In watchmaking tradition, “regulator” watches were special pendulum clocks, used by watchmakers in their workshops to set the exact time and therefore to test the precision of smaller watches.  They were also used in science whenever extremely precise time indicators were needed, like in the field of astronomy or nautical navigation.  In addition to sitting on the watchmakers bench, regulator pendulum clocks of this sort also stood in the offices of harbormasters in all of the world’s major ports.

While this is new Montblanc Nautique Regulator is an interesting watch of this type, I find that there is unfortunately too much to interpret on the dial.  The Natique Regulator doesn’t have a regulator dial of the sort that’s frequently used on watches of this type, but instead there are eight different indications (home time, local time, day and night display, chronograph, 30-minute counter, small seconds, and combined power-reserve and winding-zone display).  Compared to what I would consider more traditional Regulators (e.g. Glashutte Original Regulator or the Milos Zetios Regulator), this watch seems as if it would be quite difficult to read at a glance — and thus use in the traditional sense.

This Montblanc Nautique Regulator is a limited edition set of just sixteen pieces – eight sets with red gold wristwatch chronographs and eight more with wristwatch chronographs in white gold cases.  Each set consists of a wristwatch chronograph with regulator dial and two time zones, along with a large navigational clock which, in addition to showing three time zones on its main regulator dial, also includes a world-time indicator.

If you are interested in learning more, there a full press release can be found here at HH Magazine.

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2. SIHH 2011: Montblanc Villeret 1858 Pulsograph
3. 2010 Montblanc Metamorphosis Update
4. SIHH 2010 Montblanc Metamorphosis
5. Presenting the 2010 Montblanc Collection (SIHH 2010)