MONOCHROMATIC

The colour range recalls the shades of the sky and the sea. This limited edition made exclusively for Bucherer features an elegant blue ceramic.

Like all the timepieces in the Blue Editions collection developed by Bucherer with 14 major watchmaking firms, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Edition Bucherer Blue Editions, as its name suggests, is based around a single colour. While the design is similar to the original watch dating from 1956, it now comes in a blue ceramic, like the Ocean Commitment II limited edition. The same material is used for the unidirectional revolving bezel and the 43.6mm-wide case, which is watertight down to 300m. The sunburst-finish dial has two chronograph totalisers and a small seconds sub-dial, plus the traditional pair of stick-shaped hour and minute hands. The time information is completed by a date counter at 4.30. When you turn the watch over, the sapphire crystal unveils the automatic movement and the rotor in the watch’s signature colour.

Price: 17,800 CHF blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

PROTECTING THE DEEP SEA

The brand is continuing its promise to support oceanic research with a limited series. The project’s third outing has just launched.

The idea is simple. 1000 EUR of every watch sold is donated to support science expeditions. Just like the first edition that launched 4 years ago in 2016, Blancpain brings us 250 Fifty Fathoms watches for its Ocean Commitment project. The first two limited series were flyback chronographs but this time the manufacture wanted the new piece to be more in keeping with the original model from 1953. That means the reappearance of a 40mm steel case that’s water-resistant to depths of 300m. The time information is very clear. The chunky luminescent hands glide over a deep blue dial and track luminescent markers. The genuine diving tool features a unidirectional bezel so divers can see their dive time. A date display at 4.40 and the project logo at 6 completes the underwater picture.

Anyone who buys one of these models joins the Blancpain Ocean Commitment Circle so you can take part in exclusive events and conferences about the science expeditions funded by the brand. It’s worth mentioning that this model comes with two straps: a sail canvas one and a NATO one.

Price: 16,000 CHF blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

THE FUN INHERITANCE

This limited edition has all the charms of a diver’s watch, but also attracts the eye with its retro style, resulting in a wonderful journey back in time.

It’s impossible not to associate the 1970s with a breath of freedom and aesthetic dynamism. This richly creative period combined a light touch with sophistication. The colours were pop-inspired and the patterns were tie-dye. The soundtrack was “Love’s Theme“ by Barry White and “Miss You“ by the Stones. The same spirit of a break with the past is visible on the dials of watches like the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s designed by Blancpain. Rectangular hour markers alternate with nicely rounded Arabic figures. The hour, minute and seconds hands also play around with geometric shapes. The day and date are displayed in their own counters at 3 o’clock. Lastly, the dial colour is a stand-out feature in the design. With its sunburst grey colour scale – lighter in the centre and darker towards the outside – it illuminates the time elements. All the features are contained in a 43-mm-wide steel case that is water-resistant down to 300m.

While the style is vintage, the mechanism driving this diver’s watch is very contemporary. The automatic calibre provides a very generous autonomy of around five days.

For this limited edition of 500 pieces, Blancpain has supplied four different straps. Whether you opt for antiqued leather, steel, sail canvas or NATO, you can explore the sea’s depths or the streets of your town with style.

Price: 11,880 EUR blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

A DIVE INTO URBAN STYLE

With this model equipped with a new automatic calibre, the brand has made a timepiece with an impeccable finish and useful features for daily life.

For many years, diver’s watches have been a feature both of our underwater leisure activities and our daily life on dry land. For some, they are a fashion accessory, for others they are practical tools, and for all they are now something essential! Blancpain had the good idea of making a diver’s watch that is even more useful by adding an annual calendar to one of its star models, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe. So, on the slate grey dial, three sub-dials now complete the traditional display of hours and minutes. The first is at 2 o’clock, showing the day, the second at 3 o’clock for the date and the third at 4 o’clock for the month. The calendar takes into account the varying number of days in each month, but needs to be reset by hand in late February. The sub-dials are easy to read, even when the stick-shaped hands are above them.

The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Annuel provides a generous autonomy of 72 hours with the help of an automatic movement, the calibre 6054.P, a new version of the 1150.

Price: 24,450 EUR (sail-canvas) – 26,850 EUR (steel) blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

ELEGANCE IN MOVEMENT

Like in classical ballet, traditional watchmaking develops through set figures that can only be brought to life by perfectly choreographed staging.

A simple style and minimalist design are not the preserve of modern or futuristic watches. You only need to look at the design of the Villeret Grande Date Jour Retrograde introduced by Blancpain at Baselworld to agree. The 40mm-wide red-gold case features an opaline dial with an hour rim consisting of Roman numerals. Fine and elegant hands revolve around a decor that has been reduced to the essential elements. The manufacture has nonetheless included two extra time indications to complete a model that has clear links to traditional watchmaking values.

So, between 7 and 9 o’clock, an indicator in the arc of a circle displays the days of the week using a retrograde mechanism. A small blued steel hand moves forward every 24 hours then makes a backwards leap at the end of the week to begin its journey again on Mondays. Between 5 and 6 o’clock, two counters display a large date. These features are driven by an automatic movement. The 6950GJ is based on an ultra-flat 1150 calibre and stands out in terms of performance thanks to its two barrels. These two reservoirs of energy provide a generous power reserve of 70 hours. It is worth noting that the day can be set very simply with a press on a corrector housed beneath one of the timepiece’s horns. The date is adjusted using the crown.

The Villeret Grande Date Jour Retrograde is also available in a combination of a white dial and steel case. All the models are worn with a choice of leather or metal straps.

Price: 12,880 EUR (steel) – 22,850 EUR (red gold) blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

DANCING IN TOTAL FREEDOM

This year, the Villeret collection by Blancpain is joined by a piece with original complications – three in all – around a dial made of “Grand Feu” enamel. A highly graphic aesthetic layout that is very different from the rest of the range.

Jehan-Jacques Blancpain was the founder of a workshop producing watch parts in 1735 and watches from 1815. He was born in 1693 in Villeret, a small town in Bernese Jura. It is now the name of one of the collections of the Blancpain brand. The aesthetic style of Villeret timepieces evokes the pocket watches made in the 18^th century in Jehan-Jacques Blancpain’s workshop, with their rounded cases crowned with a double-stepped bezel and classic dials featuring open, sage leaf-shaped hands. The Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Retrograde was launched at Baselworld 2018 and came as a surprise, since although it shares the same overall look as its predecessors, it combines three complications in an original way.

The Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Retrograde is driven by a hand-wound mechanical movement, the calibre 260MR. At the heart of a 42mm-wide pink gold case, it provides a power reserve of 144 hours (6 days) with a reserve indicator shown on a guilloche disc that can be seen on the back of the watch through a sapphire glass.

Price: 139,000 CHF blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

A BIG DATE FOR THE DEEP BLUE SEA

For Baselworld 2018, the brand introduced a new model in the diving watch collection Fifty Fathoms, equipped with a very visible date.

A diving watch gives divers access to excellent readability of time information in all conditions. Even though the date is not itself an important element for safety during a dive, what could be more natural than to give it a giant display on the dial? This idea is now a reality with the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date. For this model, Blancpain has used the perfectly mastered mechanism found in watches in the Villeret collection. So out goes the small opening between 4 and 5 o’clock and in come two large sub-dials at 6 o’clock. The date changes instantly at midnight. It is still easy to adjust using the crown, as are the sword-type hour and minute hands with their luminous coating.

As for the movement, performance is present and correct with an automatic calibre and a generous power reserve of five days driven by three barrels fitted as standard. The rotor in the calibre 1315 is unveiled through the sapphire back of the robust 45cm-wide titanium case.

The Fifty Fathoms Grande Date has kept all the features that make it the ideal tool for exploring the sea depths: a unidirectional sapphire bezel, watertightness down to 300m, resistance to magnetic fields thanks to its silicon spiral, etc. The new watch also comes with two straps with a nautical flavour. One is made of sail canvas and the other is a NATO strap.

Price: 16,370 EUR blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

COMPLETE SIMPLICITY

During Baselworld, Blancpain has unveiled its first new model. This is an update rather than a re-release, combining the GMT function and a complete calendar. Let’s take a closer look.

First launched in 2002 in the Villeret collection, Blancpain’s Quantième Complet GMT is updated each year to include the brand’s latest innovations. This model combines the day and month display in two counters at 12 o’clock. A serpentine hand made of blued steel shows the date. The moon phases are unveiled through an opening at 6 o’clock. A second time zone, the famous GMT function, is displayed with an extra hour hand, standing out through a red triangular tip. Unlike the original model, the correctors placed on the case body can now be found under the four lugs of the 40mm-wide case. This invention has been patented by Blancpain and is used to correct all the calendar functions at a press of a button, without having to use a stylus. The GMT function and the time are also reset very simply using the crown.

The Quantième Complet GMT is driven by an automatic movement with a silicon spiral, the calibre 67A5, providing 72 hours of power reserve.

Two versions are available, one made of steel, the other of red gold. They are combined with a dial coloured white or opal, respectively. Above the dial move the openwork leaf-shaped hands, together with indices matching the case colour. Whatever your preference, the models come with a strap made of alligator leather or metal.

Price on request blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

UNDER CUPID’S CARESS

Blancpain has harmoniously married mother-of-pearl, diamonds and rubies to symbolise poetic (and mechanical!) love in an emotional celebration of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers.

If there is one date that must not be missed in the lovers’ diary, it is Saint Valentine’s Day, which comes around on February 14^th each year. Blancpain has saved the romantic date by adding a new timepiece to the Women collection, filled with touching symbols and precious materials. The Ultraplate Saint Valentin 2018 comes in a limited edition of 99 pieces highlighting a poetic spirit and mechanical know-how.

Its opaline dial is made of white mother-of-pearl, and is flecked with brilliant-cut diamonds and rubies using the “star set” technique. 19 white stones are set between the hour rim and the centre of the dial, while 4 red gems are placed at the cardinal points (at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock). As the hours and minutes pass, these precious stones symbolising eternal love and passion are caressed by a couple of leaf-shaped open-work hands. The seconds, meanwhile, are shown with a stylised second hand displaying the outline of an arrow piercing a red-lacquered heart. Naturally, it is impossible to forget the little Cupid on Saint Valentine’s Day!

A moon phase rounds off this sparkling picture, delicately placed in a tilted counter between 6 and 7 o’clock and raised by a silver chamfer. The moon phase includes a disc representing the queen of the night in the midst of a starry sky.

The case of the Ultraplate Saint Valentin 2018 is 29.20mm wide and 10.35mm thick; the bezel and horns are covered in almost 70 diamonds, while the rounded and fluted crown houses a single stone cut in the shape of a rose. This steel setting contains the calibre 913L made by Blancpain, providing 55 hours of power reserve.

Price on request blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

The watchmaking Maison celebrated the official opening of its New York boutique, located at 697 Fifth Avenue, together with internationally renowned chef and friend of the brand, Joël Robuchon. A look back at a pleasant encounter and a private visit conducted by Mr. Alain Delamuraz, Vice-President and Head of Marketing, Blancpain.

The longstanding friendship between the Manufacture Blancpain and the talented French chef was marked by a double celebration. As the watch brand was launching its brand-new New York boutique, the winner of 31 Michelin stars was simultaneously opening his “L’Atelier Joël Robuchon” restaurant in a nearby district, the latest addition to those already established in Europe, Asia and North America. He took the opportunity of these two perfectly synchronized births to join Blancpain for the opening of its new 375 sq.m (i.e. 4,036 sq.ft) sales area spread over two floors, featuring a freshly reinterpreted design.

A number of journalists and friends of the brand attending the occasion enjoyed a private tour providing an introduction to the premises and the Blancpain universe, conducted by Alain Delamuraz. This was followed by a friendly yet passionate dialogue between the latter and the great French chef, focusing on common core values such as the quest for quality and excellence, expertise, a deft touch and meticulous workmanship. A shared philosophy summed up by Alain Delamuraz: “Innovation is our tradition. Joël Robuchon is exactly the same, in that his techniques and creations are constantly evolving. This unremitting determination to call into question all that we do will thus enable us to progress and build the future.” In turn, the Michelin-starred chef confirmed that he shares the same vision when introduced to the watches from the Fifty Fathoms, Le Brassus and Villeret collections: “I had the opportunity of getting a closer look at the work of master-watchmakers during my visit to the Manufacture Blancpain. I saw the precision with which they work and the care they devote to their art and I understood the pride that we – chefs and watchmakers – take in producing our creations.”

At the end of the visit, in a sudden burst of enthusiasm, Joël Robuchon seized the opportunity to carry off with the boutique’s wall clock. He proudly reinstalled his prize in his new establishment as a symbol of his “deep attachment to the Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux”, while emphasizing that “time is an essential ingredient in cooking”.

For more than 30 years, long before haute cuisine achieved its current popularity, the Maison Blancpain has enjoyed friendly ties with some of the greatest exponents of this art. Its relationship with Joël Robuchon, to cite the case in point, dates back to 1989 when he, Frédy Girardet and Paul Bocuse were nominated “Chefs of the Century” by the Gault&Millau guide, and the brand presented them each with a specially engraved watch to commemorate this distinction. Over the years, the Manufacture has unremittingly pursued and consolidated its commitment to the Art of Living with internationally renowned chefs.

blancpain.com