The 2013 Montblanc TimeWalker Voyager UTC (ref. 109137) refreshes the familiar high-tech design of the original timekeeper’s laconic, yet informative dial making it one of the most visually attractive dual-timers on the market. Successfully combining high-contrast, easy-to-read elements with the grey and white (with bright sparks of orange: a color that is all the rage among industrial designers at the moment) color scheme, the Voyager UTC draws inspiration from Porsche Design and, surprisingly, does it with style and good taste!
Compared to the previous iterations of the model, the new Montblanc TimeWalker Voyager UTC features an even more readable dial that, thanks to ditching the seconds marks on the chapter ring and because of the introduction of slightly thinner Arabic numerals, looks a lot cleaner and less cluttered than a normal GMT timepiece.
Although with their recent models Montblanc tried to experiment with vertical slits in the trapezoidal hour and minute hands, the new watch returns to its basics again featuring the traditional thin strips of SuperLuminova decorating the finely finished pointers. Well, the secondary hour hand with a nice orange tip, which is color-coordinated with the stitching of its textile strap, partly compensates for the lack of skeletonization if you miss one.
As usual, the 24-hour second time-zone scale, which is engraved on the flange of the titanium bezel, features an easy-to-understand day/night indication, and its slightly unbalanced (the “day” is supposed to start at 7 hours and end at 19:00 on this scale) look give this beautiful beast an interesting twist.
The stainless steel body of the TimeWalker Voyager UTC measures standard 42 millimeters in diameter making the timepiece more versatile and suitable for almost any kind of clothing including formal attire.
According to the brand’s press release, the whole assembly is powered by the same ETA 7753-based MB 4810/405 caliber that powers their GMT watches (including the classy 2011 Star World-Time GMT) for years and offers 42 hours of power reserve, automatic winding and tons of reliability.
As for the pricing, there is still no official info, but I highly doubt that the MSRP will be higher than $4000 and you will probably find one for much less than $3500 when it hits online stores around the world*.
* UPDATE ON PRICE: It was officially reported that in Europe the watch will retail for €3100: an adequate price for an ETA 7753-based timepiece that combines such an unusual design with a body crafted from high-grade titanium alloy.
See also: Tudor Heritage Black Bay 200M Diver 79220R
Photos: Montblanc
Montblanc TimeWalker Voyager UTC 109137 specification
Price: €3100 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, Calibre MB 4810/405 (base ETA 7753), Swiss Made
Number of jewels: 25
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Power reserve: 42 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, second time-zone (UTC)
Case: Stainless steel
Bezel: Titanium
Shape: Round
Size: 42.00 mm
Dial: Grey
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Steel, luminous
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Black leather strap with orange stitching
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Sapphire