On Sunday, 27th November, Time Avenue and Blancpain invited VIP guests to enjoy a captivating immersion in the watchmaker’s collections of watches. The prestigious and pioneering Swiss watchmaker Blancpain showcased its ancestral craftsmanship and technical expertise in creating state-of-the-art watch mechanisms – here’s a brief look at its historic horology.
Blancpain is proud to showcase its exceptional horological know-how in collaboration with Time Avenue, a sound, longtime partner which contributed to strengthening the brand’s presence in India. Time Avenue, an independent family business which has been run with passion for the past 24 years, reflects Blancpain’s own passion, as well as its authenticity and watchmaking mastery perpetuated for more than 280 years with the same quest for excellence, meticulous craftsmanship and technical innovation.
Hosted at Jolie’s The Big Top, the venue was specially set up to highlight the identity and aesthetic attributes of each of the Brand’s lines, including the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, the Air Command aviation chronograph, the classic Villeret, the dainty Ladybird models and the one-of-a-kind Métiers d’Art pieces.
Launched in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms is the first modern diver’s watch. With its water resistance, robust doubled-sealed crown, self-winding movement, contrasting dark dial with luminescent indications, unidirectional rotating bezel and anti-magnetic protection, the Fifty Fathoms has become an indispensable instrument for divers on their underwater missions. The Fifty Fathoms is also the catalyst for Blancpain’s commitment to ocean preservation.
The Air Command collection is recent, but also has its roots in Blancpain’s history. It is inspired by a flyback chronograph from the mid-1950s that was highly sought after as it was produced in limited quantities. The Air Command brilliantly echoes Blancpain’s foray into the field of aviation chronographs. It asserts a “50s” style through a large part of its aesthetic aspects, from the layout of the counters on the dial, to the shape of the luminescent hands and hour markers, not to mention the “piston” type chronograph pushers or the “glass box” sapphire crystal.
Villeret is Blancpain’s classic collection. It is characterised by innovative mechanisms housed in sleek, double-stepped cases. The dials are luminous, the hands refined, often in the shape of hollowed-out sage leaves. It includes all the well-known watch complications, as well as many exclusives, such as the Traditional Chinese Calendar and the Manufacture’s carrousel watches. The Villeret timepieces are also distinguished by their ease of use, made possible by the development of dedicated mechanisms, such as the security system fitted to most of the calendar watches in the collection, or the under-lug correctors designed for quick and easy adjustment of indications.
The Ladybird collection, for its part, combines high-end mechanisms with gem-set cases and dials. It offers a range of watches that meet the demanding expectations of clients who want to wear an exceptional jewellery object. Blancpain played a pioneering role in the development of women’s watches with the introduction of the first automatic ladies’ wristwatch, the Rolls, in 1930, followed by the watch with the smallest round movement, the Ladybird, in 1956.
With the exclusive Métiers d’Art collection, Blancpain allows clients seeking to acquire a unique personalised model to contribute to the design of their watch, while respecting its DNA and tradition. As the world’s oldest watch company, Blancpain is committed to sustaining traditional watchmaking, which implies passing on craftsmanship expertise from one generation to the next, as well as to innovation. Each one-of-a-kind Métiers d’Art timepiece is meticulously created in “La Ferme”, the affectionate nickname given to a restored historical farm in Le Brassus (Vallée de Joux, Switzerland). United under one roof, the workshops dedicated to engraving, enamelling, damascening, shakudō and other decorative techniques make Le Brassus a major centre for watchmaking artistic crafts.
