Blancpain's extraordinary dress watch, seen through the Villeret

Blancpain is said to be the world's oldest surviving watch brand, celebrating its 290th anniversary this year. While the company currently has manufacturing facilities in Le Brassus and Le Sentier, its roots lie in Villeret, a small village in the Jura Mountains. The name of this village remains today as Blancpain's dress watch collection. The "Villeret" collection, named after the place where the brand was founded, symbolizes the brand's long history. We will focus on the popular "Villeret Complete Calendar" model and explore why Villeret is considered a masterpiece dress watch.

A look back at the history of Blancpain's masterpiece, the Villeret

　Blancpain is said to be the world's oldest surviving watch brand. The company's history began in 1735, when Jean-Jacques Blancpain was registered as a watchmaker in the village of Villeret, Switzerland. Initially a small workshop, it was modernized by Jean-Jacques Blancpain's grandson, Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, and his son, Frédéric-Émile Blancpain, and steadily grew, opening an atelier in Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux in 1859.

　In 1932, the seventh-generation Blancpain president, Frédéric-Émile Blancpain, passed away, and the brand ceased to exist under the leadership of his longtime supporter, Betty Pfister. The brand continued to contribute to the development of the watch industry, releasing groundbreaking models such as the Rolls, a women's watch with an automatic movement, and the Fifty Fathoms, which laid the foundation for modern diver's watches. In 1961, the brand became part of SSIH (now the Swatch Group), but fell into a dormant state due to changes in the business environment. It was later resurrected in 1982 after being acquired by Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver.

　The collection bearing the name of Villeret, the company's birthplace, was launched in 2002. However, its roots date back to the Six Masterpieces, a series of watches that Blancpain released in succession starting in 1983. The Six Masterpieces, which consisted of complication watches incorporating dressy designs such as double-step bezels and Roman numeral indexes, had a strong impact on the world at a time when quartz watches were becoming mainstream, and made it clear to the world the appeal of mechanical watches.

　The lineup includes the Complete Calendar, Ultra Slim, Perpetual Calendar, Minute Repeater, Split-Seconds Chronograph, Tourbillon, and the Grand Complication, which combines all six of these functions in one watch. The pulse of life spun by the interlocking gears rekindled the culture of mechanical watches, and today it is passed down as the Villeret collection.

The most popular model of "Villeret" is full of "its"

　Among the many variations of the Villeret collection, the most representative model is the Villeret Complete Calendar. This model is the symbol of the collection and is the most popular among customers. Here, we will delve deeper into the appeal of the Villeret Complete Calendar.

What is Villeret's most popular model?

　Villeret offers a wide range of watches, from simple, thin models that specialize in time display to chronographs and even ultra-complex models with Chinese calendars and carousels, but one that has proven particularly popular is the Villeret Complete Calendar, which features the same complete calendar functions (displaying the date, day of the week, month, and moon phase) as the first Six Masterpiece model released in 1983.

　The dial features two small windows at 12 o'clock for the month and day of the week, a pointer-style date display slightly inside the index, and a moon phase display at 6 o'clock. The spaciousness of the dial created by the 40mm case, along with the distinctive font of Roman numeral indexes and the design omitting minute markers, exudes an elegance befitting a dress watch.

　The Villeret Complete Calendar inherits the tradition of the Six Masterpieces, which symbolize the revival of Blancpain. We will explore its appeal through six key features that embody its distinctive character: the under-lug corrector, moon phase display, double-step bezel, hands, indexes and rotor.

Six icons realised by the Manufacture

　Watches with complicated mechanisms often have pushers and correctors. This is because it is difficult to control or adjust all functions using only the crown. In watches with a complete calendar function like this one, it is common to place a corrector on the side of the case and adjust the calendar by pressing it with a rod-shaped tool. While this is a simple and rational method, Blancpain found two areas that needed improvement. First, having a corrector on the side of the case simply detracts from the aesthetics. Second, it is impossible to adjust the calendar without a tool. To overcome these issues, the company developed the under-lug corrector.

　As its name suggests, the under-lug corrector is located on the underside of the lugs and can be easily operated by pressing it in with your fingertips. This mechanism, which is unnoticeable when worn but can be operated with your fingertips when necessary, gives the Villeret Complete Calendar superior convenience and aesthetic appeal compared to other complicated calendar watches.

　Furthermore, when developing the operating system, attention must be paid to preventing malfunctions and durability. The undersides of the lugs come into contact with the skin, and friction occurs when putting on or taking off the watch. Furthermore, sweat tends to accumulate around the case back, so it is necessary to ensure waterproofing to prevent water from seeping into the case. The under-lug collector is the culmination of technology that achieves this delicate balance.

　Many users probably think of the moon phase as an iconic element of Blancpain. The moon's face peeking out from a small fan-shaped window is a charming feature that is characteristic of Blancpain. Incidentally, this face is different for men's and women's models, and some women's models are adorned with long eyelashes and a star-shaped mole.

　The double-step bezel is also a common feature of the Villeret collection. The double bezel emphasizes the soft, rounded design, and the shadows created by the light accentuate the three-dimensional look. Dress watch case designs are often simple, making it difficult to differentiate them. The double-step bezel is one of the iconic designs that makes a Villeret instantly recognizable.

　The hour and minute hands are designed to resemble a sage leaf with a cut-out in the middle. A blue serpentine hand indicates the date. The straight second hand has a counterweight bearing the initials of the company's founder, Jean-Jacques Blancpain. Giving each hand its own distinctive character gives excellent legibility to complete calendar watches, which tend to contain a lot of information. Another key to improving legibility is that the length of the hands is long enough to reach the indexes and scales they are meant to indicate. Even in the smallest details, you can see the attention to detail that you would expect from a long-established watch brand.

　The mirror-polished 18K gold applied indexes are another highlight of this watch. While Roman numeral indexes tend to give a classical impression, the use of a special typeface and making them slightly taller give them a modern feel. While the visibility of mirror-finished indexes can be a concern, this model's matte dial creates a contrast and emphasizes the presence of the indexes.

　The automatic winding rotor mounted on the movement is also made of 18K gold, just like the indexes. In addition to its unique pattern that changes appearance depending on the light, the brilliance unique to gold creates a highly aesthetic appeal. Gold, a metal with a high specific gravity, also contributes to improving the winding efficiency of the rotor, offering practical benefits.

Wide variety

　Another appealing feature of the Villeret Complete Calendar is its wide variety of options. Case materials range from stainless steel, perfect for everyday wear, to 18K gold, perfect for parties, and dial colors range from subdued white and gray to vibrant blue and green. This allows you to choose the perfect watch for your occasion and personal preferences. The colors of the hands, calendar disc, moon phase, and leather strap are all matched to the case and dial, demonstrating the attention to detail that goes into aesthetic design.

　For those who want to enjoy the Villeret style in a simpler way, we recommend the Villeret Ultra Slim. This model features three hands for the hours, minutes, and seconds, plus a date display, and features the same Roman numeral indexes and sage leaf-inspired hands as the Villeret Complete Calendar. Since there are no small windows for the month and day of the week, or a moon phase display, the dial has a large blank space in the center, allowing you to enjoy the sophisticated design of a dress watch.

　Another feature of this watch is its thin case, as the name Ultra Slim suggests. While the Villeret Complete Calendar, which is equipped with an automatic movement, is also thin at 10.9mm, the Villeret Ultra Slim achieves a sleek case thickness of just 8.7mm. Thinness is one of the key elements of a dress watch. This model will not get in the way of your shirt cuffs.

A movement that combines practicality and aesthetics

　So far, we've mainly focused on the exterior, but the appeal of the Villeret is also evident in its movement. The Villeret Complete Calendar is equipped with the Cal. 6654.4, a mechanical automatic movement made up of 321 parts. Despite its complete calendar function, it boasts a thickness of just 5.32mm. The balance spring uses silicon, which offers excellent magnetic resistance, and the watch boasts a power reserve of approximately 72 hours, making it a modern watch.

　In contrast, the three-hand Villeret Ultra Slim is equipped with the 3.25mm thick automatic mechanical movement, Cal. 1151. Equipped with two barrels, it boasts a power reserve of approximately 100 hours despite its slim design.

　Both movements feature an 18K gold rotor as well as striped and beveled bridges, allowing the finish to be fully appreciated through the see-through case back. As mentioned above, the numerical specifications are impeccable, but we would like to add that they are also reliable in terms of practical robustness. The same type of movement is also used in the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe collection of diver's watches.

290 years of history and expertise in crafting outstanding dress watches

　Villeret's roots lie in the Six Masterpiece, which was introduced in stages starting in 1983. The Six Masterpiece, with its numerous complex mechanisms, demonstrated the potential of mechanical watches that were destined to disappear over time, and contributed to the preservation of that culture. This sense of mission and pioneering spirit can be seen not only in the development of the small workshop that was born in the village of Villeret, but also in the subsequent development of practical women's watches and modern diver's watches.

　The Villeret design code itself dates back to the 1980s, but it incorporates the 290-year history of Blancpain. Simple yet iconic, classic yet distinctively innovative, the Villeret is worthy of being called a masterpiece dress watch.

The best place to see the Blancpain collection is at the boutique

　In addition to the Villeret introduced in this article, Blancpain also has many other long-selling models, such as the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, the Fifty Fathoms Automatic, and the Air Command. To see the collection in person, we recommend visiting a boutique. You can enjoy the wide selection of products in a relaxed atmosphere.

　Here we introduce the five boutiques that Blancpain currently operates in Japan.

Tokyo Boutique

Blancpain Boutique Ginza

Location: 104-0061
Nicolas G. Hayek Center 4th floor, 7-9-18 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Telephone number: 03-6254-7233

Blancpain Boutique Isetan Shinjuku

Location: 160-0022
Isetan Shinjuku Store, Main Building 5F, 3-14-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Watch
Telephone number: 03-6380-1818

Blancpain Boutique Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store

Location: 103-8001
Watch Gallery, 6th floor, Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store, 1-4-1 Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Telephone number: 03-6281-9953

Osaka boutique

Blancpain Boutique Osaka Shinsaibashi

Location: 542-0081
Postal Welfare Shinsaibashi Building 1F, 3-11-18 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Telephone number: 06-6281-1735

Blancpain Boutique Hankyu Umeda Main Store

Location: 530-8350
Hankyu Umeda Main Store, 6th floor Watch Gallery, 8-7 Kakuta-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Telephone number: 06-6313-0749

　You can search for Blancpain retailers nationwide, including boutiques, at the following URL.

https://www.blancpain.com/ja/sabisu/fanmaidian