The new Montblanc Star series Nicholas Cachet chronographs

From the racecourse of the Champ de Mars in Paris to the square inch of the wrist, Montblanc continues to revolutionize the star collection Nicolas Cachet chronographs. Montblanc launches two new star collections, Nicolas Cachet chronographs, celebrating a new era with innovative designs.

In 2022, Montblanc released two star series Nicolas Caesch chronographs, reducing the dial diameter to 43 mm compared to the previous one. This year, Montblanc has once again presented two new timepiece masterpieces, continuing the legendary chapter of Nicolas Caesch chronographs. One of the new Montblanc Star Nicholas Keys chronographs (limited to 500 pieces worldwide) has a case made of black DLC-coated stainless steel with a smoked grey dial; Another new Montblanc Star Nikolaos Caess chronograph features a stainless-steel case and a dark blue dial with rhodium-plated hands and a counter.

The origin of the timing legend

As the sixth watchmaker of the King of France, Nicolas Rieussec (1781-1866) was better at spotting business opportunities, and his legend began in a horse race. On September 1, 1821, a horse race was taking place on the famous Champ de Mars in the Seine district of Paris, and Nicolas Caesch attended and tested his new invention, a precision chronograph to record the precise time when all horses crossed the finish line. At the time, horse racing was a massive business in Paris, and if the time of winning horses could be recorded in a scientific way, it would revolutionize horse racing.

How the drip timer works

Invented by Nicholas Case, the timer works by keeping a black mark on each of the two rotating counters (one to record the minutes and the other to record the seconds) each of the two rotating counters (one to record the number of minutes and the other to record the seconds) to record the time spent. A few weeks after the invention's great success, Nicolas Caesch presented the timer to the French Academy of Sciences in Paris. Experts from the Academy of Sciences were not only interested in it, but also used the Greek words "chronos" for time and "graphein" for writing, and named the invention "Chronograph", and the term chronograph was born. Nicolas Caesch is also recorded in history in the field of fine watchmaking for becoming the inventor of the world's first drip timepiece.

The first Montblanc Star Series Nicholas Genesis chronograph

Moving into modern times, Montblanc launched in 2008 the first watch to feature Nicolas Cachet chronograph technology, the Nicholas Cachet single-button chronograph and the brand's first fully in-house hand-wound movement, the MB R100, a major milestone in the history of Montblanc's Haute Horlogerie. This groundbreaking timepiece continues the classic design of the original drip timepiece, with the 60-second counter on the left and the 30-minute counter on the right, with the two counters aligned horizontally and rotated on either side, and the three-dimensional bidirectional hands suspended in the middle of the two counters to indicate the elapsed time.

Usher in a new era

Over the years, Montblanc has continued to iterate, making many innovations in the materials, finishes and colors of the watches, and successively releasing Nicolas Caseer chronographs with different design styles. This year, the Maison has once again breathed new life into the collection with two new timepieces. The case of the new Montblanc Star Nicholas Caess chronograph (limited edition of 500 pieces worldwide) is made of black DLC-coated stainless steel with a smoke-grey dial with rose gold-plated hands and bidirectional chronograph hands. Another new Montblanc Star Nikolaus Genesis chronograph features a stainless-steel case with a dark blue dial with rhodium-plated hands and bidirectional chronograph hands. With many aesthetic details, the two new timepieces offer a long relationship with Paris, the birthplace of the dripping timepiece, ushering in a new era for the Nicolas Genesis chronograph in the Montblanc star collection.

The new hour hand has a long relationship with Paris

The new Montblanc Star Collection Nicolas Caesch chronograph pays homage to Paris, France, known as the "City of Light" with a rich and varied design element. For the design of the watch dial, Montblanc replaced the wheat grain pattern of the previous dial with the "Paris studs" pattern, inspired by the geometric pattern of the cobbled streets of Paris. Not only that, but the brand has also ingeniously applied this design element, which is common in the field of fine watchmaking, to the design of the watch's fabric strap and oscillating weight, adding a modern aesthetic to this watch.

At the same time, the new timepiece incorporates a variety of modern details, including openwork hour markers, sporty princely hands coated with Super-LumiNova® luminescent coating, rod-shaped hour markers, a black translucent sapphire crystal glass case back and blued steel screws on the movement; The dials of the two watches have different color matching elements, showing a striking contrast effect. The words "Academie des Sciences de Paris - 1821" are engraved on the flange at the "6 o'clock" position of the dial, and the inscription "Chronographe Nicolas Rieussec" at the "12 o'clock" position commemorates the great invention of Nicolas Caesque in 1821, which led to the new Montblanc star collection, Nicolas Riss. The long roots of Cachet chronographs with Paris are evident.

Montblanc's in-house caliber MB R200

The new Montblanc Star Nicholas Caess chronograph is powered by Montblanc's first self-winding one-button chronograph calibre MB R200, which is designed to achieve high technical performance and outstanding styling.

§ The single-button chronograph is operated by a column wheel and meets the expectations of the brand's in-house chronograph movement.

§ In order to improve the chronograph starting performance, the movement adopts a vertical clutch device, so that the timing gears of the gear set are alternately coupled and separated, and almost no wear occurs. When the chronograph function is activated, the device prevents the timing wheel from jumping. The watch's single button is located at "8 o'clock" and has an ergonomic layout that allows the wearer to operate it easily.

§ In addition, the practical quick reset of hours and calendars is ideal for travelers who need to span different time zones, and the reset operation can be performed clockwise or counterclockwise without affecting the minute hand.

§ Large 10 mm diameter screw balance wheel for rate adjustment. Due to its high moment of inertia (12 mgcm²) and frequency of 28,800 A/h (4 Hz), the balance wheel vibrates regularly. Equipped with a double barrel, the power reserve is up to 72 hours and the speed remains constant, independent of the chronograph function. In addition, the balance bridge has a transverse structure, which means screw-in fixing at both ends, ensuring precise positioning and improved shock resistance.

Inspired by the original drip timer, the new Montblanc Star Series Nicolas Caesh chronograph combines rich and innovative design elements to pay homage to Nicolas Caes' great inventions and his native Paris. At the same time, it underscores Montblanc's determination to continue to create exceptional creations for the next generation of watch enthusiasts and to lead haute horlogerie.

The new Star Collection Nicholas Genesis chronographs are available in Montblanc China boutiques and online. For more information, please visit the brand's website: www.montblanc.cn