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Blancpain

Blancpain was founded in 1735 and belongs to the Swatch Group (Breguet, Omega, Longines, Swatch). For many years during the 20th century Blancpain was out of business and did not sell any watches. In the 1980s Blancpain was revived and today enjoys considerable success among collectors.

A somewhat famous marketing slogan is that Blancpain has never produced quartz watches and it never will. Every Blancpain timepiece (usually thirty to forty per day are being manufacture) is entirely made by one person, the so called watchmaker. The Blancpain 1735 watch is one of the most complicated watches ever made, its features include a tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split chrono – and together are the base for a grand complication. Blancpain watches are also popular with sports fans and divers.

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Beginning the Year of the Rabbit with Seven Symbolic Timepieces

January 22nd marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year and thus will kick off the Year of the Rabbit. The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are representative symbols of Chinese history, mythology, and customs. More than any other of the animals in the zodiac, the rabbit is closely associated with luck and bringing...

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Jan 22, 2023 by Caleb Anderson

Introducing the Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel

To celebrate the beginning of the Chinese New Year, Blancpain once again launches a limited edition Traditional Chinese Calendar model that is dedicated to one of the zodiac signs. In 2023, the water rabbit takes center stage. Crafted from platinum in a 50-piece limited edition, this exceptional haute horlogerie timepiece is based on the principles...

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Jan 12, 2023 by Sabine Zwettler

Blancpain: A 42-mm Fifty Fathoms for the 70th Anniversary of the Iconic Diver

70 years after the release of the first Fifty Fathoms and 20 years after the launch of the contemporary anniversary watches (the first dive watches with a sapphire bezel insert), Blancpain is starting a year of celebrations with the release of a dedicated new model: Featuring an exclusive 42-mm diameter and composed of three 70-piece...

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Jan 2, 2023 by Roger Ruegger

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

10 Highlights in the History of the Dive Watch

In the beginning, dive watches were pure tools that helped keep divers on time and alive. Today they’re something else: fashion statements, conversation pieces, rugged companions for a trip to the beach or pool. Our Timeline: "Dive Watches Through the Decades," traces the history of the dive watch from its start in the 1920s, with the invention of the first truly water-resistant cases, to 2014.

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Nov 5, 2022 by WatchTime

Showing at WatchTime New York 2022: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph

With WatchTime New York 2022 less than 10 days away, we are in the final moments of highlighting some of the most exceptional timepieces that will be on display at the event. Taking place from October 21 to 23, WatchTime New York is a three-day collector’s event dedicated to showcasing the most sought-after watch releases...

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Oct 14, 2022 by WatchTime

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

10 Milestone Moments in the History of the Wristwatch

Today it is common for a man to wear a watch on his wrist, but it was a different story around 100 years ago. World War I, which started in 1914 and ended in 1918, brought to the battlefield much that was new — airplanes, mustard gas, military tanks. It also brought something new to...

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Aug 3, 2022 by WatchTime

FEATURE

How Green is My Watch? How Watch Brands Are Embracing Sustainability

Sustainability is the topic of the hour. But how committed is the watch industry to ethical and ecological responsibility? We explore several interesting solutions in this feature from the WatchTime archives.

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Aug 1, 2022 by Maria-Bettina Eich

PORTFOLIO

Splash! A Plunge Into the Colorful World of Watersports Watches

Take the plunge with us into the colorful world of water sports in our latest dip into the WatchTime Archives! Here you can find professional instruments with appealing technologies, styles, and prices. In this article, we present divers’ watches without complex additional functions (e.g., chronographs) because the watches listed here are designed to focus your...

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Jul 31, 2022 by Alexander Krupp

Blancpain Presents Two New Variants of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet

First created in 1956 and reintroduced in 2013 as a tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the Bathyscape is a diver’s watch that is meant to accommodate adventures both under water and on dry land. Today we look at recent release as part of that series in one of the brand’s...

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Jul 7, 2022 by Sabine Zwettler

Green Rambles: My Undecided Opinion About Watch Boxes

Watches and boxes are as common a combination as ham and eggs or fish and chips. No matter how (in)expensive the watch is you buy, you get a box. I still remember getting my first serious watch on the brink of the new millennium. It was a Seamaster Professional, and at that time, Omega delivered...

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Jul 5, 2022 by Martin Green

FEATURE

Dive Watches in Depth: A Dive Watch FAQ

"How water-resistant does it need to be?" "How does a depth gauge work?" We answer your FAQs about dive watches: learn about water resistance, diving bezels, depth gauges, and more in this feature from the WatchTime archives.

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Jun 19, 2022 by WatchTime

Airborne: Blancpain Drops New Executions of Air Command in Smaller Sizes

Blancpain is expanding its Air Command line with two new 36.2 mm executions, one in red gold, one in grade 23 titanium. This collection is rooted in Blancpain’s history of military-aviation timepieces that took to the sky in the 1950s. Comprising of pink gold, titanium and stainless steel executions, the line of luxury pilot’s chronographs...

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May 23, 2022 by Sabine Zwettler

One of a Kind: Six Watches Made From Proprietary Gold Alloys

What’s even more exclusive than yellow, white or rose gold? A gold alloy that’s only available from a single brand. Here are watches made of unique gold alloys. Lime Gold (Montblanc)Montblanc relies on its own gold color, which has a green shimmer and is therefore named “Lime Gold.” It debuted this year in the 1858...

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May 14, 2022 by Ruediger Bucher

When in Rome: Five Watches with Roman Numeral Dials

Roman numerals are mostly reserved these days for movie sequels and Super Bowls, but they can still add a hint of elegant classicism to a watch dial, as in the five timepieces we showcase here. BLANCPAIN VILLERET ULTRAPLATE Blancpain’s Villeret series, named for the Swiss village where the manufacture was founded in 1735, is distinguished...

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Jan 26, 2022 by Mark Bernardo

Inspired by Ancestry: Exploring the Blancpain Villeret Collection

Blancpain’s Villeret collection channels the haute horlogerie roots of the world’s oldest watchmaking brand and continues to innovate with an array of grand and practical complications. We explore the collection’s origins, as well as its historical and modern highlights, in this feature from the WatchTime archives. The author Thomas Wolfe is often credited with coining...

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Jan 13, 2022 by Mark Bernardo

Highlights from WatchTime’s January-February 2022 Issue, On Sale Now

The January-February 2022 issue of WatchTime is available at retailers now. Among the highlights of the issue are our cover story, a hands-on review of the new Blancpain Air Command Flyback Chronograph in titanium; a comprehensive history of the dive watch and how it has evolved with the times; and in-depth tests of new models,...

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Jan 11, 2022 by WatchTime

2021, The Watch Year in Review: Seven Dynamic Dive Watches

By almost any standard, the luxury watch world enjoyed a successful year in 2021 despite the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its worldwide economic consequences — with high-profile retailers reopening and expanding, new auction records set, some large-scale industry events (like our own WatchTime New York) returning, and of course, a host of...

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Dec 27, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Ready for a Week and More: Blancpain Launches the Updated Fifty Fathoms Tourbillon 8 Jours

Blancpain’s famed Fifty Fathoms collection is known today as one of the brand’s most utilitarian design families. However, in addition to the collection’s practical, dive-focused wearability, it’s also become a series known for its sense of refined luxury. At this past fall’s WatchTime New York event, for example, the brand showcased one of its more...

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Dec 22, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

Small Seconds’ Big Moment: Five Watches with Independent Seconds Displays

A watch’s seconds hand is most often staged in the center, playing third wheel to the hours and minutes. Here are a handful of watches in which the seconds display is decentralized and allowed to shine on its own. IWC PORTUGIESER AUTOMATIC Dating back to 1939 and a special timepiece produced specially for Portuguese clients,...

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Dec 6, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Strength in Numbers: Five Watches with Big Date Displays

Some watch connoisseurs find date displays of any kind on a watch dial distracting, unnecessary, and disruptive to a harmonious design. Others not only appreciate them, but also want them to be as legible and prominent as possible. For the latter group, we’ve assembled this list.

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Nov 29, 2021 by Mark Bernardo
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