Montblanc heritage spirit orbis terrarum front 112307

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Mechanical Watches of the Year, Montblanc Orbis Terrarum

It would have been easy to overlook the Orbis Terrarum at Montblanc’s knockout SIHH presentation in January 2015.

There was so much of merit at every price point that a worldtimer with representation of the globe on the dial would have been easy to dismiss as positively humdrum.

But look a little closer and you’ll discover this is no ordinary worldtimer and the map of the globe is not some fixed graphic.

The Orbis Terrarum features a sapphire crystal dial beneath which the 24-hour dial rotates, allowing the wearer to see at a glance where it is day and night anywhere on the planet.

The movement may be a Sellita but the module used was developed in-house and has been integrated into the movement rather than sitting on top.

If that were not impressive enough, all of this has been delivered at a sub £4,000 price. Montblanc CEO Jerome Lambert’s keen focus on delivering complicated luxury watches at unheard of prices continues to shake up the world of watches.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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