There are many objects that come to mind when you mention the word Montblanc, starting with high-end writing instruments, leather goods, and, since 1997, watches. As a brand that has always been associated with Europe’s highest mountain, thanks to its white star logo representing a bird’s-eye view of the snow-capped peaks of Mont Blanc, Montblanc’s decision to produce a dive watch collection came as a surprise. Released in 2022, the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date dive watch reinforced the brand’s ties to Mont Blanc with a glacier-inspired dial and a scuba diver on the caseback braving glacial waters with an iceberg in the background. Following the 41mm Iced Sea, Montblanc scaled down with a more compact 38mm model with frosty white and arctic light blue dials and the brand’s Zero Oxygen cases.
The stainless steel case of the more compact Iced Sea, measuring 38mm across and 12.3mm thick, is resistant to depths of 300 metres and equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel. The white dial is paired with a white ceramic insert, and the blue dial with a two-tone blue aluminium inlay, both with an inverted triangle at noon with a blue-emission pip. Emphasising its sporty nature, the case features predominantly brushed finishes with polished bevels. So far, standard dive watch fare. However, what sets the 38mm Iced Sea apart from its 41mm sibling is the brand’s Zero Oxygen technology.
Zero Oxygen technology made its debut on board the 2024 Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep 4810m. Mirroring the 4,810 metre height of Mont Blanc, the Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep dive watch came with an impressive depth rating of 4,810 metres. Inspired by pioneering mountaineers like Reinhold Messner, who conquered the highest peaks without supplemental oxygen, the case is sealed in a nitrogen-filled, oxygen-free tank. By preventing moisture ingress, the case is resistant to fogging from rapid temperature changes and to condensation, and it slows oxidation.
Undoubtedly a robust, capable and sporty companion, the 38mm Iced Sea has an attractive dial that mimics the texture of glacier ice; to be precise, the crystals that have formed over millennia in the legendary glacier known as the Mer de Glace, the sea of ice, in Chamonix on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc. Using a technique known as gratté boisé, a piece of wood is scraped across the surface to produce the random pattern of crystals. With its sfumato (smoked) effect, the blue dial echoes the colour of icy blue mountain waters, while the white dial looks closer to the actual surface of the Mer de Glace, dragging accumulations of earth and stone in its slow flowing movement.
Legibility is enhanced with Super-LumiNova applied to the indices, Arabic numerals and syringe-style hands. For less adventurous moments, there is a practical date window at 3 o’clock. Available with a steel bracelet or a matching-coloured rubber strap with a glacier pattern on the inside, both options come with a fine-adjustment system and are easily interchangeable.
While the panorama above deck is solid and the Zero Oxygen technology a plus, the MB 24.17 movement below, concealed by the scuba diver engraved on the caseback, is a bit of an anti-climax. Based on a Sellita SW 200-1 automatic (itself an alternative to the ETA 2824), the movement delivers a modest 38-hour power reserve. We’re not yet treated with the latest developments of the movement maker, with the SW200 Power+.
A well-built, compact, competent and fully equipped dive watch, the attractive textured dials add depth and interest to the package. While we weren’t able to test the Zero Oxygen technology, there is sufficient evidence that it effectively prevents fogging. Understandably, there may be some resistance to justifying the EUR 4,000 price tag given the somewhat basic Sellita-based movement and its skimpy power reserve, hardly a match for the watch’s robust capabilities. But the overall look of the dial is certainly different and appealing.
The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen 38mm on a rubber strap retails for EUR 4,000; on a steel bracelet, it retails for EUR 4,200. More information at montblanc.com.
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