The Peak and Montblanc present a celebration of 110 years of pioneering spirit and fine craftsmanship.
The Peak and Montblanc present a celebration of 110 years of pioneering spirit and fine craftsmanship.
In the last 110 years, Montblanc has gone from a penmaker to a leather goods purveyor and, eventually, a respected watchmaker.
In all three fields, Montblanc has excelled, thanks to its steadfast dedication to quality and artistry. Ground-breaking high complications and timepiece prototypes tick away in the renowned Manufacture Villeret, while the team at Le Locle takes care of series-produced watches. The Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence combines traditional leathercrafting techniques with modern technology to give us novelties like the smoky Sfumato collection and the high-performance Extreme leather. At the brand’s artisan atelier in Hamburg, craftspeople design and create exquisite limited-edition writing instruments. The goldsmithing and gem-setting expertise needed to adorn its writing instruments has even been applied to a range of accessories including cuffiinks and jewellery.
The one thing that ties its varied luxury stable together, though, is the brand’s pioneering spirit.
It all began from the visions of a merchant, an engineer and an entrepreneur. In 1906, Alfred Nehemias and August Eberstein, wowed by the mechanical innovations they saw in America, approached Claus Voss to bring their idea of a state-of-the-art writing instrument to life. Together, they created a pen with nonleaking technology and a piston converter, and began selling this “Rouge et Noir” under the “Simplo Filler Pen Co” name. A year later, the founders adopted the name “Montblanc”, after the tallest mountain in Europe, to symbolise their pursuit of ultimate performance. By 1924, the most iconic pen in the world was created: the Meisterstuck.
Providing writing-related leather pieces was a natural next step, so the German brand set up its leather workshop in Offenbach, creating accessories in Saffiano leather. This passion for craftsmanship inevitably led Montblanc into the realm of fine watchmaking. After all, a mechanical timepiece is just as essential an accessory as a beautiful pen. The Le Locle manufacture was opened in 1997, followed later by the acquisition of Manufacture Villeret.
Here’s a look at what over a century of pioneering spirit has gifted the world of luxury.
MONTBLANC 4810
Named after the height of the mountain Mont Blanc, the 4810 collection is the logical choice for the brand’s anniversary editions. The 4810 Twinfly Chronograph and 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim both feature the exploding Montblanc star guilloche on the dial, while the 4810 Orbis Terrarum’s face is covered with colourful layers for its world time functions.
SOFT GRAIN COLLECTION
Crafted from the finest Italian full-grain leather, the Meisterstuck Soft Grain collection ranges from a single-gusset briefcase and a document case, to smaller items like wallets and cardholders. The all-black styles elegantly balance aesthetics and functionality, and come with a removable coral-coloured luggage tag bearing the anniversary serpent motif.
ROUGE & NOIR
Part of Montblanc’s Heritage Collection, the Rouge & Noir commemorative range includes a limited series of opulent pens, each one with a bejewelled snake clip and crowned with a Montblanc Diamond. Limited Edition 1 comes in rose gold fully paved with dark blue sapphires; Edition 3 in white ruthenium-coated gold filigree set with diamonds and sapphires; and Edition 10 in grey PVD with white gold fittings, and set with diamonds and rubies.
