+ IN FOCUS MARITIME NEWS | MONTBLANC UPDATES THE MARINE CHRONOMETER FOR BOTH YACHT AND WRIST TEXT BY: LAURIE KAHLE +

The Régulateur Nautique timepiece set, $387,500

need only to to alert you that immediate winding is While modern explorers needed to avoid a loss in accuracy. “It check in with a satellite to determine their exact location, histori- is like an emergency power reserve in cal navigators had to rely on high-precision clocks called marine your car executed in an innovative way chronometers and an understanding of spherical trigonometry. using traditional watchmaking mechan- In 1737, English clockmaker John Harrison collected a prize for ics,” says Schmiedt. “In the last 12 hours, the torque gets lower and precision is devising a reliable timekeeping system that mariners could use to less optimal. The idea is especially determine their longitudinal positions by calculating the time dif- relevant for the marine clock, which ference between the ship’s local time and the time in a fi xed place, must run precisely.” such as their homeport. Evoking the set’s historical inspira- tion, the monopusher column-wheel chronograph features a regulator dial Harbormasters around the world Rather than the typical single-hand with a central minutes hand, a separate maintained accurate regulator pendu- indicator for the power reserve, hours subdial at 12 and another subdial lum clocks that a captain could use to Monthblanc adds a second “emergency” displaying the seconds, plus dual time synchronize with a portable ship’s hand (in red) that emerges when your chronometer to track home time watch reaches the last 12 hours of power throughout a voyage. Montblanc tapped into this maritime Montblanc Régulateur history as it sought a new concept for Nautique wrist chrono- its patented emergency power reserve meter chronograph movement introduced in 2009. But rather than create a classical timepiece + paying homage to tradition, Mont- blanc’s Régulateur Nautique chrono- MONTBLANC TAPPED INTO MARITIME HISTORY AS IT SOUGHT A NEW graph ventures into contemporary design territory. Its distinctive modern CONCEPT FOR ITS PATENTED EMERGENCY POWER RESERVE MOVEMENT. aesthetic also guided the creation of its companion marine chronometer built by Munich-based clock manu- facturer Erwin Sattler. The partners will produce 16 sets, priced at zones that allow jetsetters to keep track of home time and local time $387,500 each. like their ancient mariner forebears. The unusual dial layout displays “In Villeret, we always safeguard these functions plus a winding-zone display on multiple levels with traditional elements of watchmak- some indications appliquéd on the dial while others are inset. ing, but we wanted to give this Made from brass, aluminum, carbon fi ber and steel, the navigational watch a technical, almost clock mirrors the watch’s design, but with three time zones on its main contemporary, look,” explains regulator dial in addition to a world-time function. Standing at about 3 Alexander Schmiedt, director feet tall on a granite base, the clock, which also stores the watch, is category management watches designed with a cardanic suspension system that maintains both for Montblanc International, timekeepers in a horizontal position even in rolling seas. “So, you have alluding to the watch’s partially a marine chronometer for your boat, and when you go to port to have a open dial that reveals the drink, you have a marine chronometer for your wrist,” says Schmiedt. movement’s inner workings, Although, with the clock weighing in at more than 260 pounds, you including the bridge of the may need a bigger boat. distinctive power reserve. montblanc.com

038 :  | WATCHJOURNAL.COM