Blancpain Watches Celebrates 275th Birthday
Baselworld 2010, the Annual Watch Festival in Switzerland marks the 275th anniversary of Blancpain since its founder, Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, declared in 1735 he was dedicating his life to watch making.
Jehan-Jacques started small, making watch parts, then once he’d perfected the process of creating every single piece flawlessly, he moved on to design and build complete pocket watches. Over the succeeding centuries, generations of the Blancpain family have taken their turn at the helm of this successful family owned Swiss Watch manufacturer.
As it’s founder did back way back then, today Blancpain still prides itself on producing each watch with a single watchmaker from beginning to end, hence, only producing less than 10,000 pieces per year.
Blancpain also continues to adhere to another of its long time traditions, Blancpain Watch-Makers will never produce quartz watches; unlike Rolex which makes about 2,000 watches per day in their assembly line.
Blancpain is also held in high esteem for being the maker of one of the most complicated mechanical watches ever made, The Blancpain 1735, which combines the six grand complications (split-second chronograph, tourbillion, minute repeater, and perpetual calendar with phases of the moon) into one watch. This timepiece is so special that it was made in a limited edition of 30 pieces only, production of just one piece a year which is truly a masterpiece that is a fitting tribute to the company’s founder.
Blancpain is also known for its Fifty-Fathoms, circa 1953, which is water resistant to 200 meters. It is the watch used by the United States Navy and is also the watch worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in his award winning film, “The World of Silence”.
Despite its numerous accolades over the years, Blancpain was nearly doomed to extinction with the influx of inexpensive quartz watches from Japan and China during the early 1970s. Thanks to the intervention of Modern Swiss Watchmakers Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet that the company was reestablished in 1983 and put on the path to recovery.
In 1984, Blancpain launched the world’s smallest movement, followed in 1989 by the launch of the world’s thinnest movement and in 992 the company was acquired by Swatch Group wherein Biver headed the board. His strategy was a success as Blancpain’s credo remains rooted in a deep respect for tradition and contemporary values.
Shunning compromise — by mastering every complication and by refusing ever to manufacture a quartz watch, Blancpain remains and by expressing time only in the shape of a circle — and being totally committed to the essential-watch excellence, Blancpain’s philosophy and convictions are as relevant as ever as it remains the standard by which the art of traditional watch making is measured.
Yes, even today at Blancpain’s 275th Birthday, recently celebrated at Baselworld 2010.