The Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is a highly sophisticated and elegantly designed timepiece that combines elements from both Chinese and Western watchmaking traditions, celebrating the Chinese New Year of 2025, which marks the transition from the Year of the Wooden Dragon to the Year of the Wooden Snake.
Design and Materials
Case: The watch features a 45.2 mm platinum case, which is luxurious and robust. Its thickness is 15.10 mm, providing a substantial feel on the wrist.
Dial: The dial is made of green Grand Feu enamel, a delicate and centuries-old technique renowned for its vibrant finish and unique depth. This material choice, characterized by its deep color and luster, enhances the dial’s inherent beauty.
Strap: Paired with a chocolate brown alligator leather strap, the color coordinates with the dial, providing a cohesive and stylish look. The strap originates from the Mississippiensis alligator, known for its remarkable quality.
Movement and Mechanics
Caliber: The Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is powered by the Caliber 3638, which is an intricate self-winding movement composed of 464 components including 39 jewels. This caliber highlights Blancpain’s prowess in mechanical engineering.
Power Reserve: The movement incorporates three barrels that deliver a notable seven-day power reserve, ensuring prolonged autonomy.
Water Resistance: It is water-resistant up to 3 bars, roughly corresponding to a 30-meter water column, indicating its protection from splashes and rain.
Sapphire Crystal Back: The watch features a sapphire crystal case back, providing a clear view of the movement’s construction and exquisite finishes.
Complications
Traditional Chinese Calendar: It integrates a traditional Chinese calendar, including double-hour indications, zodiac signs, and Chinese months. This system is harmoniously merged with a Gregorian date display, creating a unique dual-calendar feature.
Moon Phase: The dial incorporates a meticulously crafted moon phase complication at 6 o’clock, a signature element of Blancpain, symbolizing the company’s revival post the quartz crisis.
Day/Month/Element Indications: The Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 includes indications for the five elements combined with Yin and Yang, celestial stems, leap months, and more, displayed through strategically positioned apertures and sub-dials.
User-Friendly Correctors: Blancpain includes under-lug correctors, first introduced in 2005 and patented, allowing easy adjustment of calendar indications without additional tools. This feature enhances the overall user experience, maintaining the timepiece’s sleek profile.
Artistic Details
Zodiac Representation: The year 2025 is represented by the wooden snake, artistically engraved on the watch’s rotor along with Chinese characters for ‘serpent’ and ‘wood’. The rotor is crafted from 22K white gold with frosted finishes, captured in stunning detail by Blancpain’s Métiers d’Art division.
Oscillating Weight: The oscillating weight is set with a ruby, an elegant touch that adds brilliance and color contrast to the movement’s aesthetic.
Limited Edition
The watch is released in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, emphasizing its exclusivity and desirability among collectors and enthusiasts.
Overall, the Blancpain Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is a testament to Blancpain’s dedication to watchmaking artistry and technological advancement and also a distinctive celebration of cultural heritage through horology. The combination of luxurious materials, technical complexity, and artistic execution renders this timepiece a masterpiece of haute horlogerie.
