Peak Performance

With a love for trail running and the mountains, it is no wonder Laurent Lecamp believes he has found his calling at Montblanc as the managing director of its watch division.

- Alvin Wong

JUST AS FASHION designers are judged by their seasonal roll-outs, watch companies’ head honchos, too, are scrutinised at every annual watch fair, critiqued based on the timepieces that bear their horological vision.

Though it is still early days for Laurent Lecamp, there is strong evidence that he isn’t shy about imbuing a bit of his personality into Montblanc’s watches. The 45-year-old is into his second year as the managing director of Montblanc’s watch division. In his time, the company’s watches appear to have taken on a more sportive spirit— informed in no small way by Lecamp’s passion for outdoor sports and the mountains.

At last year’s Watches And Wonders, Montblanc debuted the Iced Sea. A new collection of dive watches certified to ISO 6425 standards, the timepieces’ standout feature is the ornamental dial that recalls the look of actual glaciers.

This year’s two new Iced Sea models continue the narrative. One is in grey and features a dial inspired by Mer de Glace, one of the Mont-Blanc mountain’s largest glaciers, while the other in green depicts the look of Antarctic ice. Lecamp tells me that although the Iced Sea watches are inspired by the outdoors, they also exemplify the virtues of handcrafted horology. The dials are made using a technique called gratte-boise, he explains, a fastidious process that comprises more than 30 steps to complete for each dial.