[f]Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Annual Calendar le

Montblanc began making watches in 1997, but in reality, the brand’s watchmaking history is moving much deeper. In 2007, the well-known Penker purchased Minerva, a respected Swiss manufacturing company founded in 1857. Since then, the complex pieces have posted movements and sometimes famous names on the dial. Today, the 1858 Geosphere Annual Calendar Limited Edition Watches features an impressive new Minerva Annual Calendar Movement.

Since 2007, it has been observed that Montblanc has embraced the capabilities of the original Minerva manufacturing. The results are more complex and limited works. At Watches and Wonders 2025, the brand showed off two new watches in the movement, and, interestingly, Minerva’s name dialed. The 1858 Geosphere Annual Calendar Limited Edition collection consists of two extremely complex models focusing on fine finishes and handmade details.

Geosphere Annual Calendar for 1858

Montblanc produces a wide range of watches that span both sports and dresses. New annual calendars tend to go towards the latter, but these are not small fundamentals. Each piece has a 42mm x 13.3mm case with sapphire crystals on each side. Buyers have the option of stainless steel or 18k “lime gold” cases. Each comes with a blue calf leather strap with a folding buckle made from the same material as the case. Naturally, the depth resistance represents a dressy watch with only 30 meters.

The case is a blend of polished surfaces. The grooved steel or lime gold bezel reminds me of the historic 1927 Minerva model. The crown is a traditionally styled detail with the brand’s snowy mountain logo.

Gorgeous silver white dial filled with details

Both models feature a silver white dial with a completed section with a central sunray and an outer blasted surface. The steel piece melts indices, bright times and fine hands, while the lime gold references contain gold plating details. Note the use of Mont Blanc and Minerva names on the dial. For complex releases, the Geosphere annual calendar shows as much information as possible. The outer edge of the dial rotates and contains the name of the moon. A red triangle at the top, another nod to Minerva’s history, points to this month. The brand name was registered on July 30, 1887, so July was replaced by the word “Minerva.” The twin disc date display at the top of the dial can be adjusted using the pusher at 2am.

The colorful gloves are perhaps the most notable dialing feature of the 1858 Geosphere Annual Calendar. Montblanc chooses sapphire as the medium, each hand-drawn on the bottom, taking more than four hours by the expert. It depicts the Northern Hemisphere (the Southern Hemisphere is available on special order), and includes orange lines for Greenwich’s average time. The gloves rotate every 24 hours with day/night indicators.

New Minerva MB M14.58

In addition to the new watch debut, Montblanc has created a new caliber for the Geosphere Annual calendar. The Minerva signed MB M14.58 is a manual winding movement with a frequency of 18,000 VPH and approximately 65 hours of power reserve. It has 64 gems and a total of 336 components.

Montblanc wants to be aware of the various finishing techniques used in modern calibers. The rhodium-plated German silver plates include a ginea finish and the bridge has snails. Yellow gold plating was used in the gear train. Finally, the bridge and plates contain angles.

Overall thoughts on geographical annual calendar

Montblanc created a beautiful new model with the 1858 Earth Sphere Annual Calendar. Technically and design-wise, it appears to be competitive with some of the more historic watchmaking brands. Still, this is a limited edition with a $45,500 stainless steel model and 100 stainless steel models in the $59,000 30 lime gold versions. Considering the new movements and complications, pricing is not surprising, even when compared to other luxury brands.

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