Introducing: The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph (Live Pics & Pricing)

January 15, 2018

The 1858 Automatic Chronograph is a sporty two-register chronograph, plain and simple, without any unnecessary bells and whistles (and, importantly, no date). If there were to be a case for not messing with a successful formula, this would be it. The 42mm steel or bronze chrono has two registers, with a 30-minute totalizer at three o'clock and a running seconds register at nine, as well as vintage-tinged cathedral hands and beige lume on the hour markers. Why This Watch Matters The chronograph has been the hot complication over the last few years. We saw Montblanc go long on chronographs last year, with the introduction of the TimeWalker collection, and that continues this year. While the time-only 1858 definitely doesn't feel like an add-on (while the time-and-date TimeWalker sort of did), the chronograph still feels like the centerpiece of the collection. Getting the formula right with this watch is pretty important to the success of the collection overall, and at first glance it seems like Montblanc has done its job. The New 1858 Collection Be sure to check out the rest of the new 1858 collection too: 1858 Automatic 1858 Geosphere 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition 100 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100 Initial Thoughts The stainless steel version with the black dial is going to be the 1858 that ticks the most boxes for the most people, if I were to offer a guess. However, to me, the standout here is the bronze-and-champagne version of the 1858 Chronograph. It manages to take a relatively bulky sports watch and make it feel elegant and refined through the soft tone-on-tone color scheme. It ends up feeling like a sports watch for the guy who doesn't usually wear sports watches, and it's definitely a watch that's going to inspire a lot of "What's that?" questions. The Basics Brand: MontblancModel: 1858 Automatic ChronographReference Number: 117835Diameter: 42mmThickness: 14.55mmCase Material: Stainless steel or bronzeDial Color: Black (with steel case), Smoked Champagne (with bronze case)Indexes: Arabic numeralsLume: Beige Super-LumiNovaWater Resistance: 100mStrap/Bracelet: Cognac aged calf strap (steel or bronze), black and grey NATO (steel only) The pairing of a bronze case and a smoked champagne dial produces a really awesome effect. The Movement Caliber: MB 25.11Functions: ChronographPower Reserve: 48 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 27 Pricing & Availability Price: 3,990 in stainless steel, 4,690 in bronzeFor more click here. On the wrist, the 1858 wears smaller than you'd expect from the 42mm x 14.55mm specs.