On October 15 Blancpain introduced a facelift of the Villeret collection with 3 models featuring a plentiful of subtle yet powerful changes. Before I can hopefully soon share a hands-on with the watches, let’s take a look at the official Blancpain material on new Villeret and the new technical and design elements.
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About the Villeret collection
The Villeret name first appeared in 2003, but the roots of Blancpain‘s collection of elegant watches go back to the early 1980s.
Key aesthetic elements have always been Roman numerals and a slim double ring bezel, the rounded case shape has been realized in various sizes, from 33mm up to 45mm case diameter.
Without changing the elegant and contemporary design code of the Villeret, Blancpain has now made some impactful changes which warrant a closer look.
To clearly distinguish the new Villeret from the previous generation a new set of dials (opaline and golden brown) has been created for each of the three models.
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Before we get into the specifics of new Villeret models here are are some new details that are symptomatic for the facelift of all models:
A new shape of the hour and minute hands, which now carry luminous material in the center
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A new shape for the Roman numerals with satin finished tops and polished bevels on the side. In addition the Blancpain JB logo sits in the 12 o‘clock position.
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The oscillating weight of the movement is now open worked with crafted in red or yellow gold features beveled edges and different finishes.
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And if all this wouldn’t be a lot, Blancpain have created a set of 4 new straps (brown, blue-grey, honey, and beige nubuck velvet) with a semi-matte finish allowing to develop a nice patina over time. A real improvement is that all straps come with quick-change spring bars.
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The Villeret Extraplate 6651N
The Villeret Extraplate 6651N as a time and date only model is an ideal canvas for the new Roman numerals and the new hands. In addition to those it features a date window slightly larger than with the preceding generation.
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The Villeret Extraplate is available in stainless steel or red gold, both with an opaline or golden brown sunburst dial.
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The Villeret Quantieme Complet 6654N
This signature model of the Villeret line features a redesigned case with a thinner profile, slimmer bezel, reworked lugs and a larger crown.
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In addition to the new Roman numerals and hands (with the date serpent hand been reworked as well) the dial has a larger opening for the moon phase indication, which is entirely new as well: on a ceramic disc sits an applied domed gold moon with satin finish, giving the indication a lot more depth.
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The watch features the latest generation of a Secure Movement allowing to set all indications at any time without any risk of damage. The calendar and moon phase indications can be set by the patented under-lug correctors.
The Villeret Quantieme Complet is also available in stainless steel or red gold with either an opaline or golden brown sunburst dial.
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The Villeret Quantieme Phases de Lune 6126N
The small version of the Villeret has a 33.2mm case and of course features the new hands as well as the new moon phase indication.
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This small Villeret of course shows a feminine face on moon phase, a detail that is part of Blancpain’s design for quite a while now, but never before seen on this superb execution.
The stainless steel or red gold case is available with or without a diamond set bezel and with either an opaline or golden brown sunburst dial.
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Initial thoughts
There are many little details to digest with this new generation of the Villeret. Personally I like the more plain style of Roman numerals and the new shape of the hands, the new moon phase indication promises to be an impressive detail, too.
It is difficult to refresh a design and keep its core character untouched. I think Blancpain succeeded with the Villeret facelift, I look forward to handle the timepieces in the metal and get a proper impression, though.
All photos in this article are credit Blancpain. You can explore the new Villeret models here on their website. If you wish to see the technical data sheets of the 6126N, 6651N and 6654N you’ll find them here in the blog.
Cheers
Henrik