At SIHH 2013, from January 21th to January 25th, Montblanc unveils its outstanding timepiece collection, led by Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours. This timepiece is a new version of the much admired Nicolas Rieussec Collection, named after the noted French watchmaker Nicolas Mathieu Rieussec (1781 – 1866) who invented the chronograph.
It is nevertheless a typical member of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Collection, although the time display on the Rising Hours chronograph is new and revolutionary. The 43mm watch features an ingenious indication of day and night placed exactly at 12 o’clock.
The hours is comprised of two discs, the top one with the hour numerals cut out, and a lower disc that is shaded half in black and the other half in light blue. As the hours pass, the disc below will rotate, thanks to a Maltese cross mechanism consisting of two cam-like wheels, so that the hour numerals will appear either as blue or gray, depending on the time of day. The day of the week, which is a new addition to the watch is shown in a window at the “9” and the date appears in an aperture at the “3”.
The Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours is powered by a Montblanc MB R220 automatic movement that is visible through the sapphire case back. It has a power reserve of around 72 hours. A self-winding mechanism keeps the power reserve constantly high as long as the watch is worn.
The watch is available in 18 ct red gold with finely terraced horns, a brown aligator-leather strap with large reptilian scales, a triply folding clasp made of red gold and the fluted crown, which is also made of 18 ct red gold, bears a mother-of-pearl inlay shaped like Montblanc’s emblem. You can opt for 950 platinum and in stainless steel versions. The platinum variant is limited to 28 timepieces, each of which is affixed to a grey alligator-leather strap with a white gold folding clasp. The stainless steel version has a black alligator-leather strap with a folding clasp.