The challenge of climbing the world’s highest peaks has always been the ultimate dream of many adventurists, but it is far from trivial given the harsh and potentially deadly environment.  When climbers pass beyond 3,650 metres, the oxygen level decreases drastically, pushing the human body to its limit. For altitudes above 8,000 meters, they enter what is called the “death zone”, where oxygen levels drop below eight percent (for comparison, it’s almost 21% at sea level), making acclimatisation almost impossible. Acclaimed mountaineer Reinhold Messner would be the first to accomplish the feat of ascending all of the world’s 14 8,000+ metre peaks without supplementary oxygen, a challenge which took him 16 years to complete.

Inspired by the legendary alpinist, the Zero Oxygen process was first introduced by Montblanc in 2022. The elimination of oxygen in watch-making mainly addresses two of watchmaking’s environmental adversaries, oxygen and humidity, which affect the movement from oxidation and lubricant degradation, leading to parts deterioration over time, especially under extreme conditions. For a mountaineer, this has the added benefit of minimising fogging that might affect the watch due to temperature and pressure changes at altitude.

To create an oxygen-free environment, Montblanc’s process begins by assembling the movement in a controlled environment. The watch is then placed in a chamber to allow casing operations performed under oxygen-free conditions. Next, nitrogen is injected into the chamber until a probe confirms the complete displacement of oxygen, a process that typically takes several hours. Only then is the caseback sealed.

Through ongoing research, Montblanc has streamlined this method by injecting nitrogen directly through the crown while simultaneously extracting residual air in just 60 seconds and sealing it from the crown. This innovation not only enhances efficiency but also guarantees the same rigorous oxygen-free environment, ensuring the movement’s protection.

The Zero Oxygen process was first applied to the 1858 Geosphere Zero oxygen watch with calibre MB 29.27 automatic movement, featuring a GMT display with rotating globes, with date and time. As a timepiece that is dedicated to mountaineers, the collection extended the tribute to limited editions such as the 8,000 limited edition with an additional chronograph function,  a series that is dedicated to Reinhold Messner, and the Carbo₂ edition for the recycling casing material that calls for sustainability.  

This process is now further expanded to other models under the 1858 collection such as the Iced Sea collection, 1858 Automatic Date and 1858 Automatic Chronograph. For any product that was purchased before the introduction of Zero oxygen technology, Montblanc offers clients a service, for a small fee, that applies this innovation to their timepiece, to ensure the performance regardless of external conditions and prolonging the lifespan of the watch’s components.

The accomplishment of Montblanc’s Zero Oxygen technology isn’t merely technical mastery but also a tribute to the spirit of mountaineering which inspired the innovation.