The Blancpain Villeret Collection Goes Green (And Red Gold)

When it comes to Blancpain, our collective attention is most often focused on the diver range, whether that be the Fifty Fathoms of Bathyscaphe. Just think back to last year when Swatch and Blancpain teamed up to release the Scuba Fifty: a collection of Sistem51-powered Blancpain Swatch models based on the Fifty Fathoms collection. It really brought the line into the mass consumer limelight.

But to focus solely on the toolish side of Blancpain is to miss what amazing work comes out its dressier side. And in the case of this week’s release(s), I am looking at the Villeret collection.

The brand unveiled a whole slew of new variations within the line all done in red gold cases with a distinct green dial. Today I am going to focus on two of those which really stood out to me: the complete calendar, known as the Quantième Complet and the time and date, known as the Extraplate. This new colorway really highlights how slept on this line really is and how a simple change in hue truly transforms it.

The complete calendar is the same format that you know with its day, month indicators, pointer date hand and moonphase complication. But something about the green dial, with its Sunray effect, paired with the red gold case makes this feel like an entirely new watch. And like any good dial update, there is a story behind this one.

This particular chosen shade of green is inspired by the Vallée de Joux fir trees surrounding the Manufacture in Le Brassus. Add the fact the Villeret collection is itself named for the original village Blancpain called home, you begin to see the personal side of a release like this and the meaning it is imbued with.

The Quantième Complet is powered by the caliber 6654 with 72 hours of power reserve. It stands at 40mm with a very slim 10.94mm case height despite the movement complication.

I can say all the  same things about the three hand model as I said about the calendar. The Extraplate, however, is the  simplest watch in the Blancpain stable. You have applied, gold, Roman numerals which play really nicely off the gold of the case – and the date window adds just a bit of extra visual intrigue to an otherwise symmetrical design format. At 40mm, it boasts a contemporary size and a razor thin 8.7m case height. It beats with the 100-hour- power reserve-fueled caliber 1151.

There is not much that needs to be said when a brand does a simple color change but it is no less worthy of coverage because when a brand strikes that perfect balance it can bring a hidden gem to the forefront. And I think these new additions to the Villeret line represent that ideal.

The Blancpain  Quantième Complet is priced at $28,900 and the Extraplate is priced at $22,100.