Having established itself in watchmaking since 1997, Montblanc acquired its Manufacture status with the takeover of Minerva in 2007. The following year, the brand presented its first in-house calibre, a chronograph movement, in the Nicolas Rieussec collection. The choice of the chronograph was a tribute to the history of Minerva which distinguished itself in this field during the 1920s and 1930s. The reference to Nicolas Rieussec holds special meaning for Montblanc as a maker of writing instruments. This historical figure is famed for having invented the first patented chronograph in 1821. This was an instrument that measured short times by dropping ink on rotating disks, hence the name ‘chronograph’ derived from the Greek chronos (time) and graphein (to write). The first Montblanc in-house calibre was simultaneously launched in manual-winding and self-winding versions, with an atypical chronograph based on that of the original instrument. The 60-second and 30-minute totalizers, symmetrically placed in the lower part of the dial, are disks rotating on axes held by a V-shaped bridge and placed beneath markers in the shape of fixed hands. This configuration results in an exceptionally clear display of elapsed times. Another original feature lies in the fact that the function is controlled by a single pusher at 8 o’clock. Rectangular-shaped in contrast to the crown, which is inspired by the cap of the famous Montblanc Meisterstück pen, it facilitates pressing with a thumb and avoids any accidentally triggering of a timing operation. In its self-winding version, which is the most widespread, the Nicolas Rieussec chronograph was initially teamed with a pointer-type dual-time display, a day/night disk and a date disk. Since then, Montblanc has further explored the possibilities afforded by the watch’s most distinctive characteristic, the rotating disk, which in the Open Home Time version, presented in 2012, displays the second time zone. The 2013 Rising Hours model, as its name implies, shows the hours – but with a remarkable innovation. Two superimposed disks serve to reveal the numbers from 1 to 12, which are given a different colour for day and night. In addition, the “Homage to Nicolas Rieussec” series unveiled in 2014 and 2015 renewed the chronograph layout with a version closer to the design of the original instrument – and above all incorporating an avant-garde expression of time through indications that are invisible by day and become ‘written out’ in the dark. Montblanc marked the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Nicolas Rieussec’s invention of the inking chronograph, in 2021, with a Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph - Limited Edition 200; a watch that deftly recalls the original from 2008.

• First in-house calibre inspired by the chronograph – chronos (time) – graphein (to write) – introduced by Nicolas Rieussec in 1821 • Unusual chronograph counters based on rotating disks and fixed hands