Literary Tribute: Presenting the Montblanc Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Enheduanna Edition

Montblanc has a rich history of producing not just luxury watches, but also exceptional writing instruments. The brand’s Writers Edition series celebrates famous authors, such as William Faulkner, Leo Tolstoy, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. While primarily focused on pens, this series has inspired watch designs as well. Montblanc watches that are dedicated to authors will of course combine horological craftsmanship with appreciation for literature. The 10-piece limited-edition Montblanc Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Enheduanna - LE10 (Ref. 133616) is a stellar example of this literary-horological endeavour. A tribute to the world’s earliest known author, this model celebrates the 100th anniversary of Meisterstück pens that are steeped in history. 

To be precise, the new iteration is dedicated to Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the king who founded the Akkadian Empire, which is said to be the first known ancient empire of Mesopotamia. Enheduanna was a high priestess who advanced the art of writing in 2300 BC. Her texts are the earliest known examples of “first-person writing”; it is believed that she was also the first writer to claim authorship of his or her work. Some of the “books” that Enheduanna wrote include Inanna Lady of Largest Heart, The Exaltation of Inanna, Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna, and To Inanna, Goddess of Love. It is also claimed that at some point in her life, she was deposed by a Sumerian monarch and forced into exile. During this period, she wrote the poem, The Exaltation of Inanna, describing the coup and holding her petitions to Inanna for restoration of her kingdom.

A veritable tribute to Enheduanna and her place in literary history, the new watch features a 44.8 mm 18 ct yellow gold case, an onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock, and a polished bezel. There is an onyx dial with 18 ct yellow gold hour and minute hands; it is engraved with an extract from one of the Temple Hymns of Enheduanna. Instead of the traditional logo, ‘Montblanc’ has been written in Sumerian style, with the symbols for white and the mountain at the end of the text. As she was the high priestess of the moon god, Nanna, the crescent moon is displayed at 12 o’clock. Below the off-centred dial, an 18 ct yellow gold engraving of Enheduanna sits above the Exo Tourbillon. The patented Exo Tourbillon acts a small seconds; it makes one revolution per minute to indicate the seconds with a one arm-bridge at 6 o’clock. The moon also recalls the horns of a bull, a popular representation of Nanna, also depicted at 3 o’clock. 

A frieze, inspired by the Royal Game of Ur, an ancient Mesopotamian sport, is spotted behind the bull, rounding out the historical elements. The seconds counter features engravings of Sumerian numbers as well as the number 10, which relates to the limited edition of 10 pieces. This limited-edition timepiece also features the Hymn's final words, engraved on the 18 ct yellow gold caseband, attributed to its author: “The compiler of the tablets was Enheduanna. My king, something has been created that no one has created before.”

The innovative suspended Exo Tourbillon mechanism has been created fully in-house by master watchmakers at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret; it took three years to develop this marvel. The term "Exo" is derived from the Greek word for “external” or “outside” — it refers to the enormous balance wheel with screws that is located outside the tourbillon's revolving cage.

Powering the watch is the hand-wound Manufacture German silver skeleton movements – as per the brand, Calibre MB M16.69 has an anthracite ruthenium treatment on parts of the movement, while MB M18.69 has a 50-hour power reserve. What’s more, this model has a mirror-polished open-worked ratchet barrel with the Minerva arrow. Turning the watch over showcases the skeleton caseback with the engraving of the individual watch number out of 10. The caseback has openworked bridges with ruthenium coating, and German-silver and hand-chamfered edges. The watch is finished on a black calf leather strap with an 18 ct yellow gold triple folding clasp. 

The timepiece is certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500H. After the pieces are expertly assembled at the factory in Le Locle, the ultimate mark of distinction for a newly manufactured Montblanc timepiece is passing the rigorous Montblanc Laboratory Test 500, which looks for absolute precision and perfection.