Montblanc has unveiled a limited edition of its Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon, made in tribute to the world’s first known author.
Enheduanna is a Sumerian high priestess who lived around 2300 BC.
Hers is the earliest known example of first-person writing and Enheduanna is thought to be the first writer to claim authorship of their own work.
The writing was on clay tablets, the system used for thousands of years that became known as cuneiform.
The Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Enheduanna has a 44.8mm yellow gold case that offers a wide-open view of the showcase movement and the little gold details.
The small onyx dial is engraved with an extract from a hymn by Enheduanna.
Between the exo-tourbillon and the off-centre dial is an 18k yellow-gold relief of Enheduanna.
The gold bull at 3 o’clock is one of the representations of Enheduanna’s status as a “moon god”, along with the gold crescent moon at 12 o’clock.
Engravings of Sumerian numbers are etched into the seconds counter, and the Sumerian number 10 refers to the size of this 10-piece limited edition.
Instead of a logo, Montblanc has been translated using the Sumerian symbols for white and mountain.
The in-house suspended exo-tourbillon movement was developed over three years at Montblanc’s Villeret manufacture.
The tourbillon gets its “exo” prefix because the balance wheel is placed outside the rotating cage.
There are several effects of this innovation: the size of the cage and the balance wheel are not limited by one another; it looks cool and allows a better view of the mechanism.
Montblanc also tells us that the mechanical architecture of an exo-tourbillon “saves more energy than a conventional tourbillon”.
This may be true, but as tourbillons are not generally bought for their practicality, the looks and originality are likely to be the biggest draw.
The new watch is part of Montblanc’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of its signature Meisterstück pens.
The Montblanc Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Enheduanna is a limited edition of 10 pieces. $POA, montblanc.com