Montblanc Unveils Its First Smartwatch

Jérôme Lambert, in his last act as Montblanc’s CEO, unveiled the luxury brand's first smartwatch in collaboration with digital giant, Google, during an event Thursday in London.

The Montblanc Summit smartwatch features a slightly curved sapphire glass, which the company claims is a “world first” in smartwatches, steel and titanium cases, a choice of straps in a variety of materials and colors, a responsive and fluid user interface using Google Android Wear 2.0 that is compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, the ability to download thousands of apps, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor designed specifically for wearables, providing what Lambert says is at least 20 hours of battery life. This includes blue tooth compatibility with smartphones, which users of smart watches complain is a drain on the batteries of both the smartwatch and smartphone.

One of the most important aspects of the Montblanc Summit is its classic analog design, modeled after the Montblanc 1858 Collection. It is targeted toward millennial consumers with a taste toward a vintage watch look. The price also is geared toward younger and entry-level watch consumers at 890 euros ($956). A personalized dial can be created for a minimum of 15,000 euros.

The Montblanc Summit will first be launched in May exclusively on the online men’s fashion eCommerce website, Mr Porter for two weeks before being available on the Montblanc website and all Montblanc retail stores.

Photo by Anthony DeMarco

Lambert said with this new watch, the Montblanc Timewalker e-strap, the brand’s first entry into the digital wearable category in 2015, will be phased out. “It was a first generation connected product. Now I’d say we are entering fully in this new direction.”

Lambert says the Montblanc Summit, with its pre-installed apps and functions, makes life easier for business, fitness and travel. The avid runner, fast-paced executive and a global traveler says he been using the new watch to measure his heart rate and endurance as well as for business and travel needs, such as quick access to his schedule, a worldtime function for different time zones and a barcode integrated function that can scan digital boarding passes at airports.

He suggests it could do the work of the watches he now uses in his world travels.

“I’m moving around with three watches out of my fine watchmaking timepieces, he said in an interview Friday. “When I’m running, I need something to run with; and when we go to places that are a little bit more casual I need something other than my expensive watch or a very high complicated watch. That’s a dilemma that fits me. There are some elements I don’t want on the phone and I don’t want to open from the phone so I direct that to my watch.”

He says the watch also is handy to find information quickly when traveling to places that aren’t familiar; and in keeping information available while on the phone, instead of pausing the call to search for it on the phone.

Side view of the Montblanc Summit smartwatch

Lambert says its “quality perspective,” with its curved sapphire glass, case finishes, and dyes and materials used for the straps are all compatible with traditional fine watchmaking. This, he says, differentiates it from its competitors. This is in addition to the personalization features in terms of its look (a choice of dials) and functionality.

“It’s a very addictive watch,” he said. “It’s very easy to have the full calendar in front of your eyes and your hands and know when your meeting is and what it is about and not lose phone contact.”

The Montblanc Summit is large at 46mm but its very light on the wrist. It comes with a choice of four different materials and sizes: black PVD coated stainless steel, a bi-color stainless steel case with a black PVD coated stainless steel bezel, stainless steel case with satin finish and a grade 5 titanium case also with a satin finish. Each timepiece is fitted with a pusher in the design of the crown from the 1858 Collection. The classic watch faces are a digital representation of the 1858 Collection. They include complications like an automatic with date, small seconds or chronograph. The small seconds and chronograph can be combined with digital complications providing information, such as appointments or fitness goals. For those who prefer a sportier look, there’s a TimeWalker Urban Speed watch face with an automatic date or chronograph complication. The dial also comes with color options.

The Montblanc Summit is available with interchangeable straps in a variety of colors and materials

The watch comes with eight removable straps. The rubber NATO strap is available in black, blue, green or red. I tried this on and it had a very light nylon feel. There’s also a black calfskin leather strap, a brown or navy blue Sfumato calfskin leather strap from the Montblanc leather factory in Florence, and an alligator strap. 

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Frédérique Constant, Introduces Four New Watch Collections

Peter Stas introduces new timepiece at Baselworld.

BASEL, Switzerland - Frédérique Constant used the opening day of Baselworld March 24 to officially introduce four new collections, each for a particular market. The Swiss watch brand’s compound of a pair of two-story showrooms in the back of Hall 1.0 served as the backdrop for the announcement. Peter Stas, the Swiss watch brand's managing director, introduced each new collection in a 10-minute presentation flanked by video screens.

Vintage Racing Collection
The Frédérique Constant Vintage Racing collection was created to celebrate the latest edition of “The Ultimate Driving Adventure: Peking to Paris,” a 9,000-mile long race using classic and vintage cars. More than 100 teams participated in the event. The company’s three new automatic chronographs of the collection are distinguished by a hand-polished 43 mm case in 316L stainless steel with three different dial options. Elegant versions come with a silver dial, animated by blackened steel or rose gold plated indexes and hands. The sporty version has a silver dial decorated by black chronograph counters and a black outer-ring. The Vintage Racing Automatic Chrono mechanical self-winding chronograph calibre FC-396, beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour that is visible through the transparent case-back, which shows the special rotor engraved with the Peking to Paris logo.

For each version, production is limited to 1,888 pieces. Every timepiece comes with a commemorative plate, showing the route driven by the participants of the latest Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.

Junior Ladies Collection
The company also introduced a collection for girls aged 12 to 16. The Junior Ladies collection, dedicated to girls aged 12 to 16. It is a younger version of the  Frederique Constant Delight timepiece for women. The caseback of each watch is designed to accept an engraved personal message. All models are fitted with a quartz movement and equipped with a choice of three dials for the watch: Roman numerals surrounding a guilloché natural mother-of-pearl dial center; or applied steel indexes and diamonds around a hearts guilloché pattern on a natural mother-of-pearl dial center. All versions are housed ina 26mm diameter steel case and are available with a steel bracelet or a selection of colored satin straps.

In support of the introduction of the Frédérique Constant Junior Ladies range, the brand launched an advertising campaign with 15-year-old model, Alessia Lenders.

Alpina Pilot Watches
Frederique Constant also owns Alpina, an aviation watch brand. Included in its new announcements Thursday was the Alpina Startimer Pilot collection. In the 1930s, Alpina manufactured military watches, particularly for pilots, which were precise and resistant to the shocks. All were conceived with the same technical characteristics: a resistant and antireflective glass, an antimagnetic escapement, and a dial with large luminous numerals and luminous hands for a better visibility.

Alpina revisited its past to create the new collection with four models. In addition to the black dial and large white luminous numerals, there is the red Alpina triangle on the second hand. It is housed in a 44mm-diamater stainless steel case. The leather strap closes on the front side of the wrist, not on the reverse or lower sides, resembling the vintage leather straps of the past. A newly designed metal bracelet also is available and fits on all versions.

Each Startimer Pilot timepiece is available in a limited edition of 8,888 pieces and is delivered with a model of the Cessna Citation Mustang in PrivatAir Livery. It is part of a three-year cross-marketing campaign with Cessna and PrivatAir.

Amour Ladies Automatic Collection
Finally, Frédérique Constant introduced the Amour Ladies Automatic collection, already covered on this website. The line for Asian self-purchasing women is designed by ShuQi, the famous Taiwanese-born movie star and personality, who has been the company’s brand ambassador for Greater China since 2008. Through the advertising campaign for Ladies, ShuQi has actively supported Frédérique Constant charity campaigns in China with the Paint a Smile Foundation and Beijing Children’s Hospital.