MONTBLANC

Montblanc, founded in 1906 in Hamburg, Germany, has a longstanding and well-deserved reputation as a purveyor of high-luxury pens (as well as leather goods and other accessories) and the company has been striving to apply the same standards to its relatively young watchmaking division, which sprung up in 1997. The biggest step toward building Montblanc into a haute horologerie house was the purchase by parent group Richemont of Minerva, a historical Swiss watchmaking factory specializing in chronograph calibers, and installing it as the Montblanc Manufacture. feature a combination of elements inspired by vintage Minerva watches, by hallmark Montblanc pen details, and by a “mountaineering,” adventurous spirit derived from the company’s namesake Alpine peak. The 1858 Geosphere, a ruggedly built yet luxurious world-time watch, perhaps best embodies the cosmopolitan theme of globetrotting exploration that has become Montblanc’s stock-in-trade.

Founded: 1908 (pen company); 1997 (watch company)

Headquarters: Le Locle, Switzerland

Ownership: Richemont Group

Notable models: TimeWalker, 1858, Star Legacy

Did you know: Montblanc’s Nicolas Reussec watches are named after the inventor of the first device to be called a chronograph (a “time writer” that was used to tally speeds at horse races).