Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Open Date

Dedicated to Nicolas Rieussec, the inventor of the first “time writer”, the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Open Date, monopusher chronograph, is the continuation of a success story in modern watchmaking. A decisive step came in 2008, when Montblanc unveiled the first movement it had developed entirely in-house at Montblanc Montre in Le Locle and joined an exclusive circle of watch manufacturers who produce their own calibres and have a high level of manual expertise. Now Montblanc has further developed the concept and is proud to present it in a new form as the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph Open Date, which lives up to its name by providing the owner with new insights into the inner workings of the watch.

Making the watch mechanism an open secret
The eye-catching counter bridge designed to accommodate the second and minute counters creates the illusion of a winning smile on the dial of the chronographs Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph. In the new Open Date version, the face is even more revealing. The two counter discs, the date disc and parts of the dial have extensive cut-out areas through which we have a direct view of the individual wheels and the movement's main plate decorated with Geneva stripes. Also visible – among other things – is the chronograph mechanism's vertical disc clutch, which lies centrally between the three rotating discs for the seconds, minutes and date.

A modern interpretation of a classical chronograph mechanism
The Montblanc MB R110 calibre is a hand-wound movement with a standard time display, a rotating date disc and a chronograph with classical column wheel control featuring an innovative disc clutch. It is operated using a monopusher in the side of the case at 8 o'clock. This arrangement is very practical because it ensures that the button is not pushed unintentionally and can be operated with the thumb of the right hand. Standard time is shown on an off-centre calibrated ring with Arabic numerals. This frames a cutout in the dial in which the skeletonized date disc rotates. The current date is shown by a fixed red triangle at 12 o'clock, which points to the date disc. Another very practical features is quick adjustment of the hour and date when travelling through different time zones. This can be carried out regardless of the position of the minute hand in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. The movement has two barrels, which generate a 72-hour power reserve. The remaining power reserve is shown on a display at the back of the movement, which can be seen through the sapphire glass cover.

The Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Open Date is available in stainless steel and in a 950 platinum edition limited to 25 watches.