Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 8 Jours

A perpetual calendar watch does not really tell the correct date eternally. It does need adjustment every 100 years. In a watch so small yet so complicated, the watchmakers finish the precise and accurate calculation through mechanic movements. Every wheel and lever counts. This is why a perpetual calendar watch is so overwhelming. This year, Blancpain presents a new perpetual calendar watch housing a brand new in-house movement with 8-day power reserve, making it a powerful new member to the iconic Villeret collection.

A perpetual calendar watch does not really tell the correct date eternally. It does need adjustment every 100 years. In a watch so small yet so complicated, the watchmakers finish the precise and accurate calculation through mechanic movements. Every wheel and lever counts. This is why a perpetual calendar watch is so overwhelming. This year, Blancpain presents a new perpetual calendar watch housing a brand new in-house movement with 8-day power reserve, making it a powerful new member to the iconic Villeret collection. 

Villeret
Quantieme Perpetuel 8 Jours

Specification：表殼︰鉑金/紅金直徑︰42mm機芯︰Cal. 5939A自動功能︰時、分、小秒、萬年曆、月相、8天動力儲備

Blancpain has developed numerous exceptional movements. In 2000, they created the slimmest perpetual calendar movement and brought it together with other complex functions such as tourbillon, chronograph and equation of time to form a great many intricate complications. Yet, only the Villeret Quantieme Perpetual has a single function of perpetual calendar in the current line-up. Its 38mm case, however, seems a bit small for a men’s watch today. Want a larger one? You don’t need to wait long. In this year’s Basel, the Manufacture unveiled the 42mm Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 8 Jours equipped with the new self-winding calibre 5939A and endowed with an 8-day power reserve. 

The watch shares the same dial setting with the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel powered by the calibre 5653A. The day of week and date are respectively set at 9 and 3 o’ clock, while the month and leap year display are located at 12 o’clock. At 6 o’clock, you can find the small seconds and moon phase under the same roof. The white grand feu enamel dial features the broad painted hour-markers teamed with the small blue hands. Pure and elegant, the watch also features the signature double stepped bezel, exuding a vintage touch. 

The new calibre 5939A is composed of 379 parts and needs no adjustment until 2100. Besides, the watch boasts a fully secured mechanism which enables adjustments of date, month and moon-phase at all times without any risk of damaging the movement. For some 3-hand watches with day indicator, the adjustment cannot be performed between 9pm to 3am otherwise the movement will be damaged. Blancpain brings us an very impressive invention. 

Last but not least, Blancpain also brings us a smart design on the function correctors which are traditionally placed on the side of the case. With Blancpan’s patented under-lug correctors, the wearer can adjust the indications by hand without any need for a dedicated tool, leaving the lines of the watch very clean and sleek. The watch is, therefore, aesthetically exquisite and unlike the usual perpetual calendar watches.   

The watch is available in red gold (price around $417,000) and issued a limited platinum edition of 188 pieces (price around $642,000). It comes in a dedicated box equipped with a winder serving.

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VilleretTourbillon Volant Une Minute 12 Jours

Specification：表殼︰紅金直徑︰42mm機芯︰Cal. 242自動功能︰時、分、陀飛輪、12天動力儲備

25 years ago, Blancpain created the thinnest hand-wound tourbillon calibre 23, followed by calibre 25 in 1998, the world’s first self-winding tourbillon with an 8-day power reserve. For decades Blancpain has been further refining the tourbillon. Today, the new calibre 242 takes things to a new level by improving the calibre 25 and joins the Villeret family. Apart from having a 12-day power reserve guaranteed by a single barrel, the watch is particularly equipped with a silicon balance-spring and pallet-fork horns with a view to alleviating the effects of magnetic fields. What’s more, the off-set flying tourbillon at 12 o’clock is enlarged intentionally, providing an unobstructed view of this complex mechanism. This 42mm timepiece comes in a red gold case. The dial and painted Roman numerals are in grand feu enamel, gracefully swept over by hollowed sage leaf-shaped hands. (Price around $1,018,500)

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VilleretCarrousel Phases de Lune

Specification：表殼︰鉑金直徑︰42mm機芯︰Cal. 225L自動功能︰時、分、日期、月相、卡羅素

This year, the Villeret collection is no doubt the highlight of Blancpain. Besides the debut of new tourbillon movement, the Manufacture unites the flying 1-minute carrousel with moon phase and date for the very first time. The new Villeret Carrousel Phases de Lune with grand feu enamel dial and hand-painted Roman numerals, same as the other two Villeret models just mentioned, puts the carrousel and moon phase at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock respectively. To preserve a nice dial balance, the watch features a blue hand at the centre indicating the date, while the date display lies on the outer dial. The back of the case carries the two under-lug correctors designed to adjust the date and moon phase (same patent as the perpetual calendar), maintaining the pure lines of the case. When adjusting the date or moon phase, the wearer can also admire the view of the self-winding calibre 255L adorned with Cotes de Geneve through the sapphire crystal case back. This platinum watch is 42mm in diameter and comes in a scarce edition of 88 rarities. (Price around $1,206,500)  

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VilleretReveil GMT

Specification：表殼︰不鏽鋼直徑︰40.3mm機芯︰Cal. 1240H自動功能︰時、分、日期、兩地時間、響鬧

Don’t mistake the blue serpentine hand as a date pointer nor a GMT hand displaying the second time zone. Even though the watch does have the GMT function located at 3 o’clock. In fact, the blue hand is for setting the alarm and the ‘on/off’ indicator sits at 12 o’clock with a power reserve indicator living next to it. Frequent travellers will definitely appreciate this combination of GMT and alarm function. The 40.3mm case is made of stainless steel and at the heart of this timepiece is the self-winding calibre 1240H. (Price around $216,000)

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VilleretChronographe Flyback Pulsometre

Specification：表殼︰紅金直徑︰43.6mm機芯︰Cal. F385自動功能︰時、分、日期、飛返計時、脈搏計

A chronograph doesn’t always look sturdy and sporty and it is not only for athletes. So Blancpain presents us this flyback chronograph, with the classic and elegant look of the Villeret collection. The grand feu enamel dial features the distinctive Roman numerals with date windows at 6 o’clock. The word ‘flyback’ is written in cursive font and couples with the hallowed sage leaf-shaped hands, lending a vintage yet sophisticated touch to the watch. On the outer edge of the dial, you can see the pulsemeter scale, a practical function especially for doctors and nurses. The 43.6mm watch has a red gold case and houses the self-winding calibre F385. (Price around $252,500)

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Villeret8 Jours

Specification：表殼︰紅金直徑︰42mm機芯︰Cal. 1335自動功能︰時、分、秒、日期

Sometimes, it is more challenging for the watchmakers to make a simple watch. That is because a simple watch has no complicated functions. Attention is given to every small detail on the watch. The Villeret 8 Jours, perhaps, is an ultimate demonstration of a simple watch, showcasing the Manufacture’s sheer mastery in watchmaking. The milky white grand feu enamel dial with hand-applied Roman numerals looks appealing. And the size of the date windows at 3 o’clock is in perfect harmony with the numerals fonts. The level of finishing of the date window is also truly top notch throughout. With a closer look on the watch, you may notice the most stunning part lies between 5:30 and 7:30. There engraved a tone-to-tone ‘JB’ logo, a secret signature with which enamellists historically initialled their works. Equipped with the self-winding calibre 1335, the 42mm watch in red gold ensures an 8-day power reserve. (Price around $231,000) 

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VilleretUltraplate

Specification：表殼︰不鏽鋼直徑︰40mm機芯︰Cal. 1151自動功能︰時、分、秒、日期

If the red gold case and grand feu enamel dial of Villeret 8 Jours is not your cup of tea, you may consider this 3-hand watch with a minimalist look. The 40mm steel case is only 8.7mm thick and houses the self-winding calibre 1151, offering up to 100-hour power reserve. The silver dial features the Roman numerals and grid pattern in the center, a perfect match with gentlemen suits. (Price around $79,000)

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Fifty FathomsBathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback

Specification：表殼︰陶瓷/不鏽鋼直徑︰43.6mm機芯︰Cal. F385自動功能︰時、分、小秒、日期、飛返計時、單向旋轉表圈

Last year we saw the reborn of the Bathyscaphe, a diver watch first introduced in the late 1950s. This year the timepiece is bestowed a flyback chronograph function and houses the new self-winding calibre F385. This latest model is equipped with a silicon balance-spring, a column-wheel chronograph mechanism and a vertical clutch, enabling the wearer to reset and instantly restart the chronograph simply by pressing the pusher at 4 o’clock. The 43.6mm case features a ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel which bears hour-markers filled with LiquidMetal, while the transparent sapphire case back reveals the gold rotor clad in a platinum alloy NAC. The new Bathyscaphe is water resistant to 300m and available in black ceramic (price around $137,000) and brushed steel (price around $118,500).

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Women’s collectionOff-centre Hour, Retrograde small seconds

Specification：表殼︰紅金/白金/不鏽鋼直徑︰36.8mm機芯︰Cal. 2663SR自動功能︰時、分、逆跳小秒

Back in 1930, Blancpain first presented ladies’ watches with self-winding movement. This year, the new model has a 36.8mm case with a double stepped bezel embellished 108 diamonds (1 carat). With sparkling touch and feminine charm, the mother-of-pearl dial is set with 48 diamonds. The off-centre dial features Arabic numerals and the 30-second retrograde small seconds sits at 6 o’clock. Inside this beauty is the self-winding calibre 2663SR, while the rotor looks like the petals of a flower which can be admired through the sapphire case back. The watch is available in rose gold with white dial (price around 264,000), white gold with blue dial (price around $264,000) and stainless steel with white dial (price around $145,000). 

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