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By Stu Gleich

In 2005 I became aware of Alain Silberstein, “Architecte Horloger.”

With Silberstein you need to throw everything you think you know about watches out the window. Alain Silberstein’s creations are revolutionary. More than mere watches, they push the boundaries and question the very laws of ergonomics and design.

Famed watch designer Alain Silberstein.

Perhaps the most famous Silberstein was the Krono, a chronograph that had a conventional dial layout from a positioning point of view with a Valjoux 7750 or Lemania 5100 movement inside, but with playful hands and dials that stretched design boundaries with geometrical shapes and bold primary colors.

The Silberstein Rondo Smileday, a highlight of my collection. The smile represents Friday, the first of three consecutive smile faces.

I just had to have one of his creations and purchased my Rondo Smileday (#243 out of a 500-piece production) directly from Alain Silberstein headquarters in France.

Even now it remains my most prized work of art/timekeeping/conversation piece on the wrist.

Like any watch, it also makes a statement about the person who wears it and is a real attention-getter. Just the other night while out with friends, one of the busmen came up to our table to compliment my Rondo Smileday and to take a closer look.

The rearview of the Rondo Smileday.

Each day of the week on the Smileday is represented by a specific face and emotion (the picture attached shows Friday, the first of three consecutive smile faces (Saturday and Sunday are Big Red Smiles). Monday not happy, Tuesday still not happy, Wednesday undecided, Thursday, we are almost there.

The blue, red and yellow primary colors, red triangle crown make this a watch like no other. As playful as a Swatch but with all the inherent qualities of a $3,500 fine timepiece, my Rondo is still keeping great time. It remains one of the most reliable timekeepers in my collection.

The Triptych

While Alain Silberstein – the brand ­– is no longer active, Silberstein the man continues to produce occasional collaborations with horological partners such as MB&F and Philippe Lebru.

The Louis Erard-Alain Silberstein Triptych.

Fast-forward to 2020 when I discovered that Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein joined forces to create Triptych – a set of three associated watches intended to be appreciated together.

Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein together created La Semaine, Le Régulateur II, and Le Chrono Monopoussoir, produced in runs of 178 pieces each, with seventy-eight of each reserved for a three-watch collector’s set ($12,395). This left 100 examples of each watch available for individual purchases. Prices started at $3,900. Each watch is water resistant to 100 meters and comes secured on a nylon strap.

La Semaine, from the Triptych.

All 178 pieces sold within three days in early June 2021. The watches are not numbered, instead on the back of each case is engraved “1 of 178”.

My opportunity

While I missed out on the chance to buy one immediately, I was able to place my name on a waiting list at louiserard.com in case a watch became available (due to cancellation or return). I wondered at the odds and how many people might be on that list.

Lo and behold, in rather short order, after having my thrown my hat into the ring, I was informed by email that my lucky day had arrived.

Le Régulateur II, from the Triptych.

Was I going to be the one who would secure a Louis Erard-Alain Silberstein Triptych watch? Would I be the first to respond? Why yes I would!

The Monopusher 

When my adventure began, I originally had my eye on the La Semaine, but in retrospect, I am very pleased to be receiving the Le Chrono Monopoussoir.

Le Chrono Monopoussoir, which will soon find a home on my wrist.

A return to the historic Krono, but with a singular twist: the chronograph is a monopusher with only a single counter. It’s a clean and concise expression of a stopwatch that perfectly complements the Silberstein style.

With just one push the chronograph hand is activated, another push pauses it, and a third push resets the chronograph to zero. Simple and elegant. It’s impossible to mix up the order in which to push the multiple buttons endemic to traditional chronographs.

Le Chrono Monopoussoir features centrally mounted hour, minute and chronograph seconds hands with a 30-minute chronograph counter at the 12 o’clock position. Silberstein also uses the Triptych to debut a new hour hand design, a red circle with a triangle pointer.

The watch’s titanium case is 40mm-wide with a lug-to-lug height of 47mm, and at 13.8mm-thick, it is the most substantial of the three. Louis Erard went for such an unmistakable case here, as it stylishly enhances Silberstein’s distinctiveness while also pulling off a cool sports watch that is like nothing else out there.

Some of the Triptych watches are already being sold online for double their cost. I for one don’t believe that such a fine watch should be leveraged for pure profit, but rather held and enjoyed for the work of art it is.

My own Le Chrono Monopoussoir is now in transit from Switzerland and I anticipate its arrival soon. To say that this particular watch hunt has given me a real thrill is no lie.

 

Focusing on its vintage-styled 1858 collection, Montblanc in 2020 is adding artisanal blue dials to its 1858 Split Second Chronograph and one 1858 Geosphere world timer watch while also introducing an all-new one-hand, 24-hour watch and a bronze-cased 1858 Monopusher Chronograph.  

Montblanc’s new 1858 Automatic 24H.

The Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H is the newest design among the four debuts and displays the time using one hand to indicate time on a 24-hour scale. As one of the few Montblanc 24-hour watches available, the new 1858 Automatic 24H also serves another function: compass. (You may recall the 2018 Montblanc 1858 Pocket Watch Limited Edition 100, which also features a single 24-hour hand but includes additional chronograph timing hands – and a compass on its back.) Here, Montblanc has printed a compass scale in a beige ring on the outside of the dial, with markers for approximately every five degrees, and includes the cardinal points in red.

Up close on the dial of the new Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H.

To use the hand as a compass (in the northern hemisphere) simply ensure the watch is correctly set and then hold it horizontal to the ground. Then rotate it until the tip of the hour hand is pointing towards the sun. In this position, all the cardinal points on the dial will be correctly aligned. North is located at ‘24h’ and South at ‘12h’.

As one of Montblanc’s ‘adventure’ themed models, the new watch is carefully color coded and heavy with SuperLuminova. Not only is the red-tipped single hand colored red, it is luminescent, as is the map of the Northern Hemisphere and twenty-four meridians on the black dial.

The 42mm automatic watch is cased in a new stainless steel case with a bronze bezel, creating the vintage look that marks the 1858 collection. On the back you will find a “Spirit of Mountain Exploration” engraving. At its $3,030 price, we expect the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H to compete directly with the other relatively few one-hand watches currently on the market.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere, with new titanium case and gradient blue dial.

1858 Geosphere

Montblanc’s 1858 Geosphere, the brand’s worldtimer with quite distinctive turning, slightly domed globes at the top (Northern Hemisphere) and bottom (Southern Hemisphere) of its dial has been among the most impressive world time watches in its price range since its debut just a few years ago. Previously available with a steel case and in a bronze case, the 1858 Geosphere is now available with a lighter grade-5 titanium case, here combined with a blue dial and ‘icy’ white accents.

Still at 42mm in diameter, the 1858 Geosphere’s titanium case is topped with a fluted, bi-directional stainless steel bezel that Montblanc then further decorates with shiny blue ceramic bezel and four engraved luminescent directional markers.

The nicely illuminated dial of the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere.

On the new 1858 Geosphere, the two domed globes are each surrounded by a fixed 24-timezone scale that includes a day/night blue indicator. A second time zone is indicated at nine o’clock and a date, linked to the local time, is at three o’clock.

For added ‘adventure’ effect, Montblanc marks the world’s Seven Summits and Mont Blanc on the turning globes with blue dots. They are also engraved on the caseback along with a drawing of Mont Blanc, a compass, and two crossed ice pick-axes. Price: With blue dial: $5,800 (on leather) and $6,200. Black dial with bracelet: $5,800.

Two Chronographs

Also for 2020, Montblanc adds two new versions of existing chronographs, both with unusual, high-end features and vintage designs.

One, the 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100, is the latest of Montblanc’s stunning reinterpretations of historical 44mm Minerva military monopusher chronographs from the 1930s with its distinctive snail tachymeter scale dial. This newest edition comes cased in (44mm) titanium and with a new, vibrant blue grand feu enamel gold dial.

The new Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 100.

Inside Montblanc places its own manufacture monopusher chronograph caliber MB M16.31 that features two column wheels, horizontal coupling and a power reserve of fifty hours. The movement is beautifully designed to echo the original 1930s Minerva caliber 17.29. From the back you’ll see the same V- shape bridge as the original, along with a large balance wheel beating at the traditional frequency of 18,000 bph.

The new model continues the vintage aesthetic Montblanc nailed when this collection debuted in 2015. Echoing the collection, this new blue-dialed limited edition features a satin-finished case, polished lugs with beveled edges, a fluted crown and a domed sapphire crystal. Price: $36,000

1858 Monopusher Chronograph

Finally, Montblanc in 2020 adds to its 1858 Monopusher Chronograph collection with a new Limited Edition 1858 in a 42mm bronze case. Formerly only available in steel (and additionally within the Montblanc Heritage collection), the 1858 version of this monopusher chronograph adds a bit of adventure to the truly useful, vintage-inspired function by surrounding the black dial with a beige-railway track and a telemeter scale.   

The Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition, with bronze case.

 

Echoing Minerva chronographs from the 1930s, the entire 1858 Chronograph line, including its two-pusher and mono-pusher models, is one of the brand’s highest-value designs.

Montblanc’s newest 1858 Monopusher Chronograph in a steel case with calfskin strap.

Here, Montblanc creates an in-house module that it pairs with a Sellita caliber to ensure that the monopusher function is available at an affordable price. As a monopusher, the watch’s start, stop and reset can be activated through a single pusher integrated into the crown.

The three newest Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronographs with bronze (left) and steel cases.

You’ll see beige-SuperLuminova numerals and rose-gold-coated, cathedral-shaped luminescent hands on the bronze and steel-cased 1858 Monopusher Chronographs. The bronze watch ($5,600) is available with an interesting new beige NATO strap. Two other unlimited models are available in stainless steel ($5,200), one of which comes with a new stainless steel bracelet made of a mix of link shapes, and a third set with an aged, cognac-colored calfskin strap.