Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Montblanc · 1858
Montblanc 1858 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Reference 43168OR.13
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Montblanc
- Collection
- 1858
- Model
- Montblanc 1858 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
- Reference number
- 43168OR.13
- Year / era
- 1995 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 12A — Automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1995 – 2008
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Montblanc 1858 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon sits within Montblanc's 1858 line, introduced in 1995. It carries the house codes established since 1906 — carbon tpt case, mother-of-pearl dial and automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Montblanc
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1906
- Founder
- August Eberstein, Alfred Nehemias & Claus-Johannes Voss
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- 1858, Heritage, Star Legacy, Iced Sea, TimeWalker
- Signature technologies
- Anti-magnetic silicon escapement · Hand-applied guilloché dials · Shock-absorbing movement mounting
- Famous movements
- High-beat automatic · Spring Drive · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement · Automatic chronograph
- Notable watches
- Montblanc 1858 42 mm Slate Quartz (1969) · Montblanc 1858 36 mm Blue Stainless (1998) · Montblanc 1858 42 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon (1995) · Montblanc Heritage 43 mm Slate Carbon (1990)
Brand history
Montblanc has spent more than 120 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's 1858, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
August Eberstein, Alfred Nehemias & Claus-Johannes Voss established Montblanc in 1906, working from Germany at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Montblanc calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1906
August Eberstein, Alfred Nehemias & Claus-Johannes Voss founds Montblanc in Germany.
1969
The quartz era forces Montblanc to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Montblanc enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Montblanc continues to produce 1858, Heritage, Star Legacy and other icons in limited numbers.