4,810 Meters Below Sea Level: A Close-up with the Montblanc Iced Sea

Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810

Specs
Reference number: 133286
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, rotating dive bezel
Movement: Caliber MB 29.29, COSC-certified, automatic, 21 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 120-hour power reserve, diameter = 28.2 mm, height = 4.2 mm
Case: Titanium case (Grade 5), black anodized aluminum bezel insert, domed sapphire crystal above the dial with anti-reflective coating on both sides, water resistant to 4,810 meters
Strap and clasp: Interchangeable black rubber strap with taper shape and stainless-steel double-folding clasp with fine adjustment system
Dimensions: Diameter = 43 mm, height = 19.4 mm, lug width = 21 mm, weight = 142 g
Price: $9,100

The last time someone checked, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe was rising 4,805.59 meters (15,766 feet) above sea level, which meant that by 2023, Mont Blanc had shrunk by 2.27 meters to its lowest recorded height in recent memory. The simple reason for this rather unexpected behavior: While the mountain’s rock peak measures 4,792 meters above sea level, its thick covering of ice and snow has shown variations of almost 5 meters in both altitude and position, depending on wind and weather between measurements.

In comparison, the mountain’s role for Montblanc, the manufacturer and distributor of luxury goods, has been rather steady, as the first pen carrying that name was introduced in 1910. The white stylized six-pointed snowcap with rounded edges, representing the six snow-covered glaciers of the mountain, has also been in use since 1913, and the number “4810,” the mountain’s more “traditional” height in meters, is another commonly recurring link. Each Meisterstück pen, for example, has the number 4810 engraved on the nibs.

This year, the company’s watch division came up with another way to pay homage to one of the most prominent mountains in Europe. Engraving the 4810-meter height of Mont Blanc, Laurent Lecamp’s team connected the world of the deep sea to the mountain’s peak with the new Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 (Ref. 133286), the world’s most water-resistant watch to date.

In 2006, the Sport Extreme Automatic, a limited edition of 1906 pieces, was water resistant to 1,906 meters, a nod to the year the company was founded. The new Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810 offers a water resistance of at least 4,810 meters, not factoring in the additional 25-percent depth pressure it was subjected to in extreme dive watch testing.

Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date

Specs
Reference number: 132291
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, rotating dive bezel
Movement: Caliber MB 24.17 based on the Sellita SW200-1, automatic, 26 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 38-hour power reserve, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.60 mm
Case: Stainless steel case, ceramic bezel, domed sapphire crystal above the dial with anti-reflective coating on both sides, water resistant to 300 meters
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless steel with quick-change system, stainless-steel folding clasp with integrated extension
Dimensions: Diameter = 41 mm, lug width = 20 mm (integrated), height = 12.9 mm, weight = 179 g
Price: $3,405

Inspired by the ice of one of the Mont Blanc mountain’s largest glaciers—the Mer de Glace—with its interlocking network of crystals that take centuries to form, the dial gives depth and the impression of genuine depth and luminosity.

This technique, known as gratté-boisé, takes four times longer to make than a standard dial. The black or blue iced dial is accentuated with a fumé effect and captures the essence of tone and shade contrasts.

Variations:

Bronze-tone edition crafted from CuAl8, a special copper-aluminum alloy more resistant than bronze, with a brown-tone dial ($3,915).

Burgundy-tone edition featuring a deep red dial inspired by the evening sun on a glacier, paired with a ceramic bezel and stainless-steel bracelet ($3,405).

Both models come with a 41-mm case, water resistance to 300 meters, and the Sellita-based caliber MB 24.17.