Blancpain has now introduced some new 38mm Villeret models, namely references 6224 and 6264, both in stainless steel or red gold, both with or without a diamond set dials and bezels. Let’s take a closer look.
The Villeret dial aesthetics have changed some years ago to larger applied and less frugal roman numerals, but the 37.6mm references 6223 and 6263 with the older look had survived in the catalogue, until today that is. Here’s a comparison:
The new 38mm timepieces replace those references and they bring the new aesthetics to the perfect unisex size. The timepieces work as perfect dress watches for the gentleman in their more modest versions, and they work for ladies at the same time, with an additional option to choose a bezel and dial with diamonds.
Let us get to the plain stainless steel timepieces with matte white and slightly grained dials first. Here is the Villeret Ultra Plat 6224-1127-55B:
and here is the Villeret Quantieme Complet 6264-1127-55B:
The matte white dials with their slightly grained texture are a real delight in the sunshine. Let us take a look at the opaline dial of the red gold versions:
As previously mentioned, 38mm in diameter work perfectly well for both men and women. The classic shapes and lean dial layout of the “plain” versions get a beautiful feminine touch when you add a few diamonds:
The updated Villeret aesthetics also influence the backside of the watches: all versions have a 18ct gold oscillating weight with the beautiful honeycomb decoration. The Villeret Ultra Plat is powered by the well known caliber 1151, the Villeret Quantieme Complet features caliber 6763, which is also based on the 1151. Both have 100 hours of power reserve and a silicon balance-spring for antimagnetic properties.
Now, how do the new 38mm Villeret timepieces wear? Before I share a number of wrist shots of both the 6224 and 6264 in stainless steel, let me state that the proportions between diameter, height (8.35mm for the 6224, 10.25mm for the 6264) and dial size are plain perfect. The watches sat very comfortably on my 17cm wrist. Here is the Villeret Ultra Plat…
… and here’s the Villeret Quantieme Complet:
I will close this overview with a comparative shot between a 40mm Villeret Ultra Plat and the new 38mm model. As you can see, 2mm does not sound a lot, but the difference is real.
I hope you enjoyed these first live impressions of the new 38mm Villeret pieces. You can find an overview on all Blancpain 2020 releases here in the blog, where you also see references 6224 and 6264 on the Milles Mailles bracelet.
Cheers
Henrik