The theme for the 2019 Festival of Speed will be “Speed Kings – Motorsport’s Record Breakers” as “motorsport is about pushing man and machine to the very limit, and this year, Goodwood will celebrate the people and machinery that set the benchmark or raise the bar. The focus will not just be on the Land Speed Record, but on every area of record breaking in motorsport, from the most consecutive wins, to most championships, fastest laps, most poles set by a manufacturer and much more”.

“Only with the help of a precise and reliable timekeeping instrument can records of time actually be broken. Because of its illustrious past as a stopwatch of choice to time races with great accuracy, it is always very special to see the storied Minerva return to its roots at one of the world’s most exciting racing events. It is, without a doubt, the perfect backdrop to introduce the latest iteration of our TimeWalker chronograph, a tribute to the spirit of racing and the constant quest to break records,” says Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc CEO.

As Official Timing Partner for the third year running, Montblanc will lend its timekeeping expertise to the numerous races that take place over the four-day event. As is customary each year, the festival will culminate in a spectacular 1.16-mile timed Hillclimb Shootout, which will determine the champion of the 2019 Festival of Speed and the winner of a Montblanc timepiece — the TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of ex-Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld setting the outright record for the 1.16-mile Goodwood Hill course in 41.6 seconds.


Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Montblanc Watches adds: “The link between Montblanc and racing timekeeping dates back to the forties when Minerva was setting the standard of precision and building chronographs monopusher like the Rally Timer, the ultimate instrument to celebrate Motorsport passion”.

Paying tribute to the legacy of Minerva, Montblanc continues over 160 years of fine watchmaking tradition with its collections. Founded in 1858 in Villeret, The Minerva Manufacture was a leading specialist in the fabrication of professional watches and known as an exclusive workshop producing high-quality instruments for measuring brief intervals of time with remarkable precision — for example, the 1/100^th of second counter that was presented in 1916. A perfect example of this heritage is the “Rally Timer”, a stopwatch that was created to time motor racing with high precision and which has been the source of inspiration for the TimeWalker collection.

The TimeWalker product line combines these legendary timing instruments of the past with the spirit of motor racing, encapsulating the Minerva heritage, technology, masculine energy, winning performance and the style of the glory days of racing. During the Goodwood event, and in selected boutiques, Montblanc will launch the new TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph Limited Edition 1500.

The timepiece is crafted with “distressed” steel, a special finish which is achieved by treating the stainless-steel case with a black-coating and then manually washing and brushing it to give each timepiece its very own patina and unique appearance. This vintage look matches perfectly with the black and grey “reverse panda” dial, black ceramic bezel, black rhodium-coated hands and the brand-new black Nubuck calf leather strap.

The TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph Limited Edition 1500 is powered by the Montblanc Manufacture chronograph calibre MB 25.10 featuring traditional finishing such as “Côtes de Genève”, circular graining, blue screws and a new Monobloc oscillating weight made of black rhodium-plated tungsten and designed in the shape of a steering wheel. The movement is equipped with a traditional column wheel, a horizontal coupling as well as a stop-second mechanism, allowing the precise setting of the time. The timepiece indicates the hours, minutes, small seconds and date, as well as the chronograph’s indications with a central hand and counters at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, reminiscent of traditional 39 counter chronograph positions.