For 2024, Montblanc both adds to and slightly updates the Iced Sea Automatic Diver’s Watch Collection. The Iced Sea watch family has grown since its original introduction in 2022 and now includes a variety of dial colors as well as the higher-performance version known as the Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810. Today, I look at the newer burgundy-red dial version of the Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date, known as the reference MB132291.
aBlogtoWatch has been a fan of Montblanc’s most recent high-end diver’s-style watches, both in terms of their visual appeal and wearing performance. Unfortunately, Montblanc as a brand is so quiet (at least here in the U.S. and in Europe) that, outside of the Watches & Wonders tradeshow, I’ve never seen any of these watches in person or noticed a single advertisement for them. Montblanc continues to make really nice and well-thought-out products, but these appear to have little market penetration in the more important timepiece markets. That is probably a good thing for timepiece enthusiasts who like to feel as though they have “discovered” something cool that others don’t know about yet, but the Montblanc company seems to be missing out on a lot of sales performance due to not being on the radar of enthusiasts. Readers, have you seen the Montblanc Iced Sea Collection where you live or shop? I would be curious to know.
In addition to black, blue, and green dial versions of the Iced Sea Automatic Date, Montblanc now cleverly adds a burgundy color which I believe is going to be among the hipper men’s watch colors over the next few years. Bright apple or cherry red colors are a bit too harsh, but darker hues of red such as maroon and burgundy are extremely handsome and fashionable. The red color on this watch is part of a textured dial (meant to look like an ice glacier) and is given a gradient. Combined with the black, white, and steel tones of the Iced Sea watch, this is a very compelling overall composition. While small, the most important update to the Iced Sea watch collection is the return to the more modern Montblanc logo. Previous versions used the classic Montblanc logo with the small Montblanc mountain motif in the middle, which I never found very visually attractive and am happy to see replaced. All the 2024 Iced Sea watches have a more modern Montblanc logo on the dial, which suits the timepieces well.
Another small visual update is the design of the caseback. Engraved with a Montblanc mountain motif, it is also playful, as it places a diver near the top and imagines the mountain upside-down and underwater, as though it were the bottom of an iceberg. Playing with this reverse mountain climbing theme has been a key part of the Iced Sea collection for a while now. The Deep 4810 version of the Iced Sea, for example, has a depth rating related to how tall the mountain is, but of course, as a function of being able to go underwater. This is all part of the playful storytelling involved in marketing these watches, but as I said, Montblanc doesn’t seem to be heavily focused on projecting those stories widely to a watch-lover community that I think would be interested in them.
The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date comes in a 41mm wide steel case that is about 13mm thick and has a water resistance rating of 300 meters. Over the dial is a domed AR-coated sapphire crystal, and the unidirectionally rotating diver’s style timing bezel is equipped with a black ceramic insert. The watch has a quick-release mechanism for the bracelet attachment to the case at the lugs (I don’t think Montblanc supplies a strap, but I know they are probably available for purchase), and the steel bracelet further has a micro-adjust system. In most respects, the style and equipment of the Iced Sea are contemporary and on par with much of the competition.
Inside the Iced Sea Automatic Date watch is a base Swiss Sellita SW200 automatic movement. It operates at 4Hz with about 38 hours of power reserve. This is a good movement, but at this price point, other sports lifestyle diver’s watches on the market have better or more exclusive movements that feature longer power reserves or more storytelling. Honestly, I am entirely OK with an SW200 (similar to the ETA 2824), but I typically like to see them in less expensive watches. That said, the SW200 is very reliable and easy to fix, so there are benefits to having it in your daily-wear watch, as opposed to a more exotic caliber mechanism.
The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date watch with the burgundy-red dial is a handsome daily-wear sports watch that blends timeless elegance with modern features. It also is an ISO 6425 certified diver’s watch so you can easily use it for underwater exploration. For now, while Montblanc as a company is in a more “quiet phase” you can also enjoy these watches as being less common from the norm, showing that you have more distinctive tastes than everyone else out there. Price for the Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date reference MB132291 watch is $3,405 USD. Learn more at the Montblanc website.
