Montblanc - Heritage Pythagore Small Second Limited Edition 148

Unveiled by Montblanc on occasion of the Watches&Wonders event, the Heritage Pythagore Limited Edition 148 has a price of €19000 ref.128667 ref. 12866

Unveiled by Montblanc on occasion of the Watches & Wonders digital event, the Heritage Pythagore Small Second Limited Edition 148 is an elegant timepiece developed around a manufacture movement inspired by the historical Minerva Pythagore calibre 48 produced in the 1940s.

Since the acquisition of Minerva by the Richemont Group (who also owns the Montblanc brand), Montblanc created several watches based on the exceptional heritage of the Villeret-based Manufacture.

The Minerva Pythagore calibre 48 was designed by Andrey Frey, owner and watch engineer of the Manufacture at the time, with the idea to position the bridges using mathematical proportions defined by the Golden Section (φ = 1.618...), a discovery attributed to Pythagoras, hence its name. 

The result was a calibre characterised by straight lines and geometrical angles appreciated by watch enthusiasts. 

The Minerva's Calibre 10-48 (courtesy of ornatus-mundi.ch)

With that movement as a reference, Montblanc’s engineers developed the brand-new Manufacture Calibre MB M14.08. Hand-finished and decorated with vertical Geneva stripes, this hand-wound movement beats at the frequency of 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour) with a power reserve of 80 hours. 

The Heritage Pythagore Small Second model is available in two limited editions of 148 pieces each, one in rose gold with a “burnt caramel” dial, the other in white gold with a blue dial. 

Protected by a so called box-type sapphire-crystal glass, the lacquered dial is slightly domed and embellished by a “grainé” hour ring and sunray finishes. The applied Arabic numerals and the dots are gold coated and filled with Super-LumiNova, just like the dauphine hour and minute hands. The dial is completed by the small seconds sub-dial at 6 o'clock, the historical Montblanc logo at 12 o’clock and the “secret” Minerva signature between 4 and 5 o’clock.

The fully polished case with curved horns has a diameter of 39 mm with a thickness of 9.50 mm. It guarantees waterproofness up to a pressure of 5 bar (50 metres / 165 feet).

Matched to a brown or blue sfumato alligator leather strap, the Montblanc Heritage Pythagore Small Second Limited Edition 148 has a price of Euro 19,000, either in rose gold (ref. 128667) or in white gold (128666). montblanc.com

Suggested reading:

- History of Minerva, from its foundation to the integration into Montblanc