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This year, at Baselworld 2018, Blancpain decided to reinterpret the complication that genuinely represents the quintessence of precision in Haute-Horlogerie, the dream of every true enthusiast – the tourbillon. In 1989 Blancpain was the first watchmaker to equip a wristwatch with a flying tourbillon and, almost 30 years later, the Maison launched the Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde, where, for the first time, a tourbillon mechanism is coupled with jumping hours and retrograde minutes – quite odd interpretations.
The Le Brassus-based brand belongs to the high-end watch sector within the Swatch group, it is one of the oldest Swiss Maisons (Villeret 1735), and it is much more than the Fifty Fathoms, to which the brand is historically associated. This new release is a sort of “reminder” to the slightly forgetful enthusiasts who know little of the technical capability of the manufactory from Le Brassus.
Main characteristics
The Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde is a classic watch featuring very measured shapes and proportions and high-level construction characteristics. The case reached the 42mm limit and is 11mm thick; it is waterproof up to 3atm, giving you peace of mind if you accidentally splash into the water. It is red gold, perhaps less popular than its rose gold counterpart, but it radiates a beautiful feeling of love and harmony. It is paired with an elegant alligator leather strap or a metal bracelet with a déployante boucle. A platinum version – limited to 20 pieces only – is also available.
Complications
The complications featured by the Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde are essentially three – the flying tourbillon, the jumping hours, and the retrograde minutes proving the capabilities, know-how and technology available at Blancpain. The tourbillon is undoubtedly the element that catches your attention because of its intrinsic charm and because it sports attractive solutions that take it to the next level. The starting point is not a traditional tourbillon but rather a flying tourbillon with no upper bridge that reduces the overall size and increases the visibility of the mechanism.
The latter evolved by replacing the lower bridge with a sapphire crystal disc that works as a support for the entire movement. The cage, the balance wheel and the escapement give the impression that they were floating in the air, the fixed wheel attached to the sapphire crystal disc – a priceless panorama. Because there is no cage, the flying tourbillon requires less power to be moved and is less sensitive to shocks and bumps. The jumping hours and the retrograde minutes are displayed in the window placed near the dial’s centre and the hand from 0 to 60. These are unusual complications, they are very classic and can rarely be seen on modern watches, but they still have a great charm, mainly because of the instant “jump” from one hour to the next and the minutes resetting.
High-quality decorations on the dial, located at the right place
Some of the details that immediately catch your attention and make the complications stand out are the neatness of the dial and its uniform tonality. This effect is obtained through an unconventional enamelling technique carried out in the Métiers d’Art du Brassus labs. Blancpain created a grand feu enamel dial according to the traditional method of the champlevé – the artisans dig the golden base of the dial to create alveoli in the metal, where several layers of enamel are first placed and subsequently baked in a high-temperature furnace (800°C).
An excessive monochromatic tone and the scarcity of nuances could deprive the dial of a sense of depth, thus making it look excessively flat, but because of the presence of diamond gold rims on the cage of the tourbillon, the hour’s window and around the minutes counter, this lack is non-existent. It creates an exciting game of lights and shadows with every movement of your wrist and when the light source changes, thus giving new and different nuances to the watch’s personality.
Thanks to small details, Blancpain managed to create a three-dimensional feeling, which would have been missing if designers had adopted a “simple” enamelled dial instead – this makes this timepiece even more enjoyable. The quality of the decoration transpires, and the design and the attention to detail have made these solutions successful.
What about the case-back?
As you may have guessed already, the Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde is a watch of great importance with many hand-made details. Therefore the calibre hosted within had to match the challenge. A sapphire crystal on the case-back lets you enjoy the 260MR hand–wound movement in all its beauty (39 rubies, 263 components, 32mm in diameter and 5,85mm in thickness).
The calibre is entirely in-house built, like all the other calibres from the brand. The bridges and the disc that indicates the power reserve are entirely hand-guzzled, and there is also the now famous Blancpain wheel rim located on the spool. When fully charged, the barrel can run for 144 hours (or six days). As often happens with most classic Blancpain calibres, the size is ultra-compact.
Final thoughts
The Blancpain Villeret Tourbillon Volant Heure Sautante Minute Rétrograde is a precious timepiece of excellent quality that catches your attention in no time – you only need a glance to understand how exclusive and well-made this watch is. It revolves around three main spots that coincide with the three complications – the main one is the flying tourbillon, which is further enhanced by the dial colour’s uniformity and the use of small details, such as the diamond gold rims. The simplicity, the neatness and the study of the details represent what makes this Blancpain remarkable.
Unfortunately, it is not a watch that you can easily see around, both because of its preciousness and because of the low interest that the general public shows towards the Villeret collection, in my opinion. This collection represents the perfect synthesis of the meaning of Haute-Horlogerie art, and simply by getting to know it or studying it, you can enhance and refine your taste. The retail price? 139.000 CHF for the red gold version and 169.000 CHF for the platinum version.
(Photo credit: Peter Tung for Horbiter®)
Andrea Frigerio @Horbiter®
