The final of the Blancpain GT Series Europe and the Blancpain GT Sports Club was held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on October 1st. This last European venue of the year hosted other renowned competitions and the number of cars competing had never been so high, with a record-breaking 168 vehicles.

Blancpain GT Series

After a solid performance and despite their third position after three hours of racing in Barcelona, Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart from the Grasser Racing Team #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 were crowned the new 2017 Blancpain GT Series 2017 champions. Together with Andrea Caldarelli, they also took the driver’s Endurance Cup.

The winners of the last round of the 2017 Blancpain GT Series season in Barcelona were Felix Serralles, Tristan Vautier and Dani Juncadella of the AKKA ASP #88 Mercedes-AMG GT3 team, which narrowly beat the Team WRT #17 Audi R8 LMS.

Grasser Racing Team took the Blancpain GT Series team title in their Lamborghini Huracán GT3, while Bentley Team M-Sport claimed the Endurance Cup team’s title, a consolation for the trio Andy Soucek, Maxime Soulet and Vincent Abril. The latter had managed to gain a dozen positions in the opening stint, but halfway through the race and after a three-way fight with a BMW and a Jaguar, the Bentley gearbox was damaged and the driver had to park the car, thus putting an end to any hopes of winning the championship.

Blancpain and the world of Motorsport

Over the past nine years, Blancpain has emerged as a pre-eminent force in the field of motorsport and established a leading profile among automobile manufacturers, drivers and spectators. The watch Manufacture has become an international benchmark in GT racing through its partnerships such as the Blancpain GT Series Europe (comprising the Blancpain Endurance Series and the Blancpain Sprint Series), the Blancpain GT Series Asia, the Blancpain Sports Club, and the British GT Championship. Watchmaking and automotive mechanics thus meet and mingle, as Blancpain also serves as official race timekeeper.

The last round of the Blancpain GT Series Asia will take place from October 13th to 15th on the Zheijang circuit in China, which marks the closing of the 2017 Blancpain Motorsport season.

All the winners of the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Championships will travel to Paris on Friday November 24th for the official prize-giving ceremony. They will also be officially presented with an L-evolution Flyback Chronograph watch specially engraved for this occasion.

blancpain.com

HIGH-LEVEL ACROBATICS

When the flying tourbillon and flying carrousel meet, watchmaking turns into an art. Blancpain revisits an intricate combination.

Tourbillon and carrousel. Two complications that are as beautiful to look at as they are complicated to produce. Blancpain set itself the challenge a few years back of combining two regulators that are now combinations of legend. The Le Brassus Tourbillon Carrousel associates the two mechanisms, whose aim is to reduce the effects of gravity on the workings of the movement.

At 12 o’clock, the tourbillon nestling in its cage is linked to the barrel through a unique gear train. So, if the mechanical link stops working, the tourbillon will also come to a halt. The carrousel, at 6 o’clock, is linked to the barrel by two gear trains, one providing the energy needed to drive the escape wheel, and the other controlling the cage’s rotating speed. The two cages are independent of each other, but connected by a differential gear train that transmits the average rate from both regulators to the time display. A mechanism resulting in very precise timekeeping.

These two mechanisms can be seen through a sapphire crystal case back, which also reveals the power reserve indicator. The 44.60 mm red-gold case feels light and pleasant on the wrist, particularly thanks to its slim 11.94 mm width. The dial, meanwhile, features an hour rim made of Grand Feu enamel with gold Roman numerals. An external winding crown can be used to wind the two barrels at the same time while guaranteeing equal winding, again with the aim of providing the watch with maximum precision.

Price:  CHF298,000 blancpain.com

By Isabelle Guignet

FOR A CHARITY DIVE

On 11 November 2017, the Only Watch sale will give philanthropist collectors the chance to purchase a unique edition specially made for the occasion by Blancpain.

Blancpain was one of the first watchmakers to support the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (Monaco Association against Myopathies, AMM) in 2001. So it was perfectly logical that they should take part in the Only Watch auction 2017, with a chance for bidders to own a unique piece, the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC Only Watch 2017. All funds raised during the charity event will go to the AMM. Like the model unveiled at Baselworld 2017, this new diver’s watch borrows features from the Fifty Fathoms of 1953, but with one major visual difference. The indices, hands and date are all a bright yellow colour, resulting from a luminous coating. The contrast with the black dial provides excellent readability.

A watertightness indicator at 6 o’clock is another specific element of the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC Only Watch 2017. As a result, a diver can check at any moment that the watch is watertight. Should any water get inside the watch, the indicator colour changes from white to red. For even more safety, the unidirectional revolving bezel is covered in a scratch-proof sapphire ring, protecting the luminous indicators from wear and tear.

Inside the 40.30mm case, which is watertight down to 300m, is housed the Blancpain automatic calibre 1151. The 210 components and the two barrels included as standard keep time and provide the watch with four days of power reserve. The specially engraved rotor with the words “Only Watch” can be seen through the sapphire case back. onlywatch.com

Estimation: CHF10,000 –CHF17,000 blancpain.com

By Dan Diaconu

WHEN THE MOON TURNS MISCHIEVOUS

Nearly forty years ago, Blancpain reintroduced the moonphase into its watch collections, a complication that had been set aside for some time, even though it embodies the strong and historic links between watchmaking and astronomy. This year, two women’s watches from the classic Villeret range have proudly adopted this oh so poetic mechanism.

Blancpain’s moon is something mischievous and terribly feminine. Isn’t it said that the silver sphere has feminine qualities, while the sun is more masculine? On both versions of the Villeret Date Moonphase model, there is no doubt about it: the queen of the night has a perfectly feminine face, with closed eyes lined with a fringe of thick eyelashes and delicately outlined lips. A beauty mark – what the French call a mouche, a small spot cut out of taffeta or black velvet or drawn with a pencil, and worn by all the beauties of the 18^th century – is shown above the upper lip, highlighting the moon’s mischievous spirit.

The moonphase indication is in an open fan-shaped counter at 6 o’clock and displayed through a mechanism incorporating a wheel with 59 teeth. A complete lunar cycle includes 29.5 days, so the mechanism can display two lunar months, with two moons depicted on the sapphire disc and surrounded by stars.

The moonphase complication, as well as the date shown by hands, and the “traditional” time functions (hours, minutes and seconds), are driven by the calibre 913 QL, made by Blancpain. This automatic movement has a power reserve of 40 hours and its gold rotor is visible through the sapphire case back.

The case is 29.2mm wide and 10.36mm thick, and comes in a steel or rose gold version crowned by a bezel set with 48 diamonds. This glittering ring surrounds an ivory-tinged dial. The smooth, enamel-like disc is decorated with an hour rim made up of four Roman numerals with silver or golden indices and eight small diamonds. In the centre, two leaf-shaped hands display the hours and minutes, together with a second hand and a fourth hand tipped with a red crescent marking the date.

Price: 15 500 CHF (steel version sold in a gift box containing five interchangeable straps) – 17 800 CHF (rose gold version) blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

MECHANICAL CALENDAR

Villeret, the classic collection by Blancpain, now includes a model with an enamel dial displaying the day, date, week number and, of course, the traditional time display.

No, it won’t replace a diary casually placed on your desk or the “calendar” function on your smartphone to note down your appointments. But in a poetic, mechanical and rapid way, above all, you can use it to get all this useful information. All you need to do is glance at your Villeret Semainier Grande Date 8 Jours watch, a model from the Blancpain classic collection, to find out the day of the week, the date and the week number.

This new Villeret watch is powered by a self-winding mechanical movement made by Blancpain, the calibre 3738G2. It contains three barrels, helping it provide 192 hours of power reserve (eight days). The sapphire glass background reveals the dance of the yellow gold rotor decorated with a honeycomb pattern.

The dial on this latest addition to the Villeret collection features a rounded disc topped with full-fired ivory enamel, a curved form to echo the double-stepped bezel around the watch case. The black Roman numerals displayed in a perfect circle have been made with enamelled paint. In the centre, two leaf-shaped, golden and openwork hands display the hours and minutes, along with a second hand with a counterweight in echo of the rounded silhouette of the letter B for Blancpain.

A rounded hollow at 9 o’clock houses the day indicator, in English, equipped with a small blue hand, while the date is displayed in a double window at 6 o’clock, instantly providing the information you are looking for. Joined to the centre of the enamel dial, a wavy blue hand poetically encircles one of the 53 numbers placed along the chapter ring. Because according to official calendars, a year is made up of 53 weeks.

To make it easier to set the different features on the Villeret Semainier Grande Date 8 Jours, the correctors have been placed directly on the 42mm-wide pink gold case. You can reset the date with your fingertip at 11 o’clock, the week number at 1 o’clock and the date with the crown at 3 o’clock.

Price: 32 300 CHF blancpain.com

 By Sharmila Bertin

THE PREDATOR OF THE OCEAN DEPTHS

Over 50 years after the birth of the first Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain pays homage to this legendary watch by unveiling a new timepiece inspired by the original model with the famous water-tightness indicator in the lower half of the dial.

The Fifty Fathoms divers’ watch, created by Blancpain, boasts a rich and fascinating history. It is based on two events that emerged in parallel and later dovetailed. First, the projects launched by Jean-Jacques Fiechter (born in 1927), CEO of Blancpain for three decades (from 1950 to 1980) and a big fan of scuba diving, which led to three patents, and above all to the first Fifty Fathoms model. Secondly, the research carried out by the founders of the French Navy’s combat swimmers unit, set up in 1952, Robert Maloubier (1923-2015) and Claude Riffaud (1924-2016), to find a reliable diving watch, and which led to the three men meeting. The Fifty Fathoms was adopted by the French Navy in 1953. Between 1957 and 1958, the watch was provided with a water-tightness indicator, which turned from white to red when there was liquid in the case. This was the Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC 1. From 1958, the model was also adopted by the US Navy, particularly by members of such elite groups as the UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) and the Navy SEALs. This version of the Fifty Fathoms is the one that Blancpain is now celebrating, with the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC, a special limited edition with 500 pieces.

While this new watch borrows features from its ancestor of 1953, especially the water-rightness indicator, it also benefits from the very latest technology. Beginning with the black, notched, unidirectional revolving bezel on the case, equipped with a scratch-proof sapphire glass ring and luminous markers – essential for keeping track of time when diving. The steel case on the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC model is 40mm in diameter and waterproof down to 300m. The case back is sealed with a sapphire window revealing a solid gold rotor adorned with a platinum alloy for the calibre 1151. The automatic mechanical movement made by Blancpain includes a silicon spiral – a light and rust-resistant material that is impervious to magnetic fields – plus a double barrel providing 96 hours (or four days) of power reserve.

The dial on the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC is adorned in brushed black with rays extending to the chapter ring from the centre, where the luminous hour, minute and second hands are set. The hour markers are made up of three different geometric shapes (rectangular, round and triangular) following the aesthetic codes of the 1953 version. At the bottom of the dial, at 6 o’clock, is the water-tightness indicator with a disc split in two crosswise and showing a white lower half-moon and an orange upper half-moon. The date, meanwhile, is shown discreetly in an open window at 4.30, white against a black background.

Price: 13 200 CHF blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

THE PURITY OF TIME

The latest addition to the Villeret collection, this steel timepiece made by Blancpain and presented at BaselWorld, transcribes the march of time with elegant purity, including the day and the date

Named after a Bern municipality in the Jura mountains, well known as a major watchmaking centre and notably the hometown of Blancpain, the Villeret collection embodies the essence of the classic watch, the pure beauty of watchmaking. Its physical characteristics are easy to identify: a double pomme case with the bezel and sides forming two slim gadroons, an immaculate dial, generally featuring Grand Feu enamel, an hour rim with delicately rounded Roman numerals and leaf-shaped hands.

The newest addition this year to the timeless Blancpain watch collection is a refined piece, in line with the family tradition, with a double window showing the day and the date: the Villeret Day Date.

The dial presents a white matt disc with a finely textured and powdered appearance. The silver hour rim extends its Roman numerals in a circle round the chapter ring, where two openwork hour and minute hands mark the time. The seconds, meanwhile, are offset, ticking away independently in their own counter at 6 o’clock. On the right-hand side of the dial on the Villeret Day Date, two open windows display the day of the week and the date. The day changes instantaneously to the next day, while the date changes semi-instantaneously. Both can be reset using the crown.

The rounded double pomme steel case measures 40mm in diameter and is 10.44mm thick. The back is equipped with sapphire glass, revealing the dance of a yellow gold rotor decorated with a honeycomb pattern. The rotor is part of the calibre 1160DD, an automatic mechanical movement made by Blancpain. The calibre drives the hour functions (hours and seconds in the centre, seconds at 6 o’clock) and calendar functions (day and date at 3 o’clock), while providing a strong power reserve of over 70 hours with the help of its double barrel.

This new Villeret Day Date is available with a black alligator or a Milanese mesh steel strap.

Price: 10 200 CHF blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

To coincide with the launch of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment II* watch, Blancpain has set up the Ocean Commitment exhibition at Zurich Airport for a month.

As part of the roadshow inauguration, Alain Delamuraz, Vice-President and Head of Marketing for Blancpain; Laurent Ballesta, marine biologist, photographer and Blancpain partner; and Jörgen Eldevik, Brand Manager Blancpain for the Swiss market, welcomed journalists and friends of the brand to Zurich Airport. Alain Delamuraz discussed the Blanpain brand values: “Our innovative spirit reflects our long- term approach. We invented the Fifty Fathoms, the first modern diving watch, more than 60 years ago. Since then, we have developed significant relationships with scientists, divers, government organizations and other ocean pioneers. Against this background, I am delighted to inaugurate this exhibition and introduce you to our new BOC II.”

The roadshow features several sections, each dealing with themes related to the world of the oceans so dear to Blanpain’s heart. The first covers the history of the brand’s ties with the oceans. The second examines the scientific results of the expeditions sponsored by the Manufacture. The third and final section is devoted to underwater photography with the aim of raising public awareness of the diversity of the underwater world, as well as increasing understanding of the importance of preserving it.

The Zurich Airport Airside Center hosts more than 1.7 million people a month. This constitutes an important number of visits for Blancpain whose aim is to alert the maximum possible number of visitors to this cause. Optimism, long-term vision and innovation are the three basic principles, arising from Blancpain’s DNA that drives the brand’s commitment on behalf of the oceans. The Blancpain Ocean Commitment exhibition will run until February 12 at the Zurich Airport Airside Center.

Blancpain Ocean Commitment, the watch

The exhibition also provided an opportunity for journalists to discover the new Fifty Fathoms Blancpain Ocean Commitment II* watch, presented in Switzerland for the first time. This watch is limited to 250 examples and for each piece sold, the sum of 1,000 euros will be donated in support of scientific exhibitions. The 250,000 euros thus raised will be added to Blancpain’s contributions to preserving the oceans.

blancpain-ocean-commitment.com

Gombessa III, the film

At this event, guests were treated to a preview of the film, Antarctica, sur les traces du manchot Empereur (Antarctica, in the footsteps of the Emperor penguin), the result of the Gombessa III expedition sponsored by Blancpain. In the wake of the Gombessa I expeditions that revealed the secrets of the coelacanth, the greatest zoological discovery of the 20th century; and Gombessa II, which studied the spectacular spawning of the Camouflage Grouper, Laurent Ballesta and Blancpain achieved a first in terms of exploration, underwater diving and photography. This was the first time that scientific divers have been able to access what lies below the ice flow in Adélie Land. Through this documentary, the latter delivered a testimonial of a world made fragile by global warming. After the film, Laurent Ballesta discussed this experience: “For me, it was the toughest project undertaken to date. Today however, we are delighted with the result. The project would never have reached these proportions without Blancpain’s support.” The film Antarctica, sur les traces du manchot Empereur will be broadcast on Arte on January 28 at 8:50 pm; on January 29 at 3.15 pm; and on March 10 at 3.30 pm.

*The complete name of this timepiece is: Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment II Flyback Chronograph.

Ruler of the high seas

Two years after its first watch and ten expeditions later, Blancpain has unveiled a second limited edition whose sales will contribute to protecting the deep sea depths.

The first Fifty Fathoms watch was unveiled in tribute to the sea world in 1953. 63 years later and the model has not only produced a watch collection but has epitomised Blancpain’s values and commitment to protecting the oceans since 2014. The Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC) was designed that year to help protect and preserve the depths through ocean exploration, publications and forums about the environment and much more. In the space of two years, there were ten expeditions and three million km2 of ocean were protected.

Blancpain is ending the year with a second limited edition watch inspired by the ocean (250 available): Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback Ocean Commitment II. For every piece sold, 1000 EUR will be donated to protecting the sea world totalling 250,000 EUR in addition to the financial support Blancpain already provides.

The 43.6mm Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback Ocean Commitment II case is 15.25mm thick. Its features (body, sapphire glass back, rotating bezel, Liquidmetal® graduated ring on the bezel, winding and setting crown, flyback chronograph pushers) are all made in blue ceramic whose colour is achieved by injection or adding colour pigments. The ultramarine piece houses the self-winding F385 calibre that fuels the functions and 50-hour power reserve. You can watch the blue oscillating weight stamped with the Blancpain Ocean Commitment logo perform through the openwork back.

The steel grey dial has three counters: hollow and white chronograph minute (at 3) and hour (9) counters and the small seconds with a luminescent dotted hand (at 6). The date display floats between them at 4.30. Two rectangular luminescent hour and minute hands are joined in the centre by the red-tipped chronograph seconds hand. The hour rim has a phosphorescent diamond at 12 and bevelled rectangular and round metal markers.

Price: 18,800 CHF blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin

Introducing the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe

An icon of the sea depths for over 60 years, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe by Blancpain has resurfaced in 2016. It takes some of its aesthetic features from the distant past – particularly the famous rectangular hands – but also from the recent past, with the deep blue colour – also seen on the Ocean Commitment Chronograph version in 2014 – enhancing the watch face.

The case is 43.6mm in diameter and crafted in grey ceramic material. The watch is crowned with a rotating bezel fitted with a ceramic ring and a Liquidmetal® diving scale, and contains the self-winding Calibre 1315, providing 120 hours of autonomy (i.e. 5 days). The movement drives both the hour and the date functions.

On the dazzling deep blue face, the hour markers are luminous rectangles and circles, with the geometric shapes echoed by the hour, minute and second hands in the centre. The date is white and appears in a window between 4 and 5 o’ clock.

Price: 12,000 CHF blancpain.com

By Sharmila Bertin