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 · TimeWalker
Montblanc TimeWalker 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic
Reference 12443OR.27
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Montblanc
- Collection
- TimeWalker
- Model
- Montblanc TimeWalker 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic
- Reference number
- 12443OR.27
- Year / era
- 1952 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Chronograph
- Movement
- Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 500 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 35C — Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Chronograph
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1952 – 1959
- Limited-edition quantity
- 500 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
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 TimeWalker 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Ceramic sits within Montblanc's TimeWalker line, introduced in 1952. It carries the house codes established since 1906 — ceramic case, mother-of-pearl dial and automatic, swiss lever escapement — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.