Blancpain SA (French pronunciation: [blɑ̃pɛ̃]) is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer,

headquartered in Paudex/Le Brassus, Switzerland.[1] It designs, manufactures,

distributes, and sells prestige and luxury mechanical watches.[2][3] Founded by
Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland in 1735, Blancpain is the oldest
surviving watchmaking brand in the world.[2][4][5][6]

Blancpain has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group since 1992, and is
regarded as a top-tier Swatch brand.[7][8][9] It is best known for its Fifty
Fathoms diving watch introduced in 1953 and its 1735 Grande Complication wristwatch
introduced in 1991.[10][11][12][13]

Contents
1 History
1.1 Early history
1.2 Re-organization
1.3 Recent development
2 Motto and slogan
3 Watch manufacturing
3.1 Important inventions and patents
4 Notable models
4.1 Villeret
4.2 Fifty Fathoms
4.3 1735 Grande Complication
5 Notable patrons and owners
5.1 Artists
5.2 Celebrities
5.3 Politicians
6 Sponsorship
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
History
Early history
Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started making watches in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland.[2]
[3] He founded the Blancpain brand, setting up his first workshop on the upper
floor of his house at Villeret, in the present-day Bernese Jura.[2][3]

In 1815, Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the great-grandson of Jehan-Jacques, who was

head of the family business at the time, modernized production methods and
transformed the traditional craft workshop into an industrial undertaking capable
of serial production. By replacing the crown-wheel mechanism with a cylinder
escapement, Frédéric-Louis introduced a major innovation into the watchmaking
world.

In the second half of the 19th century, as industrialization took hold, the prices
of watchmaking products were falling and many workshops were fated to close down.
To face up to American competition, in 1865 Blancpain built a two-storey factory by
the River Suze and made use of water power to supply the electricity needed for its
production processes. By modernizing its methods and concentrating on top of the
line products, Blancpain became one of the few watchmaking firms to survive in
Villeret.

Re-organization

Blancpain watch with 8-day power reserve.

In 1926, the Manufacture entered into a partnership with John Harwood and started
marketing the first automatic wristwatch.[3] The year 1932 saw the end of the
family's management of the firm, which had lasted for over two centuries.[2] On the
death of Frédéric-Emile Blancpain, his only daughter, Berthe-Nellie, did not wish
to go into watchmaking. The following year, the two members of the staff who had
been closest to Frédéric-Emile, Betty Fiechter and André Léal, bought the business.
As there was no longer any member of the Blancpain family in control of the firm,
the two associates were obliged by law as it stood at the time to change the
company name. The firm would be called Rayville S.A., succ. de Blancpain,
"Rayville" being a phonetic anagram of Villeret.[2] Despite this change of name,
the identity of the Manufacture was perpetuated, and the characteristics of the
brand were preserved.

Betty Fiechter remained director of Blancpain until 1950, when her nephew, Jean-
Jacques Fiechter, joined her.[2] At the end of the 1950s, Rayville-Blancpain was
producing more than 100,000 watches per year.[2] To make it possible to meet the
continually growing demand, the firm became part of the SSIH, joining such brands
as Omega SA, Tissot and Lemania. In 1971, the company's annual production reached
the historical peak of 220,000 watches.[2] During the quartz crisis of the 1970s,
SSIH was forced to reduce its output by half and to sell off part of its assets.

Recent development
In 1983, SSIH sold the Rayville-Blancpain name to Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric
Piguet and director of the company of that name, and Jean-Claude Biver, at that
time employed by the SSIH.[3] The company set up production at Le Brassus, in the
Joux Valley, and from then on traded under the name of Blancpain SA.

In 1992, the SSIH purchased Blancpain back for 60 million Swiss Francs. At that
time, Blancpain had annual sales of 50 million Swiss Francs. Jean-Claude Biver
remained as CEO of Blancpain until 2002. Marc Hayek, the grandson of the Swatch
Group's founder and chairman, Nicolas Hayek (1928 – 2010), has run Blancpain since
2002.[7][14]

Later, SSIH became known as the Swatch Group, and in July 2010, Frédéric Piguet SA,
also owned by Swatch Group, was merged into the firm Blancpain SA. Currently,
Blancpain is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.[15]

Motto and slogan

One of Blancpain's company slogans is "Blancpain has never made a quartz watch and
never will."[3]

Watch manufacturing

A watch movement from Blancpain

According to their commercial slogans, the company has never produced quartz
watches in the past and has stated in its advertisements that it never will, nor
have they ever produced watches with digital displays.[3] In comparison to a large
watchmaker like Rolex, which makes about 2,000 watches a day, Blancpain produces
fewer than thirty watches per day. Each watch is made by a single watchmaker.[16]

Important inventions and patents

In 1983, created the world's smallest moon-phases display.[3]
In 1987, created the world's thinnest self-winding chronograph and the smallest
minute-repeater movement at the time.[3]
In 1988, created the world's thinnest split-second chronograph at the time.[3]
In 2000, produced the world's first self-winding tourbillon and perpetual calendar,
with an eight-day power reserve.[3]
In 2005, patented the system of under-lug correctors.[3]
In 2006, patented the "rail effect" stone-setting technique.[3]
In 2006, created the Tourbillon Semainier, an unprecedented combination of
complications with a seven-day power reserve.[3]
In 2008, produced the world's first movement with a one-minute flying carousel and
100-hour power reserve.[3]
Notable models
Villeret

A Blancpain wristwatch
The Villeret collection is marketed as Blancpain's most classic collection.[17]
Named after the birthplace of Blancpain, the Villeret collection has been a
flagship line of the company since 1980s.[18] The collection not only includes
wristwatches with simple and elegant designs, but also include watches with
complications such as triple calendar, moon phase, and carousel.[19][20][21]

Fifty Fathoms
Blancpain is known for its Fifty-Fathoms watch, produced in collaboration with the
French Navy’s Nageurs de Combat (combat swimmers) lead by Captain Bob Maloubier and
Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, and worn by Jacques Cousteau.[3][22] From 1958, Fifty-
Fathoms was standard issue of the US Navy's combat divers and United States Navy
SEALs.[23] The watch has a water-resistant level up to 91 meters.[3]

1735 Grande Complication

Blancpain is famous for being the creator of one of the most complicated mechanical
watches ever made, the Blancpain 1735, which is a true grand complication
(Tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split chrono), a limited edition
of 30 pieces only, production of just one piece per year.

Notable patrons and owners

A Blancpain wristwatch
Artists
Francis Ford Coppola, American film director (The Godfather series) & multiple
Academy Awards winner[24]
Celebrities
Vladimir Kramnik, Russian chess grandmaster[25]
Marilyn Monroe, American actress[26]
Brad Pitt, American actor [27]