Welcome to the first blog post of 2022, I hope you had a good start into the new year. To kick off 2022 in style, I had the opportunity to capture a timepiece from past collections, and what a marvel it is! Let’s take a very close look at the Leman Chronographe Flyback Quantieme Perpetuel in red gold, reference 2685F-3630-53B.

.

A highlight of the Leman series

You heard me say it numerous times: the Leman (previously 2100) series has been the almost perfect watch, both in terms of aesthetics and horological value.

The series was launched in the mid 1990s with a large variety of 38mm timepieces in various metals and spanning from a time/date only timepiece to Tourbillons and Minute Repeaters. One thing they all had in common was a convincing blend between elegant and sportive design elements, the almost perfect all purpose timepiece.

Within that lineup one of the most attractive offers was reference 2585F, a combination of Blancpain‘s signature Flyback chronograph with a perpetual calendar.

From 2004 onwards the Leman series grew from 38mm to 40mm on diameter. Reference 2585F made room for the 40mm 2685F, available in stainless steel with white dial and red gold with a black dial, the subject of this essay.

.

Dial and hands

The ebony black multi layer dial features a slight sunburst finish in the center part and a subtle radial finish on the outer ring.

The faceted indices, the round luminous dots set set in red gold rings, the fine print of the calendar and chronograph indications, the beautifully executed aperture for the moon phases and of course the faceted gold hands create a truly luxurious and well balanced face of the watch.

Exploring the dial is an even more joyful experience due to the antireflective coating on both sides of the crystal.

.

Case

The 2685F features a polished red gold case with a diameter of 40mm and a height of 15mm. One typical element are the screw down pushers and crown.

.

The Leman case offers perfectly rounded shapes and the characteristic double ring bezel. The lugs are drilled, which makes a strap change very easy.

And as an improvement over the most 38mm predecessors, all 40mm Leman models offered sapphire case backs, allowing the view on a beautiful and trustworthy caliber F585.

.

Movement

The base for cal F585 is the famous F185, which again is the Flyback version of the former Frederic Piguet caliber 1185. This column wheel vertical clutch chronograph movement operates at 3Hz and provides 40 hours of power reserve.

.

The traditionally finished base caliber has a module for the perpetual calendar fitted on top, naturally not visible since it sits under the dial. Typical for the 40mm Leman series are the heat blued screws and the blue signature on the 18ct white gold rotor.

.

Setting the calendar

The calendar indications are manipulated through 4 pushers in the case flanks. Other than the 40mm moon phase triple calendar ref 2863, the 2685F does not feature the patented under-lug correctors.

Setting the calendar is easy: ideally you set the date first, then the weekday and the correct month in year 1,2,3 or 4 (leap year), followed by the moon phase. The manipulation of the calendar should not be done between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., since the calendar is in operation at that time.

.

Strap and deployant clasp

The official red gold 2685F with black dial configuration includes a dark brown alligator strap on deployant.

.

I think it’s fair to say that this might not be the perfect choice for this timepiece since the brown strap diverts the attention from the watch itself. In this essay you see the watch also on a black alligator strap, which in my view suits it a lot better.

.

Overall impressions

Reference 2685F is an outstanding example for the excellence found in the Leman series. The combination of a perpetual calendar with a Flyback chronograph provides two very useful complications you rarely find in such a timeless and unpretentious fashion.

.

With 40mm in diameter it has a perfect size, the combination of red gold and a luxurious black dial works for both formal and casual environments.

The one thing missing are the patented under-lug correctors. But for a watch that already offers so much that is something to easily get over with.

You find part one of my Leman anthology here, part two here and part three here in the blog. The current Blancpain collection does not offer the combination of Flyback chronograph and perpetual calendar, but one watch from the previous Le Brassus series is still listed in the Villeret lineup: you find the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel Chronographe Flyback A Rattrapante here on the Blancpain website.

I hope you enjoyed this essay and the photos.

Cheers

Henrik