Another limited edition piece from the Vasco da Gama collection. The Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Vasco da Gama. This piece doesn’t have as many bells and whistles as the last piece we showed you but still packs a very useful complication. The words Quantième Annuel translate to annual calendar.
The watch can automatically adjust for months with 30 or 31 days but needs the user to adjust the date on one occasion. It needs special attention only on the last midnight in February. A manual correction is needed for the switch from the 28th or 29th of February to the 1st of March.
On all other days of the year, the watch provides accurate calendrical information via four subdials:
one for the day (at “9 o’clock”), another for the month (at “12 o’clock”), a third for the date (at “3 o’clock”) and a fourth for the moon-phase display (at 6 o’clock). The lastmentioned indicator is embedded in a depiction of the starry firmament in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Montblanc Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Vasco da Gama
The Southern Cross is readily visible, especially the delicate reddish colour of the star named Gamma in this distinctive constellation. If one looks closely, one can also see the Cross’s other three stars Alpha, Beta and Delta, along with other stars as they appeared to the Portuguese seafarers in 1497. To display the phases of the moon, the beautiful blue-lacquered constellation holds an aperture for a golden turning disc 5 below featuring the moon in the night sky. Montblanc took great pains to emulate the heavens with the utmost fidelity.
Moonphase featuring the Southern Cross stars around it
The Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Vasco da Gama is naturally affiliated with Vasco da Gama’s floating flagship, the São Gabriel. A sketch of the historic sailing vessel is engraved on the pane of sapphire crystal in the case back, as is the signature of the intrepid discoverer andseafarer.
Vasco da Gama’s floating flagship, the São Gabriel on the sapphire caseback
The annual calendar mechanism is encased in a 40- mm-diameter case that rises a mere 9.5 mm from back to front. The silvery white dial has a sunburst pattern; the gold-plated facetted indexes and the numeral “12” are applied to the dial. Two facetted gold-plated sword-shaped hands indicate the hours and minutes. The hands for the calendrical display are blued, thus harmonizing with the darkblue colour of the miniature firmament.
The series is limited to 238 watches as an allusion to the “Cape Point Peak” lighthouse, which was built at precisely 238 meters above sea level at the Cape of Good Hope. Vasco da Gama sailed around this cape in the last days of November, 1497. It served as an additional distinctive geographic point of orientation on the seaway to India. Montblanc’s emblem, crafted as a distinctive relief atop the crown, is a distinguishing feature of the entire collection. The leather strap is made at the Montblanc Pelletteria, the Maison’s own leather manufacture in Florence, Italy.
Specifications from Press Release
Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Quantième Annuel Vasco da Gama- Ident. 112537
Movement Calibre MB 29.18
- Mechanical movement with automatic winding, annual calendar and a moonphase
display with an aperture for a golden turning disc below featuring the moon in the
night sky - 25 Jewels
- Power reserve Approx. 42 hours
- Balance: Flat hoop
- Frequency 28,800 A/h (4 Hz)
- Hairspring: Flat
- Displays Hours and minutes in the centre, one hand to indicate the month at “12 o’clock”,
one hand to indicate the day at “9 o’clock”, one hand to indicate the date at “3
o’clock”, moonphase display on a subdial at “6 o’clock” - Special features Easy adjustment of calendar functions; individual correctors for each function to be set with a dedicated pin delivered with the timepiece
Case
- Case 18 K red gold (5N); polished case, polished and satin-finish bezel
Crystal Scratch-resistant, domed and antireflective sapphire crystal - Back 18 K red gold (5N) with inset pane of sapphire crystal with the Vasco da Gama’s
Flagship São Gabriel and his signature - Diameter = 40 mm ; Height = 9.55 mm
- Watertightness 3 bar
- Crown 18 K red gold (5N) with Montblanc emblem in raised relief Dial Silvery white dial with sunburst pattern, facetted indexes, Arabic numeral “12” as red gold-plated appliqués, red gold-plated sword hour-hand and minute-hand, annual calendar with small blued steel hands, blued lacquered subdial at 6 o’clock depicting the sky with the Southern Cross in the Southern hemisphere and an aperture for the moonphase indication
- Wristband” Black alligator-skin strap crafted in the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence with 18 K red
gold (5N) pin buckle
Limited Edition 238
Certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500
Price 11’100 euros
