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| Blancpain |
After being re-founded in 1982, the Blancpain brand identified itself above all with the elegant, classic, extra-flat style of wristwatch. This is something that Blancpain's managerial floor has seemed to reflect on more often lately, as the brand's current model families Brassus, Leman, and above all, Villeret will attest.
From the beginning, watches from the "reanimated" Blancpain manufacture needed to fulfill three criteria over and above the high quality in which they were already produced: In addition to a round case, they all had to possess a white dial and
- almost not worth mentioning - a mechanical movement. This latter quality was wholeheartedly made public in every Blancpain advertisement: "Since 1735 Blancpain has never had a quartz movement. And it never will."
A high demand that today can be postulated in a more relaxed manner, especially since first-class mechanical wristwatches have become an essential component of the luxury goods industry. About twenty years ago, however, this was just a "business idea" that was commented on with a shake of the head and a lack of understanding in an industry that only had quartz watches on the mind. Within just a short amount of time this lack of appreciation turned into
unconcealed admiration, for it was soon to become obvious that one could not only sell mechanical watches, but that one could also make lots of money with them.
Blancpain took care of its noble clientele with the introduction of more new top performances in watchmaking, reaching a highlight in the model named for the year of Blancpain's original
founding, 1735. This model contained a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, a rattrapante chronograph, and a minute repeater.
In order to make sure that the brand didn't turn into a conservative niche marque while respectably taking care of the high art of watchmaking, the company & came out with a collection of sporty watches called Leman, women's watches such as the Ladybird model featuring little hearts on the dial, and the newest model family, Specialites,
which contains the women's watch outfitted with the smallest automatic movement in the world.
In the last couple of years, Blancpain has undergone a change of leadership with clear course set for expansion in the firm's second location in Paudex near Lausanne, where the administration and sales departments are located, as well as a careful restoration of model policies that is still going on today.
In addition, new boss Marc Hayek has put special emphasis on improving service and introducing a contemporary system for stocking watches and replacement parts. The watches are still chiefly manufactured in the tranquil, almost private atmosphere of an old building in Le Brassus from movements that are produced almost exclusively for this high-class brand by movement maker Frederic Piguet, who - just like Blancpain - belongs to the Swatch Group.
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Blancpain
The Swatch Group (U.S.), Inc.
1200 Harbor Boulevard
Weehawken, NJ 07087
Tel.: 201-271-1400
Fax: 201-271-4633
www.blancpain.com
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