handwriting on the first day of Chinese new year.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Jehan-Jacques
Blancpain perceived the potential in a completely new business activity:
watchmaking. In 1735, he founded the Blancpain brand, setting up his first
workshop on the upper floor of his house at Villeret, in the present-day
Bernese Jura.
By recording his name in the official property register of
the municipality of Villeret, this pioneer had created an establishment which
is now the world's oldest watchmaking brand.
In the second half of the 19th century, as industrialization
took hold, in 1865 Blancpain built a two-storey factory by the River Suze and
made use of water power to supply the electricity needed for its production
processes. By modernizing its methods
and concentrating on top-of-range products, Blancpain become one of the few
watchmaking firms to survive in Villeret.
In 1926, the Manufacture entered into a partnership with
John Harwood and started marketing the first automatic wristwatch. Four years
later, Blancpain adapted the system to watches of small size, and launched the
rectangular "Rolls", by Léon Hatot, which became the world's first
ladies' automatic watch.
Among the Manufacture's great successes is the Fifty
Fathoms, launched in 1953 and produced at the request of the "Combat
Swimmers" of the French navy, who needed a reliable watch for their
underwater operations. Captain Robert "Bob" Maloubier and the
Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, the co-founders of the unit, submitted the project
to Jean-Jacques Fiechter, by then CEO of Blancpain, who accepted the challenge.
Worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, among others, the Fifty Fathoms became the
standard of reference among diving watches. Three years later,
Rayville-Blancpain repeated this success with the Ladybird, a model equipped
with the smallest round movement of the time.
The small farm house of Blancpain where watches were made
Blancpain is still a small manufacture for watch today, they
claim that “Blacnpain have never produced any Quartz watch, and never will be…”
Since I purchased the first Blancpain moonphase automatic
watch in 1990 with about HKD$22,000, at the small watch shop at Park lane at
TST, where this shop is still exist nowadays selling G-Shock, Casio and Swatch…
Those with the days!
Blancpain keeps sending you Xmas card signed by the CEO, a
heavy beautifully printed Blancpain magazine every year… that is a notion of a
small company who does to please his
loyal Customers… Imagine if Rolex does it this way, they might have to ship the
magazine in 200 containers on by cutting 1% of the Brazil rainforest …..
Different Brand has different marketing strategy, when you receive
the book from Blancpain every year, I feel Like I need to buy one watch… from
Blancpain… Likely one of the best dress watch for us.
AThis watch, presented in 2014, is at the top end of the
size spectrum of dress watches, at 42 mm diameter and 11.25 mm thickness. The
star of the show is the grand feu enamel dial, enhanced by the narrow bezel,
with enamel-painted numerals, and a secret signature, the JB initials just
visible in white-on-white between the IV and V, and between VII and VIII. The
JB also appears in the logo above the Blancpain letters, and on the second-hand
counterweight. The JB stands for Jehan-Jacques Blancpain who founded the brand
in 1735 in Villeret, on the upstairs floor of his house. It is probably the
oldest watch brand in the world.
The Calibre 1335
movement can be seen through the sapphire display caseback, with a honeycomb
pattern on the oscillating weight that automatically rewinds the watch. An
eight-day power reserve means 192 hours. Reference 6630-3631-558, price
approximately €27,000. www.blancpain.com
HK Snob
