Montblanc Launches a Dive Watch Collection: The New 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date

Dive watches don’t really come to mind when thinking about Montblanc, but the brand has a trio of new divers with a classic overall design. Bright, modern dials in blue and green keep things fresh and eye-catching, while a black dial offers a more traditional aesthetic (not featured in this article). Inspiration came from the freezing glacial lakes of the Mont-Blanc Massif, and textures from ice formations are represented on the lacquered dials. The watches conform to the ISO 6425 norm for diving and went through the Montblanc Laboratory 500 Hour Test for durability, so it’s definitely not “form over function”. Meet the new Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date collection.

The stainless steel case is 41mm in diameter with a height of 12.9mm and features a brushed finish with polished accents and curved lugs. There’s an engraving of a scuba diver in glacial waters with an iceberg on the caseback. The image was created with the help of advanced laser engraving. The unidirectional rotating bezel has colour-matching ceramic inserts with white Arabic numerals and markings and a detailed 15-minute scale. The dot marker has Super-LumiNova with a blue glow. A sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coatings on both sides protects the dial. The crown screws down and features the Montblanc emblem, and water-resistance is rated at 300 metres. A stainless steel bracelet matches the case finish of the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date and tapers (20mm – 16mm) to a double deployant buckle. It can be adjusted on the wrist and features quick-release levers for an easy swap to a blue or black rubber strap.

Dial colours are blue, green and black and represent actual colours seen in glacial ice. Blue is created by the inclusion of air bubbles within the ice, while microscopic snow algae blooms produce a green hue in Antarctica. Black ice can be seen when there are no inclusions or air bubbles, and enough light is absorbed to appear black. Deposits of volcanic ash can also create a black appearance. A real sense of depth with icy textures was also created on the dials that are just 0.5mm thick. Bold Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock are filled with Super-LumiNova, as are the surrounding applied indices. The cathedral-shaped hour and minute hands have Super-LumiNova inserts, as does the tip of the seconds hand. A date window sits at 3 o’clock. 

Powering the new 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date is the MB 24.17 automatic, based on the Sellita SW200-1. It has 26 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) with a 38-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes, hacking seconds and date. 

These are not limited editions, and all come with a recycled watch pouch. Pricing will be confirmed at a later date. For more information, please visit Montblanc’s website.