Montblanc recalls 1821 Paris horse race on new Rieussec Chronograph

Montblanc has made a new Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph in a limited run of 821 pieces. The number points to 1821, the year Nicolas Rieussec tested his inking chronograph at the Champ-de-Mars racetrack in Paris, on September 1st.

The brown dial carries a 19th-century illustration of four jockeys and their horses crossing the finish line at the races held there that year. Around it, the flange is printed with luminescent French text, including “Académie des Sciences de Paris” and “Chronographe Nicolas Rieussec”. The Arabic numerals, leaf hands, pinion covers, screws and the lozenge-shaped chronograph bridge are rose-gold-coated, set against white minute and chronograph scales. A day/night aperture sits at 9 o’clock, and a brown skeletonized 12-hour GMT hand adds a second time zone.

The stainless steel case measures 43 × 15.01mm with a 51mm lug-to-lug, and is water resistant to 5 bar (50 meters). Inside is the in-house automatic MB R200, a monopusher chronograph with a column wheel and vertical clutch. Two barrels connected in series give a 72-hour power reserve, and it beats at 4 Hz. The finishing includes Côtes de Genève, polished bevels and blued screws, while the rotor has a Clous de Paris pattern and an open-worked Montblanc emblem.

The brown calf leather strap was designed by Montblanc artistic director Marco Tomasetta. Its pointed end echoes the shape of the maison’s pen nibs, and the lining shows a map of Paris from 1821. The watch is priced at €9,200 / US$9,800 / CHF 7,900.