Introducing The Latest Watch From Blancpain Villeret Collection, Features a Traditional Chinese Calendar

Blancpain, established in 1735 in Villeret in the Bernese Jura, relocated to the town of Le Brassus in the Vallée de Joux in 1983. Today, it stands as one of the Swiss “prestige” brands within the Swatch Group triumvirate. While it has gained recognition in the contemporary watch enthusiast community primarily for its pioneering divers’ watch, the Fifty Fathoms, rather than its prowess in high complications and historically elegant designs, Blancpain remains unwavering in its commitment to classical watchmaking.

Despite its association with the Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain's enduring dedication to traditional watchmaking is evident in the nostalgically named Villeret collection. This collection serves as the backdrop for many of the brand's significant haute horlogerie milestones, showcasing its timeless designs and high-quality craftsmanship.

for one of the special pieces in this collection, In 2012, Blancpain achieved a world first when it debuted its Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar wristwatch that spanned East-West with its combination of a complex Chinese calendar and a Gregorian date and moonphase. This year, the Manufacture enters its second 12-year cycle with the introduction of a new limited edition of this grand complication featuring a dragon engraved on the red gold winding rotor in honor of the symbol of the new lunar year. This special limited edition for the first time is carried out in red gold with a green enamel dial. Each year, Blancpain has offered a special limited edition recalling the legend of the Jade Emperor summoning twelve different animals to the gate of his palace. The order of each animal’s arrival has been memorialized in the 12-year Zodiac cycle of the Chinese calendar and the official animal of the year is celebrated in each Blancpain special edition.

As seen in past Chinese Year editions, the latest Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar maintains a 45mm size. However, it distinguishes itself with a polished red gold case. To enhance the intricate nature of this timepiece and eliminate the need for external buttons, Blancpain employs their patented under lug correctors on the case. These not only remove corrector dimples from the sides but also enable easy fingertip adjustments. The transparent caseback provides a glimpse of the inner workings. Despite its sophisticated features, the watch maintains a water resistance of 30 meters.

Unlike previous Chinese Calendar iterations, which consistently featured a white enamel dial paired with either a gold or platinum case, this version introduces a novel element. The inclusion of a deep green grand feu enamel dial marks a distinctive first, creating a harmonious contrast with the accompanying red gold case.
The green dial has been created in full fired grand feu enamel, The dial indicates hours and minutes, as well as the date of the Gregorian calendar on a serpentine central hand. The rest of the four hands, are for the Chinese calendar.  The mysticism of the Chinese calendar is displayed with an array of four dedicated hands, The counter at 12 o’clock indicates the double-hour numerals and symbols (24-hour cycle); while the one at 3 o’clock shows the elements and the celestial stems (10-year cycle). The month of the Chinese calendar (12-month cycle), its date (30-day cycle) and the leap month indicator appear at 9 o’clock, while a 12 o’clock aperture reveals the zodiac sign of the year in progress (12-year cycle); and the moon phases are displayed at 6 o’clock.”

The watch is powered by the same cal. 3638 found in earlier versions of the model. As is customary for the Chinese Calendar, For the 2024 edition, the timepiece’s red gold winding rotor features this year’s animal, the dragon. Set against a frosted background the dragon is flanked by a red ruby and a Chinese character engraving of the words “dragon” and “wood”, the element of 2024. Five full years have been devoted to the development of the movement, which comprises 464 individual components arrayed in six layers. This intricate construction is carried out in Blancpain’s Le Brassus grand complication workshop. The calendar mechanism is powered by Blancpain’s three mainspring barrel movement which achieves a seven-day power reserve

This watch comes with a crocodile leather strap featuring a folding clasp. While the price is available upon request, the 2024 Traditional Chinese Calendar is limited to 50 pieces.

For more information, please visit the official website of Blancpain.