Blancpain Unveils the Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar 2026

For centuries, civilizations have looked to the sky to decode time and bring order to its mysteries. Few have done so with the depth of China’s traditional calendar, a complex system that unites the solar year, lunar cycles, and cosmological symbolism. Blancpain has explored this sophisticated discipline since 2012, and now presents the 15th interpretation of the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel. Arriving just ahead of the Year of the Fire Horse (beginning February 17, 2026), the new edition pairs a platinum case with a salmon-colored grand-feu enamel dial and celebrates the horse as a symbol for power and dynamic.

When Blancpain introduced the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel in 2012, it marked a rare milestone in high watchmaking: a wristwatch capable of displaying the traditional Chinese calendar while also integrating the Gregorian date and a moon-phase indication. F years of development went into the Caliber 3638, while its user-friendly adjustment system — operated via discreet correctors — is protected by five patents. Even today, this combination remains exceptionally uncommon, with a level of complexity often compared to that of a perpetual calendar.

In China, time has been traditionally measured through two parallel systems: the solar-based Gregorian calendar and the traditional Chinese calendar, a lunisolar framework governed by the motions of both sun and moon. Rather than fixed months, it is structured around lunar months, within a 60-year cycle shaped by the 12 zodiac animals, the five elements, and the dual forces of yin and yang. Years may comprise 12 or 13 months; months run 29 or 30 days; and intercalary (leap) months appear at irregular intervals — a complexity that makes the mechanical translation especially demanding.

For all its monumental mechanics, the dial layout remains remarkably legible and balanced in the Villeret style:

• 12 o’clock: Chinese double-hours and zodiac signs
• 3 o’clock: the five elements with yin/yang
• 6 o’clock: moonphase
• 9 o’clock: Chinese days and months, including the leap month
• On the rehaut: Gregorian date shown by a blue serpentine hand

Applied white-gold hour markers and classic leaf-shaped hands, typical of the elegant Villeret, complete the refined ensemble.

Powering the watch is Blancpain’s automatic manufacture Caliber 3638, built from 464 components. Three mainspring barrels deliver a robust 168-hour (7-day) power reserve, while a silicon balance spring underscores the brand’s contemporary technical approach. The artisanal centerpiece is the hand-engraved 22k gold rotor, finished with textured detailing and depicting a galloping horse carried by a flying swallow — a tribute to Tianma, the “Heavenly Horse” of Chinese imperial legend. The Chinese characters for “Horse” and “Fire” further anchor the symbolism of the Year of the Fire Horse.

Housed in a 45.2mm platinum case with a height of 15.1mm, the Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar 2026 is paired with a brown leather strap and a folding clasp. Blancpain sets the price at $107,200.

To learn more, visit Blancpain, here.