`Panda’ and `Reverse Panda’ are terms from the golden era of car racing in the 1960s and were used for watch racing chronographs with black and white dials. The former referring to watches with white dial and black sub-dials, and the latter referring to the opposite. Montblanc is bringing the terms back with its TimeWalker collection which has traditionally been inspired by motor racing. The two chronographs come with `reverse panda’ aesthetics with contrasting black background dials and silvery-white counters and flanges. Their steel cases are of varying sizes – TimeWalker Manufacture Automatic Chronograph 41mm and TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph 43mm, with carved flanks that are bevelled on the edges to offer a smooth line for the 41 mm model, and are semi-skeletonized like the air inlets of a car’s in the case of the 43 mm version.

In the spirit of racing, both are also equipped with a practical tachymeter scale for timing speed that is indicated on the fixed ceramic bezel. The 41 mm dial displays the counters at 6 and 12 o’clock, while the 43 mm version features them at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, reminiscent of the traditional 3-6-9 counter chronograph positions. The timepieces feature Super-LumiNova numerals and indexes, as well as a precise minute track on the flange that has also been enhanced with both Super-LumiNova and red markers for the 15-minute mark for legibility. The 43 mm watch is powered by the self-winding calibre MB 25.10, and the 41 mm version by calibre MB 25.07. Both have a power reserve of around 46 hours.