Montblanc Continues With Affordable Complications for 2016

Forget Christmas. Forget New Year's Eve. At this time of year, watch lovers are anxiously awaiting the Salon International de Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the first major watch industry event of the year. Beginning on Jan. 18, more than 20 watchmakers will gather in Geneva to give retailers, journalists, and top collectors their first looks at what will be hitting wrists in 2016. Montblanc, though, has given us an early look at two new models it will be introducing in Switzerland, and (spoiler alert) they look great.

Over the last few years, under the leadership of Jerome Lambert, chief executive officer, Montblanc has been steadily ramping up its watch offerings, with a particular focus on bringing out complicated models at prices significantly lower than those of the competition. Last year there was the Orbis Terrarum worldtimer; the year before, it was a perpetual calendar under $13,000. Because Montblanc wasn't previously known for watchmaking, the brand is aggressively creating a narrative wherein it offers high quality products at reasonable prices. These watches continue this story.