Blancpain

Blancpain SA (French pronunciation: ​[blɑ̃pɛ̃]) is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, headquartered in Paudex/Le Brassus, Switzerland.[1] It designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells prestige and luxury mechanical watches.[2][3] Founded by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland in 1735, Blancpain is the oldest surviving watchmaking brand in the world.[2][4][5][6]

Blancpain SA
Subsidiary
IndustryLuxury watchmaking
Founded1735 (1735)
FounderJehan-Jacques Blancpain
Headquarters
Paudex/Le Brassus
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Marc Hayek
ProductsWatches
ParentThe Swatch Group
Websiteblancpain.ch

Blancpain has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group since 1992, and is regarded as a top-tier Swatch brand.[7][8][9] It is best known for its Fifty Fathoms diving watch introduced in 1953 and its 1735 Grande Complication wristwatch introduced in 1991.[10][11][12][13]

History

Early history

Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started making watches in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland.[2][3] 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.[2][3]

In 1815, Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the great-grandson of Jehan-Jacques, who was head of the family business at the time, modernized production methods and transformed the traditional craft workshop into an industrial undertaking capable of serial production. By replacing the crown-wheel mechanism with a cylinder escapement, Frédéric-Louis introduced a major innovation into the watchmaking world.

In the second half of the 19th century, as industrialization took hold, the prices of watchmaking products were falling and many workshops were fated to close down. To face up to American competition, 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 the line products, Blancpain became one of the few watchmaking firms to survive in Villeret.

Re-organization
Blancpain watch with 8-day power reserve.

In 1926, the Manufacture entered into a partnership with John Harwood and started marketing the first automatic wristwatch.[3] The year 1932 saw the end of the family's management of the firm, which had lasted for over two centuries.[2] On the death of Frédéric-Emile Blancpain, his only daughter, Berthe-Nellie, did not wish to go into watchmaking. The following year, the two members of the staff who had been closest to Frédéric-Emile, Betty Fiechter and André Léal, bought the business. As there was no longer any member of the Blancpain family in control of the firm, the two associates were obliged by law as it stood at the time to change the company name. The firm would be called Rayville S.A., succ. de Blancpain, "Rayville" being a phonetic anagram of Villeret.[2] Despite this change of name, the identity of the Manufacture was perpetuated, and the characteristics of the brand were preserved.

Betty Fiechter remained director of Blancpain until 1950, when her nephew, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, joined her.[2] At the end of the 1950s, Rayville-Blancpain was producing more than 100,000 watches per year.[2] To make it possible to meet the continually growing demand, the firm became part of the SSIH, joining such brands as Omega SA, Tissot and Lemania. In 1971, the company's annual production reached the historical peak of 220,000 watches.[2] During the quartz crisis of the 1970s, SSIH was forced to reduce its output by half and to sell off part of its assets.

Recent development

In 1983, SSIH sold the Rayville-Blancpain name to Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric Piguet and director of the company of that name, and Jean-Claude Biver, at that time employed by the SSIH.[3] The company set up production at Le Brassus, in the Joux Valley, and from then on traded under the name of Blancpain SA.

In 1992, the SSIH purchased Blancpain back for 60 million Swiss Francs. At that time, Blancpain had annual sales of 50 million Swiss Francs. Jean-Claude Biver remained as CEO of Blancpain until 2002. Marc Hayek, the grandson of the Swatch Group's founder and chairman, Nicolas Hayek (1928 – 2010), has run Blancpain since 2002.[7][14]

Later, SSIH became known as the Swatch Group, and in July 2010, Frédéric Piguet SA, also owned by Swatch Group, was merged into the firm Blancpain SA. Currently, Blancpain is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.[15]

Motto and slogan

One of Blancpain's company slogans is "Blancpain has never made a quartz watch and never will."[3]

Watch manufacturing
A watch movement from Blancpain

According to their commercial slogans, the company has never produced quartz watches in the past and has stated in its advertisements that it never will, nor have they ever produced watches with digital displays.[3] In comparison to a large watchmaker like Rolex, which makes about 2,000 watches a day, Blancpain produces fewer than thirty watches per day. Each watch is made by a single watchmaker.[16]

Important inventions and patents
  • In 1983, created the world's smallest moon-phases display.[3]
  • In 1987, created the world's thinnest self-winding chronograph and the smallest minute-repeater movement at the time.[3]
  • In 1988, created the world's thinnest split-second chronograph at the time.[3]
  • In 2000, produced the world's first self-winding tourbillon and perpetual calendar, with an eight-day power reserve.[3]
  • In 2005, patented the system of under-lug correctors.[3]
  • In 2006, patented the "rail effect" stone-setting technique.[3]
  • In 2006, created the Tourbillon Semainier, an unprecedented combination of complications with a seven-day power reserve.[3]
  • In 2008, produced the world's first movement with a one-minute flying carousel and 100-hour power reserve.[3]

Notable models

Villeret
A Blancpain wristwatch

The Villeret collection is marketed as Blancpain's most classic collection.[17] Named after the birthplace of Blancpain, the Villeret collection has been a flagship line of the company since 1980s.[18] The collection not only includes wristwatches with simple and elegant designs, but also include watches with complications such as triple calendar, moon phase, and carousel.[19][20][21]

Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain is known for its Fifty-Fathoms watch, produced in collaboration with the French Navy’s Nageurs de Combat (combat swimmers) lead by Captain Bob Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, and worn by Jacques Cousteau.[3][22] From 1958, Fifty-Fathoms was standard issue of the US Navy's combat divers and United States Navy SEALs.[23] The watch has a water-resistant level up to 91 meters.[3]

1735 Grande Complication

Blancpain is famous for being the creator of one of the most complicated mechanical watches ever made, the Blancpain 1735, which is a true grand complication (Tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split chrono), a limited edition of 30 pieces only, production of just one piece per year.

Notable patrons and owners
A Blancpain wristwatch

Artists

Celebrities

Politicians

Sponsorship

Blancpain sponsors Motorsport programs including the Blancpain Endurance Series,[30] Blancpain Sprint Series, Blancpain GT Series,[31] Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, ADAC GT Masters[32] and Reiter Engineering's GT1 and GT3 cars.

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See also

References
  1. "Swatch Group Ltd.: Consolidation of company structures and major investments by Blancpain, Frédéric Piguet SA, François Golay SA and Valdar SA" (PDF). Swatch Group.
  2. "History | Blancpain". www.blancpain.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. "History - Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie". www.hautehorlogerie.org. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  4. Lewis, Simon (20 November 2017). "Why are Swiss watches the best in the world?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  5. "Just a Few of the Oldest Luxury Watch Brands". Crown & Caliber Blog. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  6. "Blancpain - Swatch Group". www.swatchgroup.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  7. Gorton, David. "Top 8 Companies Owned by Swatch (UHR.VX)". Investopedia. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  8. "Blancpain - Swatch Group". www.swatchgroup.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  9. "What is the marketing positionning of Blancpain (Swatch group)". Market research consulting. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  10. "Blancpain". HODINKEE. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  11. August 30, Ariel Adams |; 2010 (30 August 2010). "A Product of Passion: Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication Watch". Luxury Watch Trends 2018 - Baselworld SIHH Watch News. Retrieved 15 December 2018.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. August 22, Stephen Pulvirent; 2013. "A Week On The Wrist: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe". HODINKEE. Retrieved 15 December 2018.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. "Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication – $800,000". Robb Report. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  14. History blancpain.com
  15. "Our brands". Federation of the Swiss watch industry.
  16. "Assembly | Blancpain". www.blancpain.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  17. "Villeret | Blancpain". www.blancpain.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  18. "BLANCPAIN UNVEILS A NEW VILLERET COLLECTION | Blancpain". www.blancpain.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  19. Berman, Nat (12 March 2018). "A Closer Look at The Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet GMT". Money Inc. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  20. February 20, Stephen Pulvirent; 2018. "Introducing: The Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet GMT". HODINKEE. Retrieved 6 February 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. December 21, Arthur Touchot; 2016. "A Week On The Wrist: The Blancpain Villeret Ultra-Slim Complete Calendar In White Gold". HODINKEE. Retrieved 6 February 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. IN DETAIL – BLANCPAIN TRIBUTE TO FIFTY FATHOMS MIL-SPEC Robert-Jan Broer, September 20, 2017
  23. A Deep Dive into the Fifty Fathoms MILSPEC-1's Past Nitin Nair, April 19, 2017
  24. "Blancpain White Gold - Pièce Unique - Francis Ford Coppola Blancpain". catalog.antiquorum.swiss. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  25. "IF ONLY WALLS COULD SPEAK" (PDF). Blancpain. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2015.
  26. Naas, Roberta. "Blancpain Watch Owned by Marilyn Monroe Sells for $225,000". Forbes. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  27. "Spot the Watch: Brad Pitt -". DEPLOYANT. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  28. "How Vladimir Putin spends his mysterious fortune rumoured to be worth $70 billion". The Independent. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  29. "Putin's Flashy $700K Watch Collection". ABC News. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  30. "Series Information". Blancpain Endurance Series. SRO Ltd. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  31. "Blancpain Watches extends partnership to the SRO-Promoted GT Sprint Series". FIA GT Series. Stéphane Ratel Organisation. 15 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  32. "Blancpain and ADAC GT Masters extend partnership". ADAC GT Masters. ADAC. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
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