The Blancpain watch – mechanical and quartz clock

Since the company was founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques, Blancpain has been built on tradition and innovation.  The world’s oldest watchmaking brand, the inventor of numerous complications, and known for pushing boundaries, the company constantly strives for improvement and challenges themselves and the industry to be better.

A philosophy of hand crafting that has been with the brand since inception each part is carefully hand finished, decorated and assembled holding true to the horological foundation that is bred into the heart of the brand.  Taking the complications and designs through the decades, and modernizing them the brand continues in the pursuit of perfection.  Excellence and dedication to the art of watchmaking keep the development growing and have helped shaped the industry to what it is today.

Blancpain has led research for 275 years, the base philosophy that drives the brand is the deep respect for Haute Horlogerie.  A Swiss culture and heritage has never staled the brand from moving forward, and continuing to advance the future of the mechanical watch.  The company settled in the village of Le Brassus in the 1980’s and mastered the miniaturization of mechanical movements, as well as the quest to bring exquisite beauty to each creation.

In 1932 the family managment of the brand ended, lasting over two centuries, and two staff members who were heart and soul dedicated to the customs bought the business.  The name was changed because of legal reasons to Rayville because it was a phonetic anagram of Villeret.  There were many successful designs during the 50’s, the Fifty Fathoms being one of the most memorable.  The Ladybird followed with great success and the brand was producing over 100,000 watches per year.  Facing some challenges in the 70’s with quartz watches, and transatlantic exports due to the fall of the dollar and so in 1983 the company sold to Jacques Piguet and traded under the original name of Blancpain SA.

This started a new chapter for the brand and brought it back to it’s original foundation.  Committing to the production of ‘grande complication’ the company produced traditional style and went back to the roots.  The efforts to get back to mechanical watchmaking, and returning to the beginnings of the company helped to define them, and truly pushed them to the future. The renewed focus on innovation, the acquisitions and the firm belief that tradition is the best is what makes this brand so unbeatable and why it continues to lead the industry.