Watches and Wonders 2024: Montblanc dives into the extreme with new zero-oxygen watch

Gloria Fung takes a deep dive into Montblanc’s new wrist candy

For years, Montblanc has taken inspiration from the Snowy caps of the Swiss Alps that have featured as the Maison’s emblem for over a century in a host of luxury products it curated, from its renowned writing instruments to accessories and leather goods. 

While the Swiss brand takes inspiration from the beauty of the mountains, its passion for watchmaking was somewhat ignited by the extreme conditions of the alpine. For years, one of the most iconic watch collections from the house was 1858, which was designed and engineered with exploration and expeditions in mind.

In 2022, however, the brand took to another extreme, exploring the deep blue with the Iced Sea dive watch. This year at Watches and Wonders 2024, the brand builds on the momentum of the design to create a piece that truly tests the limits of watchmaking and the human body. 

Tapping into the 0 Oxygen configuration, which was inspired by Antarctica, the Iced Sea watches have cases that are void of oxygen. 

This specification allows watches to function more accurately and remain robust in environments where condensation would otherwise build up inside the watch. Moisture inside the timepiece will, over time, cause erosion to the movement, and no oxygen means no oxidation of complements and oils. 

This ultimately means the watch could survive and thrive during rigorous activities like ice diving. After all, it was built with Antarctica in mind. 

The new Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 is enhanced to become water resistant up to 5000 metres. Naturally, bulk is added to the deep dive watch to enable such capabilities. From 41mm, the new Iced Sea now measures 43mm with a thickness of 19.4mm in titanium to protect the movement from deep sea pressure. 

The timepiece retains its blue dial with a black bezel and rubber strap, and the signature Iced Blue glacier pattern dial is etched using the gratte boisse technique. 

Aside from the new deep dive rendition, the Iced Sea Date gets two new renditions, one in burgundy and the other in bronze, featuring the same aesthetic details like the gratte boisse dial, completed with an automatic movement that powers the hour, minute and second hands and the date indication. 

Also see: Watches and Wonders 2024: The tourbillon takes centre stage at Roger Dubuis