I am a long time Blancpain collector and enthusiast, also active under the pseudonym shortys home in various worldwide watch fora and on Instagram. You can also join me and many other enthusiasts in the Blancpain – Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Group on Facebook here. The blog itself has a Facebook site here.
Based on my experience with Blancpain timepieces for more than 20 years and countless interactions with fellow enthusiasts I decided to create a blog entirely dedicated to the Manufacture based in Le Brassus.
The aim of this blog is to create a home for Blancpain aficionados, sharing views and opinions. Over time the blog shall provide a comprehensive view on the Manufacture and the timepieces. For now the blog will concentrate on the timepieces from the mid 1990s until today, the vintage watches will not be featured in the blog since they deserve specific attention and expertise.
One key feature of the blog is photography that is meant to capture the watches just as a caring owner would look at them, explore their details and appreciate the timeless design. All photography is done by myself using an iPhone 7+, occasionally with the help of a 6x Loupe System lens.
The blog is independent from the Manufacture, but it receives support in terms of knowledge and access to the timepieces. A heartfelt thank you goes to Blancpain and their representatives for their support!
There is a lot to learn about Blancpain, it’s history, heritage, philosophy, creativity, craftsmanship, activities and of course timepieces. With a current annual production of between 20-30 thousand watches (but significantly more movements), Blancpain can be called a comparatively small manufacturer, yet offering the full depth and excellence of Haute Horlogerie. Please explore the just recently re-designed
There are many interesting aspects I do not want to repeat here, since they are captured very well on the Blancpain website. This one however I’d like to point out: a wonderful overview on the history of the Manufacture Blancpain:
The Manufacture entertains close relationships to the Haute Cuisine and the underwater world with the truly remarkable initiative named Blancpain Ocean Commitment. It is a true pleasure to join Blancpain in their activities to raise awareness and support projects to save the oceans of the world, captured on their dedicated and just renewed website.
For those who had no chance so far to visit Blancpain in Le Brassus or Le Sentier, you have the opportunity to do a virtual tour of the facilities and workshops here:
The world of Blancpain is captured extremely well in the Lettres du Brassus, a now annual magazine that consists of 19 editions as of today. The Lettres du Brassus can be subscribed to through the Blancpain website or any Blancpain Boutique – or you read them online in a beautifully animated new format here:
One other area that’s worth exploring is Blancpain TV. You will find close to 250 videos in 5 different channels:
In case you wish to get an overview on (almost) all modern Blancpain references, you can work yourself through this quite comprehensive collection of data:
all Blancpain references, April 2020
And finally , here you find an explanation of the Blancpain reference numbers:
There are multiple additional places a Blancpain aficionado can find interesting information and the opportunity to take a closer look. Here are some I recommend exploring further:
A must read is the site of Peter Speake-Marin, aka The Naked Watchmaker. PSM frequently deconstructs modern and vintage Blancpain timepieces, allowing for a close look at the excellence that normally is hidden to the owner.
Thanks to Peter Speake-Marin I have the opportunity to feature the deconstructions on this blog, which I am very grateful for. You will find the decontruction reports in the blog posts section.
Personalizing a watch with different straps is a significant part of the passion for me. I use two major sources to find alternatives to the strap that originally comes with a given timepiece:
Blancpain OEM straps
Blancpain has built a wide inventory of straps over many years. In most cases all straps that were part of the original configuration of a given watch are still available, at least for the timepieces of the last two decades. For the 23/20mm specs of the Fifty Fathoms/Bathyscaphe line you can find quite a variety of options, since the same specs were used for the discontinued L’Evolution line. The best way to find out is to a. research past models and b. contact a Blancpain Boutique.
Jean Rousseau Paris
There are many high quality strap producers out there which can be an alternative to OEM straps. Personally I have had excellent experience with Jean Rousseau Paris, both with their standard collection and their bespoke straps. With Boutiques in Paris, London, New York and Tokyo they are physically represented in various parts of the world and their website with a sophisticated online bespoke order service is of course easily accessible from anywhere.
I recently had a conversation with them over a bespoke order and we started to discuss Blancpain and this blog. As a result Jean Rousseau Paris were so kind to make a special offer to all subscribers and readers of this blog:
Upon your first order through the Jean Rousseau Paris website or for a first bespoke strap in any JRP Atelier or via email/website typeform you will receive a 10% discount when you mention you are a reader of the Blancpain Blog and enter the privilege code BPBJR. A heartfelt ‘merci beaucoup’ goes to Jean Rousseau Paris for this very kind offer!
One general point about strap choices: make sure that not only the primary dimensions (width at lugs and buckle, length) are a fit but also the other aspects like size of the pin holes, the tunnel for the pin/spring bars and obviously the thickness. For most Blancpain watches a strap should not be thicker than 3-3.5mm.
Some worldwide watch fora offer a designated section for Blancpain, obviously with a slightly different bias due to the primary geographic audience and group of members.
For English speaking audiences I recommend two fora:
PuristSPro offers a lot of information, with a bias on vintage Blancpain timepieces . You will also find a good representation of current models.
Timezone is a sophisticated forum since more than two decades, the focus of the Blancpain forum is mainly set on current timepieces.
And here is a treat for every watch enthusiast, the exceptional visualization on how a mechanical watch works in the blog of Bartosz Ciechanowski.
I hope you enjoy this blog and participate actively. Together we can share our passion and build a source that over time accumulates knowledge accessible to collectors and enthusiasts. You are kindly invited to follow the blog and receive updates on each new report, in addition you can register as a member and have the opportunity to actively participate. Also, please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or any topics you would like to see covered in the blog.
Henrik