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 · Heritage
Montblanc Heritage 44 mm Silvered Sapphire
Reference 35469OR.71
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Montblanc
- Collection
- Heritage
- Model
- Montblanc Heritage 44 mm Silvered Sapphire
- Reference number
- 35469OR.71
- Year / era
- 1973 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Automatic chronograph
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Silvered opaline
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Silvered opaline
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 74B — Automatic chronograph
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1973 – 1979
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Montblanc Heritage 44 mm Silvered Sapphire sits within Montblanc's Heritage line, introduced in 1973. It carries the house codes established since 1906 — sapphire crystal case case, silvered opaline dial and automatic chronograph — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
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.