St. Louis-based Monta Watches continues its stream of limited dials with the Monta Noble in pink and pastel turquoise blue, made to honor the women behind Monta who held the company together during the tumultuous pandemic period.
The Release
The only new elements in these releases are the pink and pastel blue dials. Other than that, it’s the Monta Noble as usual. A 38.5mm case with 47mm lug-to-lug and just 9.7mm thick. The Noble features the brand’s oyster-style bracelet with fitted 20mm endlinks and a proprietary quick-adjust clasp with three microadjustment positions. The case is mostly brushed with polished chamfers along the edge and around the fixed bezel; there is also an interior chamfer on the lugs. The screwdown crown at 3 o’clock helps to ensure 150m water resistance. There is a screwdown sapphire display caseback which shows off the automatic Monta Caliber M-22 (Sellita SW300) with a custom Monta rotor.
The dial sits under a flat beveled sapphire crystal. Both the pastel blue and the pink are matte finish, with matching rehauts. They both feature a date window at 6 o’clock with a polished frame. The hands and markers are rhodium-plated and have Super-LumiNova BGW9 fill. The counterbalance of the polished seconds hand also features lume.
Our Thoughts
Let me get this out of the way: I like the colors of these dials and I like the Noble. They wear well and, like all Monta watches, are exceptional overall. Considering these watches in isolation, there’s nothing much more to say. But watches don’t exist in isolation, so let’s get to it. The critics will shout “Copycat!” The skeptics will question the motives. I get it, but as Monta clearly states, the idea for these watches preceded the massive influx of pastel blue (and moderate influx of pink) dials. Monta points to March of 2020 as the nadir for the company, through which it was carried by the women in the background. The brand points to personal inspirations for both colors—daughters, wives, first homes, gifts. Beyond that, some will complain the market is becoming oversaturated with pastel dials—especially blue—but I don’t see people complaining about black or white or dark blue dials. Why should any other color be different?
Now I’d like to get into some speculation. The last two limited editions announced by the brand—the Oceanking in blue with black bezel and the Skyquest Opalin Gilt—were the swan songs for their models, which are to be discontinued, redesigned, and rebooted. There’s no announcement, and there’s no hint of this, but I have to wonder if the Noble is next? Is the entire Monta catalog getting ready for a reboot, for one reason or another? I’ll leave you to let your imaginations run wild.
Availability
The new Monta Noble in pink and pastel blue will be limited to 50 pieces each. While pricing wasn’t specified, it’s assumed that it will be consistent with other Noble models at $1,760. Interested buyers must email Monta at info@montawatch.com to put their name on a pre-sale list. Monta will create a special product page that only those on the email list will have access to. The watches are expected to be ready by late August or early September.