First Look: The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson (2025)

Introduced in 2018, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere series brought a unique world-time complication to the forefront, featuring two rotating globes depicting the northern and southern hemispheres. Designed with a distinctive vintage tool-watch aesthetic, it was Montblanc’s answer to the ultimate explorer’s timepiece – a rugged and reliable companion for mountaineering and outdoor adventures. Since its debut, the collection has expanded with several limited editions paying tribute to the legendary Seven Summits challenge, where climbers conquer the highest peak on every continent. This year, Montblanc introduces the 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson Limited Edition, a tribute to legendary mountaineer and Montblanc Brand Ambassador Reinhold Messner. This special edition honours his ascent of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, the final peak that completed his version of the Seven Summits Challenge.

The 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson comes in a 43.5mm x 13mm case with 100m water resistance, designed to reflect the rugged beauty of Mount Vinson’s icy terrain. Its middle case is crafted from a composite blend of quartz fibres, aluminised basalt fibres, CaCO₃ and light blue resin, strikingly resembling the crystalline patterns of Antarctic glacial ice. Enhancing this connection, the left side of the case showcases a luminous outline of Mount Vinson, glowing white by day and blue by night.

The watch’s bidirectional, knurled rotating bezel is made of titanium with a grey anodized aluminium insert, marked at the cardinal points in blue-emission Super-LumiNova. A domed sapphire crystal with AR coating is fitted with a special gasket, ensuring the case remains oxygen-free, hence the name. As with all models in the Geosphere series, the titanium caseback features a detailed laser engraving, this time, depicting Mount Vinson.

The deep-set dial features a lovely blue-green and light grey glacier pattern, staying true to the signature layout of the Geosphere series. At 12 and 6 o’clock, two luminescent domed globes rotate in opposite directions over 24 hours, representing the northern and southern hemispheres. Surrounding each globe is a two-tone (day/night) scale displaying all 24 time zones.

The thin longitude lines make reading the time across different locations a bit challenging. To make it easier, Montblanc has incorporated a sub-dial at 9 o’clock for an additional time zone indication, adjusted via a recessed pusher at 10 o’clock in one-hour increments. The rhodium-coated, luminescent Arabic numerals, indices and hands offer excellent legibility. A date window at 3 o’clock rounds out the functionality, making this watch visually interesting and practical.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson is powered by Calibre MB 29.25, a Sellita SW 300-1 base with a Montblanc´s novel world time complication in-house developed module on top. This automatic movement operates at 28,800vph and has a power reserve of 42 hours.

The 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson is worn on an interchangeable blue-green rubber strap with a rope pattern and double-folding clasp with a fine adjustment system. This is the first time the series model has been fitted with a rubber strap instead of leather. The watch is a limited edition of 986; the price is to be confirmed. For more, visit Montblanc.com.