Throughout much of the past few years, Blancpain has been adding to its palette of dial colors, notably with the gradient sunburst-green that debuted on the Bathyscaphe Mokarran Limited Edition and re-emerged on the non-limited, chronograph version of the Bathyscaphe. For the latest Boutique Edition of its Villeret Extraplate model, the manufacture brings a green-hued dial to the elegant Villeret family for the first time, pairing it with a yellow-gold case.
The watch, which will be available exclusively at Blancpain boutiques worldwide, continues the aesthetic legacy of the classically styled Villeret series, established by Blancpain in the 1980s, which is named after the Swiss village where Jehan-Jacques Blancpain founded his watchmaking atelier way back in 1735. Among its emblematic elements are the thin, softly rounded, double-stepped bezel of the 40-mm diameter, 18k yellow-gold case; the applied, golden Roman numerals at each hour marker; the hollowed out, sage-leaf-shaped hour and minute hands; a seconds hand with a “JB” counterweight, evoking the initials of the founder; a subtle date window at 3 o’clock; and the overall thinness of the case profile, at just 8.7 mm. (“Extraplate” translates to “ultra thin” or “ultra-flat.”)
Inside the slim, 30-meter water resistant case, behind a sapphire window in the back, ticks the in-house movement, Blancpain’s self-winding Caliber 1151, whose notable features include two series-coupled barrels, which store an impressive power reserve of 100 hours, or four days, while guaranteeing a constant flow of energy; an engraved gold rotor with a honeycomb motif; côtes de Genève decoration on the plates and bridges; and a balance spring made of low-density, shock-resistant, magnetism-impervious silicon, all factors that increase its chronometric performance. The movement is perfectly suited to the slender dimensions of the case, itself coming in at just 3.25 mm thick — just a smidgen thicker than the manually wound 11A4B caliber that powered last year’s boutique-exclusive Villeret piece, with a blue dial and platinum case.
The Blancpain Villeret Extraplate Boutique Edition for 2020 comes mounted on a brown nubuck leather strap and will be priced at approximately $18,400.
Fantastic looking watch. Finally another yellow gold watch from Blancpain. Wasn’t sure I’d live to see the day!! They should include more yellow gold watches in their collection, as should many others. Way too much rose gold in lieu of yellow gold these days.
Very nice watch
Wow! Why is it more watches of this caliber don’t have luminous hands? Is it thought to be under the dignity of a truly elegant dress watch?
Very beautiful and tempting. In my collection I have that particular model in two or three versions. This could well round it up.