We Didn’t Scratch It! Hands-On With The Stone-Washed Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen

I swear, the watch came out of the box looking like this; we didn’t do anything to scuff it up. The brand that sent us the watch did this on purpose. The latest Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen is a black dive watch that looks like it has been diving in the harshest conditions for a couple of decades. It hasn’t, but the distressed look gives that impression — and very convincingly at that. How Montblanc created the look is a work of storytelling of the highest level. It even involves rocks from Mont Blanc.

We’ve been following the Iced Sea dive watches closely since their debut in 2022. Montblanc first used the name 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date for watches that conform to the ISO 6425 standard for diving and undergo the Montblanc Laboratory 500 Hour Test for durability. Clearly, Montblanc didn’t forget function when it came to a watch with a distinct glacier-like dial that debuted in black, blue, and green. Over the last four years, the collection has evolved, and along with different colors and sizes, a new concept was introduced to the Iced Sea collection — 0 Oxygen.

Hands-on with the stone-washed Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen

Now, before I explain how this watch got its rugged (or roughed-up) look, let me refresh your memory on the 0 Oxygen concept. The inspiration comes from pioneering mountaineers like Reinhold Messner, who conquered the highest peaks without supplemental oxygen. To honor those intrepid alpinists and equip modern-day adventurers with robust equipment for extreme environments, Montblanc has created oxygen-free cases. Watches following the 0 Oxygen concept feature a seal between the sapphire crystal and the case. This seal prevents the removed oxygen from seeping in. Removing oxygen means that condensation, which can appear when you move between extreme temperatures, does not build up inside the case. The lack of oxygen, which Montblanc certifies, also ensures the components will last longer because they won’t oxidize. It’s a cool concept in every way. Now, how about those rocks?

Are you distressed?

The Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen ref. MB137541 (€5,300 / US$5,600 / £4,600) is not your average black watch. And that’s because it isn’t fully black. There is something about the textured surface that makes it appear very dark gray. The watch looks more alive than your average black watch. And that makes sense because it has been through quite a lot. The watch’s textured surface comes from putting the case and the bracelet links in a “washing machine” with little rocks from Mont Blanc — yes, the mountain right on the border between France and Italy. But before that, the stainless steel base was coated black.

The stones create a patina that gives the watch an appearance reminiscent of a heavily used Heuer Monza or a Porsche Design Chronograph 1 from the 1970s. These PVD-coated black watches slowly but surely lost their blackness, turning into dark gray ones with beautiful signs of wear. The pre-aged Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen mimics those looks. It has a brushed surfaces that look like micro-scratches, and some edges have shiny spots. The combination gives it that lively, worn-in look. This watch looks best with your favorite jeans and the Red Wings you’ve been wearing for as long as you can remember.

Frozen in time

The dark gray case gets a black unidirectional dive bezel with a black ceramic insert. Look closely, and you will notice that the 15-minute section on the bezel has a different height and structure. A laser created the subtle relief, with the markings slightly higher on a grainy foundation. The bezel surrounds a glacier-like dial that has become the signature of the Iced Sea. Inspiration comes from the Mer de Glace (“Sea of Ice”) glacier on Mont Blanc. The striated pattern mimics an interlocking network of crystals formed over millennia in a glacier. It takes an old technique known as gratté boisé to create it. With a piece of wood, the dial’s surface receives a series of delicate scratches.

It takes 30 days to produce such a dial. The black-to-gray sfumato effect of the dial adds a touch of mystery. Although the dial is distinct, it’s also very legible. The intricate glacier-inspired pattern doesn’t overpower the applied hour markers and broad hands, which stand out clearly in any light thanks to plenty of Super-LumiNova.

Hands-on with the pre-aged Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen

The case of the deep gray, pre-aged Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen has a 41mm diameter, a 51mm length, and a 12.9mm thickness. These numbers won’t provoke a strong debate. They’re middle-of-the-road dimensions for a diver that will probably function as a daily beater or a weekend watch. Still, if you want, you can take it 300 meters below the water’s surface, and the watch, with its screw-down crown, will be fine. It wears perfectly fine, too.

The bracelet looks solid, and the push-button folding clasp includes a toolless fine-adjustment mechanism. You can also swap the bracelet rapidly for a black rubber strap, for example, because it features a quick-release system. But why would you do that when the stone-washed watch and matching bracelet look and wear this well? It feels a bit like double denim; it wears oh-so comfortably and looks effortlessly cool.

Modern-day Montblanc watches often have spectacular case backs. A fine example is the colorful laser-etched case back of the 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition. The case back of the Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen is a bit simpler, but the monochromatic engraving depicting a diver swimming underneath a large ice floe looks neat. It’s way nicer to look at than the movement inside, the automatic MB 24.17, which is essentially a Sellita SW200. This 4Hz caliber has a 38-hour power reserve, which makes it this watch’s most underwhelming component. A €5,300 watch deserves a better movement with greater power reserve, such as the SW200-2 Power+, an upgraded workhorse with a 65-hour power reserve. Maybe Montblanc will upgrade the various Iced Sea models in the near future.

Final thoughts

I can keep this short and sweet. I love the distressed look of the Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen ref. MB137541. Montblanc managed to create an aesthetic that I adore — black watches from the 1970s that have been banged around for decades and now look pure badass. This Iced Sea diver looks badass too. Its exterior also complements the glacier-like lines on the dial’s surface. The bracelet is solid and comfortable on the wrist, and it offers the fine adjustment you’d expect on a watch costing more than €5k. I also like the laser-engraved case back covering the movement, but I don’t really care for the caliber inside.

The distressed look is a matter of taste; a movement with a 38-hour power reserve is not. That’s not on the level of the rest of the watch. What do you think? Is this stone-washed look something you would rock? Please let me know in the comments section below.

In case you want to take a look at other iterations of the Iced Sea, please take a look at Montblanc’s official website.