, in possession of a shows frozen in an oxygen-free environment, as if time has stopped.
But we also designed a unique watch and features. First there is a glacier dial in a brand new color. We worked for several months on this ice color to reproduce it perfectly on the dial. The latter is also installed in a box completely devoid of oxygen, also waterproof to 100 m. The piece is offered with a 100% recycled PET bracelet, so as not to forget the quantities of abandoned PET that mountaineers unfortunately encounter on their way to climbing the highest peaks. It’s symbolic. And to top it all off, the case back has been specially engraved with a representation of Everest, while the middle of the watch, at 9 o’clock, also features a silhouette of Everest in SuperLumi-Nova.
1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO₂ © Montblanc
What exactly is the Carbo2 box?
When we think of glaciers, we first think of CO2 and the impact it has on them. This CO2 is unfortunately one of the hot topics in the news. At Montlanc, we decided to open a new path. We recover CO2 gases from waste from recycling plants. At the same time, we collect some minerals that contain calcium, and mix all of this with aqueous solutions and CO2. Using a type of sponge, we are then able to take the gas, which we internally call CACO3, and turn it into a powder which we mix with carbon fiber to create the box.
Montblanc watches have invested heavily in the field of innovation since you took charge. Why is this so important to you?
Innovation is what moves you forward. If you stop innovating, you no longer differentiate yourself, innovation is critical. This truly is the secret to long-term success. There are several kinds of innovations. It doesn’t have to always be thinking in technical terms, it can also be creative innovation, or innovation in the way you go back to the roots of your product. For us, it’s essentially regarding respecting our history and seeing what we can do with it today that has never before been conceived in watchmaking history. No one had ever known how to combine a piece completely devoid of oxygen, a Carbo2 case, a glacier dial, unique engravings on the case, a totally crazy box, and much more. That’s the whole concept.
1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO₂ © Montblanc
And you, would you break the ice or keep the watch as is?
Personally, I wouldn’t break it, because today we literally have access to everyone, everywhere, all the time. The simple fact of preserving something completely inaccessible, but being able to make it accessible at any time, is something very powerful. Making the accessible inaccessible, or vice versa, has something almost mystical, and it is this power that we want to offer to the future buyer of our unique piece for Only Watch 2023.
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