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Blancpain, from the ocean’s deep to land-borne...
Baselworld

Blancpain, from the ocean’s deep to land-borne complications

Sunday, 05 May 2013
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal

“The desire to learn is the key to understanding.”

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3 min read

Two exceptional watches join Blancpain’s Le Brassus collection this year: a Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback and a Tourbillon Carrousel. These unprecedented combinations of complications swell the ranks of Blancpain’s outstanding creations. Its observation that “watch brands capable of presenting such highly complex models are few and far between, and those that develop these movements in-house are an even rarer species” certainly rings true.

Two world-firsts

The three complications in the first model are classics for Blancpain. The carrousel was an all but forgotten device until the brand revived it in 2008. The minute repeater has already benefited from significant improvements to sound quality; now the Manufacture has given it a flying governor to reduce background noise from the mechanism. The flyback chronograph with vertical clutch is innovatively arranged with a 30-minute counter at the centre of the calibre. To combine these three mechanisms in a single watch with openworked dial is proof of consummate watchmaking expertise. This same mastery is evident in the Tourbillon Carrousel. The tourbillon needs no introduction; the carrousel is perhaps less familiar. In a previously unattempted feat, Blancpain has brought these two complications together in one mechanism. Each has its own carriage, connected by a differential gear that transfers the average rate of the two regulators to the time display.

These two systems serve the same purpose but differ in construction. In the tourbillon, the carriage is linked to the barrel by a single gear-train whereas the carrousel has two; one to transfer energy to the escapement and another to control the speed at which the carriage rotates. “The difference between the two systems thus consists in a more elaborate construction involving more components for the carrousel, but ensuring the smooth cohabitation of both devices is a true challenge,” notes Breguet, which bags yet another world-first.

The Fifty Fathoms is 60 years old

Even with such mechanical marvels to show, Blancpain chose another timepiece to be the star of this year’s Baselworld: the Fifty Fathoms, a name that has become synonymous with the Le Brassus firm over its sixty years. The Bathyscaphe model, issued for this 60th anniversary, is presented in versions for men and women. It borrows a vintage-inspired design but doesn’t snub the brand’s latest technology, which includes a silicon balance spring and a scale in Blancpain’s amorphous metal alloy, Liquidmetal, encrusted in the ceramic bezel. The Fifty Fathoms has lent itself to multiple variations throughout its six decades, including complications, but this latest iteration goes back to its roots… the very ones that have made Blancpain a brand worthy of our esteem, at one time overlooked but which has returned to life with honos et virtus, the honour and courage of the Romans, one deserving of the other.

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