Hands-on with the Montblanc Heritage Spirit Perpetual Calendar with Sapphire Dial (Photos, Price and Specs)

At the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) Montblanc surprised us all with the introduction of a perpetual calendar that was priced rather competitively. With perfect classical design, it looked just like a million bucks, while its price starts at around € 10,000 Euro for the stainless steel version. With that price tag it was simply the most affordable perpetual calendar on the market today. In 18K red gold it is around €17k Euros and now there’s a new version, again in red gold, however with a new dial. That new dial is made of smoked sapphire crystal it looks absolutely awesome. Let’s have a closer look at the Montblanc Heritage Spirit Perpetual Calendar with Sapphire Crystal Dial.

The new Perpetual Calendar with sapphire crystal dial is technically exactly the same as the other models, however every gear, lever, cam, etc is visible for everyone to see (and learn from!). The smoked sapphire crystal dial also shows just how modern a classically styled perpetual calendar can look, and how beautiful the hand-finishing of all the perpetual calendars parts actually are. The perpetual calendar module is developed by Dubois-Depraz, a long-standing and well-respected name for modules of various complication including calendar complications and chronographs. The movement is a ‘standard’ Selitta SW300, which is comparable to the famous (but today not available anymore for anyone outside the Swatch Group) ETA 2892/A2, the former top ‘standard’ movement that was used by IWC, Omega and many others, as a slim and super reliable movement.

Through the smoked sapphire crystal dial you can see the straight brushed finish on the flat surfaces of the various levers, springs and cams, and how all gears interact. The edges are beveled and polished; another sign of high-end watchmaking. Here at Monochrome, we certainly appreciate a classical, discrete and understated watches. However when you see as much as this on/through a dial, it becomes a lesson in watchmaking, and that’s something that we also love. And that’s exactly what Montblanc has achieved with this lovely perpetual calendar!

The dimensions are as classic as the dial layout. The Montblanc Heritage Spirt Perpetual Calendar with Sapphire Dial measures 39 mm in diameter, and is 10.27 mm thick (which isn’t thick for a perpetual calendar!) Due to the short and downward sloping lugs, the watch sits perfectly on the wrist and wears very comfortably. This is how a nice, classic-sized watch should look on the wrist!

The indications are (clockwise) from 12: month of the year and leap year, date at 3 o’clock, moon phase at 6 o’clock and at 9 o’clock is the day of the week indication. The central dauphine shaped hands are 18k red gold plated and the calendar hands are all blued.

NOTE: After the initial introduction in 2014 Montblanc changed the name of this watch and its collection. Originally the perpetual calendar was introduced as Heritage Meisterstück Perpetual Calendar, however just before this year’s SIHH Montblanc changed the name to Heritage Spirit collection.

The Montblanc Heritage Spirit Perpetual Calendar with Smoked Sapphire Crystal Dial retails for € 20,300 Euros including 21% VAT.

Some specifications:

• Case: 18k red gold, 39 mm in diameter, 10.27 mm thick, water resistant to 30 meters, 18 mm between de lugs, domes sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside
• Dial: smoked sapphire crystal, applied red gold-plated indices,
• Movement: Montblanc calibre MB 29.15 (base Selitta SW300), 42 hours power reserve, 28,800 vph, 25 jewels
• Indications: hours, minutes and perpetual calendar with moon phase, day, date, month and leap year

More info at the Montblanc website here.