When February 17th arrives this year, the zodiacal wheel turns to the Horse, an animal whose mythology carries profound significance throughout Chinese culture. The Fire Horse brings energy of independence and bold transformation, qualities that captivate collectors seeking profound mechanical expression. For 2026, Blancpain presents its fifteenth interpretation of the Chinese calendar complication through the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel: a timepiece embodying an extraordinary meeting of Eastern temporal philosophy and Western haute horlogerie.
Since 2012, this collection has achieved a singular accomplishment: the only wristwatch capable of displaying the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar alongside the Gregorian date and moon phase. That achievement required five years of development and the creation of calibre 3638, a movement comprising 464 components approaching the complexity of a minute repeater. The 2026 Fire Horse edition arrives as 50 platinum pieces distinguished by a salmon-rose Grand Feu enamel dial, a colour appearing for the first time in Blancpain‘s horological canon.
The dial confronts the viewer with studied visual hierarchy. The salmon-rose surface, achieved through traditional Grand Feu enamel firing, provides a warm foundation allowing each element to exist with clarity. Around the circumference runs the Gregorian date, indicated by a serpentine hand in blued steel, a reference to 18th century watchmaking tradition. The numerals appear in 18 carat white gold, occupying specific positions along a chapter ring composed of gold appliqués. The painted enamel indications denoting calendar functions were transferred onto the dial surface before final firing, a technique requiring both chemical precision and aesthetic judgment.
Four window apertures punctuate the dial. At six o’clock, the moon phase display appears in the classical format Blancpain has maintained as signature since 1983. At nine o’clock, a dedicated window reveals Chinese lunar month information and leap month indicator. The twelve o’clock position contains the zodiac window, displaying which animal governs the current year. At three o’clock, the dial opens to the five elements and Yin/Yang cycle, layering vast cosmological meaning onto the Chinese calendar’s structure.
The principal hands, shaped as slightly hollowed leaves, possess delicate proportion avoiding both heaviness and insignificance. Four additional hands serve the Chinese calendar indications: the topmost addresses double hours and zodiac; the rightmost indicates the five elements and Yin/Yang; the lower hand presents lunar days and months; the remaining hand serves the 60-year cyclical elements.
Calibre 3638 represents engineering resolved through mechanical principle. Automatic winding delivers seven days of power reserve through three barrels, necessary for a complication of such density. The movement operates at 4 hertz (28,800 vibrations per hour), permitting both accuracy and reasonable amplitude. Thirty-nine jewels provide bearing surfaces for principal pivots, whilst a silicon balance spring reduces positional error and enhances chronometric stability.
The five patented correctors establish the movement’s most practical innovation. Rather than traditional dimpled crown flanks, Blancpain positioned four correctors beneath the lugs, integrating a fifth into the caseback at nine o’clock. This arrangement permits fingertip adjustment of all calendar functions without tools, with every corrector remaining fully shielded during normal wear.
The case measures 45.2 millimetres in diameter and extends to 15.1 millimetres in thickness. Platinum constitutes the entire structure, speaking to exclusivity and permanence. The double-stepped case profile defines Villeret aesthetics, creating shadow lines that add dimensional depth whilst maintaining classical round silhouette. Sapphire crystal and caseback permit unobstructed views of dial and movement. Water resistance rates at 30 metres, acknowledging that this piece prioritises complications above aquatic capability.
The caseback presents its own artisanal statement. The frosted 22 carat gold rotor depicts the Horse in full gallop across a flying swallow, invoking Tianma, the Heavenly Horse of Chinese imperial mythology. A natural ruby and Chinese characters for “horse” and “fire” complete the composition, transforming mechanical necessity into symbolic artwork.
Limited to fifty pieces, this edition joins a lineage of annual interpretations tracing back to 2012. At 81,000 CHF / € 94,450.00, the price reflects the cost of knowledge acquired across decades of complication development. This is not a watch created for novelty but the continuation of a philosophy positioning mechanical knowledge above transient considerations. In Le Brassus, where this mechanism is assembled, haute horlogerie achieves its ultimate expression.
