By Siba Sami Ammari www.ameinfo.com
Montblanc and the Musée International d’Horlogerie in Switzerland have teamed up to present an educational and inspirational horological exhibition in The Dubai Mall, ‘Writing Time – Two Centuries of Chronograph History’ from 6th-26th February 2012.
The exhibition traces the history of chronograph development over the years since invention by Nicolas Rieussec in 1821, and aims to uphold the deep-rooted principles of haute horlogerie.
The Chronograph was first created when Nicolas Rieussec patented his table watch for tracing a period of time using two rotating discs and a drop of ink to mark two points in time. Since then, the chronograph has seen an impressive development both in usage and application but also in functionality and watchmaking technology. With its very name derived from Greek “chronos” for time and “graphein” for writing, the chronograph complication is strongly associated with the soul and historical roots of Montblanc.
Visitors to “Writing Time – Two Centuries of Chronograph History” will be offered various insights into chronograph innovations. On display are watches, movements and dials from both Montblanc and the Musée International d’Horlogerie that showcase technological and creative developments over the years; some are recent models, and some date back over 200 years. An impressive timeline describes the history of chronograph inventions and highlights selected icons of chronograph history. Lastly, the multiple uses of chronographs are illustrated, with visual impressions of how chronograph development has changed: from horse racing to science and industrialisation, up to aviation and today’s world of luxury. More info