By: Roger Ruegger
Alongside the 40-mm version that remains the heart of the collection, the Villeret Ultraplate is now also offered in 38 mm.
In 1983, when a majority of the Swiss watch industry was turning to quartz, Blancpain went the other way and did so with the smallest complete calendar moon phase of its time in just 34 mm. “That single timepiece carried the codes – the double-stepped bezel, the understatement, the moon with a face – that the collection still wears today, though it would not be given the name Villeret until 2002.”
Across the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, the Villeret would become a platform for complications and ultra-thin constructions, made in classical proportions and understatement. For more than forty years, Villeret has stood for the same values: proportion, substance, consistency. Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain: “The Villeret has always expressed its character through restraint rather than display.”
There are three new 38-mm variants in stainless steel, one with salmon dial (Ref. 6224N 1135 55B), a first for the Villeret, one with opaline dial (Ref. 6224N 1142 55B), and the boutique exclusive that combines an opaline dial with yellow-gold numerals (Ref. 6224N A 1142 55B), and one variant with opaline dial in rose gold (Ref. 6224N 3642 55B).
All models are powered by Blancpain’s 1150 automatic movement with silicon balance spring and 100 hours of power reserve. It consists of 210 parts and is only 3.25 mm thick.
Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate
Dimensions: ⌀ 38 mm , thickness 8.35 mm
Case: stainless steel or rose gold
Water Resistance: 30 m
Movement: 1150 with 100 hours of power reserve
Strap: alligator leather
Warranty: 60 months
Price: CHF 9,600 (stainless steel), CHF 19,700 (rose gold)
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