Introducing the Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon, a tribute to Enheduanna, the world’s earliest known author, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Meisterstück.
The oldest known system of writing, Cuneiform, originated in Mesopotamia around 3200 B.C.E. This writing system was inscribed on damp clay tablets using a reed stylus to create wedge-shaped symbols, used over its 3000-year history to write around 15 languages, recording various aspects of life from temple activities to personal letters.
Enheduanna, the Earliest Known Author
In 2300 B.C.E., Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the king who established the Akkadian Empire, elevated writing through religious poetry and hymns to the goddess Inanna. Her first-person writings and authorship claims are significant in literary history. Forced into exile by a Sumerian king, she composed “The Exaltation of Inanna,” a personal poem that became an essential text in scribal schools for over 500 years.
100th Anniversary of Montblanc’s Meisterstück
To mark the 100th anniversary of Montblanc’s Meisterstück writing instrument, Montblanc’s watch designers collaborated with Catherine Mittermayer, Professor of Mesopotamian Studies at the University of Geneva, to honor Enheduanna. The tribute is embodied in a new Limited Edition Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Skeleton, adorned with high-end ornaments inspired by Enheduanna and her era.
A World of Details
Limited to 10 pieces, this 44.80mm, 18-karat yellow gold timepiece features an onyx dial engraved with an extract from Enheduanna’s Temple Hymns. The Montblanc name is translated into Sumerian symbols for “white” and “mountain.” The hymn’s closing words, engraved on the gold case band, credit Enheduanna as the author. Below the off-centered dial, an engraving of Enheduanna sits above the Exo-Tourbillon, with a crescent moon at 12 o’clock and a bull representing Nanna at 3 o’clock. Inspired by the Royal Game of Ur, a frieze appears behind the bull, and Sumerian numbers are etched into the seconds counter, referencing the limited edition of 10 pieces.
The Exo-Tourbillon Movement
The patented Suspended Exo Tourbillon, developed entirely in-house by Montblanc’s master watchmakers in Villeret, features a balance wheel positioned outside the tourbillon’s rotating cage, creating a more visible and energy-efficient minute tourbillon. The large balance wheel is raised 3.2mm above the dial, appearing to float. The hand-wound Manufacture German silver skeleton movement – calibre MB M16.69 – is decorated with an anthracite ruthenium treatment, blending historical elements with a contemporary touch.
Display the Montblanc Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Enheduanna
This limited edition comes in a special presentation case inspired by the Great Ziggurat of Ur, etched with extracts from Enheduanna’s Temple Hymns. The case cover can serve as a display base for the watch. This edition celebrates the history of writing and Montblanc’s legacy, honoring Enheduanna, the first known author to turn writing into an art, on the 100th anniversary of the Meisterstück.
