The red gold also helps with reading the time on the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Automatic. Think back to any watch you have seen (or even own) that has a white dial with polished silver hands and indices. In the right light, this can be very difficult to read, as the contrast between hands and dial can end up being low. By tossing another color in there, that problem is easily resolved. It does come as a surprise that the blue second hand isn’t red gold as well, but it does get you yet another color in the mix (perhaps to pick up some contrast blue stitching on a strap, if you were so inclined).

Ticking away inside the case we have the MB 24.09 calibre movement, an automatic that has a 42-hour power reserve and runs at 28,800 BPH. I am by no means a connoisseur of movements, but in my time with the watch, it performed as one would hope – accurately, and without issue. The rotor itself has some decoration to it, but the rest of the movement itself is a bit utilitarian (though well-finished to my untrained eye). In other words, it’s not the movement that brings you to this particular party, it is the overall look and fit-and-finish.

As I mentioned earlier, gold is not a tone that I find myself wearing all that often, aside from the white gold of my ring. With the red gold used on the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Automatic, however, I could definitely see it entering into the mix a bit more. While I certainly have called the watch a dress watch (and it went quite well when I had a suit on), I also found it particularly well adapted for the office environment. The clean styling is unassuming, and since the red gold does not extend to the case, it does not come across as ostentatious or garish. In other words, I found this particular watch to be an excellent choice for the office or more formal environments, and appreciated the flexibility one could easily extend with a different strap in the mix. For a price of $2,360, it offers a lot to enjoy.  montblanc.com

Necessary Data

>Brand: Montblanc
>Model: Heritage Chronométrie Automatic
>Price: $2,360
>Would reviewer personally wear it: If you couldn’t tell from the review, yes, I certainly would.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: This would be a good recommendation for someone who is looking for an understated dress watch that brings a touch of gold to the table.
>Worst characteristic of watch: I would not mind seeing the finishing taken up a notch or two on the movement.
>Best characteristic of watch: The rather tall indices and numerals on the dials, with the shadows (and dimensionality) they bring to the dial.

Tech Specs from Montblanc

• Movement
  • Movement Type: Automatic
  • Calibre: MB 24.09
  • Power Reserve: Approx. 42 hrs.
  • Frequency: 28,800/h 25 jewels
• Case
  • Material: Stainless steel
  • Dial: Silvery-white dial with red gold-plated indexes and numerals
  • Bezel: Fixed, stainless steel
  • Sapphire Crystal: Flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
  • Crown: Non-screw crown, 1 O-ring, stainless steel
  • Hands: Red gold-plated sword and blued baton hands
  • Distance Between Horns / Clasp: 19/17 mm
  • Height: 7.65 mm
  • Case Size: 38-40 mm
  • Water Resistant: 3 bar (30 m)
• Bracelet / Straps
  • Material: Alligator-skin strap
  • Color: Black
  • Clasp / Buckle: Stainless steel pin buckle