Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Silicon Escapement

The watchmakers at the Montblanc manufacture have achieved a remarkable symbiosis by combining the rebirth of the traditional chronograph principle of the Nicolas Rieussec chronograph with the most modern material: silicon. Montblanc thus proves once again that unique results are possible when the joy of technical innovation is united with the love of tradition. Modern measurement of brief intervals of time had already celebrated a comeback with the debut of the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph in 2008. Two years later, the brand's developers again outdo themselves by presenting a new limited-edition model encasing a movement in which the lever and escape-wheel are made of silicon, a material that embodies state-of-the-art horological artistry. The Montblanc watch manufacture thus unmistakably underscores its intention of setting new accents in the technical inner lives of timepieces.

Through its use of rotating discs and motionless hands to indicate the duration of brief intervals, the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph conforms to a principle initially employed by the watchmaker Nicolas Rieussec, who registered the world's first chronograph for a patent on March 9, 1822. Montblanc augmented this unique chronograph display in 2009, when it introduced the Open Date model, in which the dial and the elapsed-time discs are partially skeletonized to offer unobstructed views into the depths of the movement. Now the watchmakers in Le Locle have gone one step further: they proudly present a new limited-edition wristwatch with innovative components at the heart of Montblanc's manufacture Calibre MB R120: the lever and escape-wheel are crafted from silicon.

Traditional Horological Mechanisms with High-Tech Silicon
Silicon, which had previously been known primarily from its applications in semiconductor technology, also began to make inroads into the world of micromechanics a few years ago. Silicon is 60% harder and 70% lighter than steel, highly resistant to corrosion and entirely nonmagnetic. These are precisely the qualities that watchmakers and engineers have always sought – because such attributes significantly improve a watch's rate and long-term reliability. In a watch with lever and escape-wheel made of steel, the escapement alone absorbs more than 60% of the energy. Reducing the mass by 70% means that the escapement requires significantly less energy, so more power is available to maintain the stability of the balance's amplitude and to lengthen the power reserve. The nonmagnetic properties of silicon, on the other hand, are important in a world that's becoming increasingly permeated by the electromagnetic fields associated with modern communications and entertainment electronics. And silicon's inherent hardness reduces wear and improves long-term reliability.