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Blancpain

The beginnings of Blancpain

The hobby watchmaker Jehan-Jacques Blancpain founded the Swiss watch manufacture in 1735. From the beginning the name Blancpain stood for the creation of prestigious watches.

The company was to remain in family ownership until 1932, when Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the great-grandson of the founder, died. For the next 40 years, the manufacture was to be called «Rayville S.A., succ. De Blancpain ", while the timepieces produced, continued to bear the name of the founding family. At the end of the 1950s, Rayville-Blancpain fabricated more than 100,000 watches a year.

„Blancpain Fifty Fathoms“

Blancpain Vintage Fifty Fathoms "Bund" 3H

Watchers connect the name Blancpain with one of the world´s most famous diving watch models, the Fifty Fathoms, whose name stands for 50 nautical "threads". The order for the automatic watch came from the French navy, which needed a watch with a one-sided rotating bezel for the combat pool unit "Les Nageurs de Combat". The watch is a prototype of a diving watch and since 1953 has proved its underwater qualities. At the latest since Jacques-Yves Cousteau's underwater film Le Monde du Silence (1956), non-watch lovers also know and appreciate this model. In the 1950s Blancpain caused a furore with the construction of the smallest round automatic movement in the "Ladybird".

The takeover by Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver

In the seventies of the last century, many Swiss watchmakers fought with the advent of cheaper and carefree quartz watches from the Far East. The Swiss watch industry was in a precarious position. This was also the case with Blancpain. The watchgroup was forced to adjust its production of mechanical watches. In 1983, the trademark rights were assigned and the company sold. The buyers were Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver. The production was transferred to Le Brassus in the Vallée du Joux and the name Blancpain SA was reborn.

"Villeret" - the classic collection of Blancpain

Blancpain Villeret Moon Phase Calendar Ref. 6263-1127

When Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver took over the brand, they set everything on the production of great watch complications. The manufactory was to produce timepieces according to the old watchmaking tradition, entirely in the sense of the founder Jehan-Jacques Blancpain. Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver created the Villeret, named after the brand's home in Switzerland. The simple, timeless, elegant models of the Villeret collection have several common features including the double-edged border, the use of Roman numerals and their extremely elegant and timeless housing.

The "Blancpain Léman"

The name of this collection is the "Le Léman", which stands for Lake Geneva, the largest lake in Western Europe, whose view makes the viewer drift into the distance. The luxurious clock line has numerous complications including a wake-up function, a second time zone or a week number display.

Blancpain Leman Calendar Anniversary Ref. C2653

Blancpain Leman Day-Date Moon Phase Ref. 2763

"Blancpain 1735" - one of the most complicated watch in the world

Since the early 1990s, Blancpain has also been part of the Swatch Group, including Omega, Glashütte Original and Breguet. At the end of 1990, Blancpain succeeded in producing a watch with the "1735", named after the founding year of the manufacture, which combined all known complications. Minute repetition, perpetual calendar with moon-phase indication, tourbillon and chronograph with trailing pointer. The elegant timepiece with platinum housing is one of the most complex and expensive watches in the industry and is limited to 30 pieces.

Quality policy of the Blancpain factory

The Blancpain manufactory continues to pursue a consistent and demanding quality policy. The first-class timepieces are designed from A to Z in Switzerland, while maintaining their own traditions.