Founded in 1735 by watchmaker Jean-Jacques Blancpain in the village of Villeret in the Swiss Jura region, Blancpain is said to be the world's oldest watch brand. Blancpain's long history has earned it a place in the watch industry today, thanks to its dedication to producing only mechanical watches since its founding and its contribution to the revival and development of the industry. This article explores the appeal of the Villeret, a classic among Blancpain's many masterpieces, with its simple and orthodox design, and the Fifty Fathoms, the ancestor of modern diver's watches.
Text by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos Japan Edition)
(Article published on October 9, 2021)
The history of being known as "the world's oldest watch brand" and its legitimacy as a driving force behind the revival of mechanical watches
The origins of Blancpain date back to 1735, when Jean-Jacques Blancpain was registered as a watchmaker in the village of Villeret in the Swiss Jura region and founded the Maison bearing his family name. This fact is the reason why Blancpain is considered the oldest surviving watch brand in the world. It has been passed down through the family for nearly two centuries, and despite many twists and turns, it has continued to build its history to the present day.
While Blancpain's roots lie in the Villeret collection, which still bears its name, the brand also has another root. It originates in the Vallée de Joux (the Valley of Joux), where Louis-Élysée Piguet established an atelier specializing in complicated movements in 1859. In 1891, Louis-Élysée Piguet purchased an old factory located on a hill in the center of Le Brassus, in the Vallée de Joux. Blancpain named this factory "Farm" and continued its tradition of complicated movements in this atelier. After a period of decline for mechanical watches due to the popularity of quartz watches in the 1970s, Blancpain signaled a revival of mechanical watches in the 1980s by producing more interesting mechanical watches. It was here that the 1735, an unprecedented automatic watch combining six complications, was born in 1991.
Today, the Le Brassus workshop continues to develop complex mechanisms such as minute repeaters, split-second chronographs, carrousels, and tourbillons. The firm also now houses a Métiers d'Art workshop, where watchmakers apply intricate engraving and miniature enamel techniques to dials and movement components, and incorporate new techniques never before seen in luxury watches, such as shakudo (red copper) and Japanese binchotan charcoal. These techniques continue to push the boundaries of watchmaking, constantly striving to improve their craft.
(Right) Manufacture Blancpain in Le Sentier in the Vallée de Joux. Since Louis-Elisée Piguet, the movement manufacturer Frédéric Piguet has been producing Blancpain's movements. In 2010, Blancpain fully integrated the company, renaming it Manufacture Blancpain.
One period in Blancpain's long history that is noteworthy is the transition from pocket watches to wristwatches and their widespread adoption from the early to mid-20th century. During this period, Blancpain produced a number of milestone watches that still have an impact today. Among them are the Fifty Fathoms, the ancestor of the modern diver's watch, launched in 1953, and the Ladybird, released in 1956 with an 11.85mm diameter movement for women. These are iconic pieces that represent Blancpain and are still in use today, masterpieces that demonstrate Blancpain's ongoing commitment to the preservation and development of mechanical watches.
In 1961, Blancpain merged with Société Suisse pour l'Industrie Horlogère (SSIH), which also included Omega, Tissot, and Lemania, to become the movement manufacturing base of the SSIH Group. However, in the 1970s, the Swiss watch industry faced an unprecedented crisis due to the spread of quartz watches. However, it was none other than Blancpain that quickly overcame this adversity.
Since its revival in 1983, Blancpain has focused on the development and manufacture of mechanical watches, and has released six complicated watches known as the "Six Masterpieces" that represent the pinnacle of its technology. By releasing six models incorporating complex mechanisms that are highly challenging even today—ultra-slim, moon phase, split-second chronograph, perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and minute repeater—Blancpain made a name for itself in the watch industry as a pioneer on the eve of the full-scale boom in mechanical watches.
In particular, the moon phase with its "face" has a nostalgic look that has stirred up romantic feelings about mechanical watches, becoming a mechanism that symbolizes Blancpain.
Here, we focus on two of Blancpain's most representative collections, the Villeret and Fifty Fathoms, and introduce 10 carefully selected models with their details.
Since its founding, Blancpain has continued to produce only mechanical watches, inheriting the traditions and technical expertise of Swiss watchmaking while also providing ways to enjoy them. It should not be forgotten that the reason behind this long history and the fact that these goals have remained intact to this day is the philosophy of current President and CEO Marc A. Hayek, who believes that "innovation is tradition."
Blancpain has always been at the forefront of mechanical watches because it strives for innovation and is constantly evolving. Of course, the classic Blancpain models introduced here also demonstrate the brand's tradition of pursuing innovation.
The Villeret collection, the orthodox successor to mechanical watches
Blancpain was founded in Villeret, in the Swiss Jura region, by Jean-Jacques Blancpain in 1735. The Villeret collection is the Manufacture's most classic collection, named after the birthplace of the brand.
Among the many Blancpain collections, the Villeret has the most classic and simple design, and as its name suggests, it is a model that has the mission of inheriting and embodying Blancpain's tradition and aesthetic sense.
It has a thin case in keeping with classical tradition, but the double-step bezel subtly adds an elegant touch. The gold applied indexes give it a three-dimensional look and presence, and also contribute to improved visibility. Automatic winding (Cal. 1150). 28 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve of approximately 100 hours. 18K red gold case (diameter 38.00 mm, thickness 8.35 mm). Water resistant to 30 meters. Price: 2,046,000 yen (tax included).
The dial is pure in its simplicity and features hand-applied gold indexes. These three-dimensional indexes have a polished gold finish, creating a clearer contrast with the dial and ensuring high visibility.
In addition, the thin case, which inherits the tradition of dress watches, is given a double-step bezel, which gives the watch a clear individuality and dignity within its clean, slender silhouette, while also achieving an iconic form.
(Right) The sage leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are hollowed out in the center, reducing weight while also improving legibility by not completely obscuring the date window when they overlap. The slimmer seconds hand is given ample length and is cleverly balanced by a counterweight bearing the founder's initials, "JB."
(Right) The sapphire crystal case back reveals the Caliber 1150 movement. It features a circular-grained mainplate and bridges decorated with Côtes de Genève, a gold rotor with a honeycomb pattern, and a silicon balance spring.
While carrying the brand's roots and traditions, today's Villeret watches are a contemporary design, with an exquisite balance between a simple dial, hollowed-out hour and minute hands shaped like sage leaves, and a slim second hand with the initials of founder Jean-Jacques Blancpain as a counterweight, creating a remarkable harmony with the modern era.
Compared to the simplest three-hand, date-equipped Villeret Extra Slim, the Villeret Complete Calendar, with its moon phase display, is said to be the most Blancpain-esque, offering not only a gorgeous appearance but also high practicality with its month, date, and day of the week displays. This combination of mechanical moon phase and complete calendar (month, date, and day of the week) display is a "tradition" that Blancpain revived ahead of its competitors in 1983 and is still one of the heritages handed down to the Villeret collection today.
Blancpain's strengths extend beyond this "tradition." In the Villeret Complete Calendar, the correctors (adjustment buttons) for adjusting the month, date, day of the week, and moon phase are all located on the back of the four lugs, allowing for adjustment without the need for special tools. As a result, the corrector buttons found on the side of the case of the regular triple calendar moon phase model have been eliminated, resulting in a cleaner, more beautiful watch. At the same time, the elimination of the need for special tools also improves utility.
Although it is the most basic collection, it is also worth noting that it simply embodies Blancpain's philosophy of "innovation is tradition."
In addition to the moon phase, it features a complete calendar displaying the date, day of the week, and month, yet the case is only 10.65mm thick. The moon phase moon face is one of Blancpain's defining features. Automatic (Cal. 6654). 28 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Stainless steel case (40mm diameter, 10.65mm thick). Water resistant to 30m. Price: 176 million yen (tax included).
(Right) A distinctive feature of Blancpain is the moon phase display, which features a "face." The date display, which makes up the complete calendar, is indicated by a pointer-type blued steel serpentine hand.
(Center) The sapphire crystal case back reveals the Cal. 6654 movement, which features a complete calendar and moon phase display. Two barrels provide a power reserve of approximately 72 hours and torque stability.
(Right) The complete calendar's month, date, day of the week, and moon phase displays can be manually adjusted without the use of special tools thanks to the correctors located on the back of each of the four lugs. The elimination of correctors on the case sides further highlights Villeret's pure case design.
Villeret collection catalogue
This model with a midnight blue dial was added to the Villeret collection in 2020. This is the first time that a midnight blue dial has been combined with a red gold case. The sunburst dial adds depth to the blue color and harmonizes well with the red gold applied Roman numerals. Automatic winding (Cal. 1151). 28 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve approximately 100 hours. 18K red gold case (diameter 40mm, thickness 8.7mm). Water resistant to 30m. Price: 2,288,000 yen (tax included).
This model features Blancpain's iconic moon phase display as well as a perpetual calendar. This stainless steel case model is a practical, yet complex, watch. The new model's diameter has been reduced to 40mm, compared to the existing 42mm model, making it more suitable for a wider range of users. Automatic winding (Cal. 5954). 32 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve of approximately 72 hours. Stainless steel case (40mm diameter, 11.1mm thick). Water resistant to 30m. Price: 4,004,000 yen (tax included).
