While these days it’s the Fifty Fathoms collection at Blancpain that garners the most attention, the brand has so much more to offer than its dive collection, alone. Among them, the beautiful Villeret collection is the embodiment of an elegant and timeless dress watch, but also houses a few very nice complex watches, such as the Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback.
This long name explains exactly what this Blancpain has to offer, and to the best of my knowledge, there are currently no other brands that offer this combination of complications. Granted, there are, in general, not many watches with a carrousel around. Like the tourbillon was also the carrousel invented to battle gravity’s influence on the movement’s precision. The main difference is that the tourbillon uses a single power source to move both the cage and the escapement, while the carrousel has one for each.
To show the exquisite nature of this watch, Blancpain decided to leave the center of the dial open. This allows you not only to admire the intricate details of the movement but also to see the refined finishing with attention to every single detail. The ring with the Roman numerals and the minute track is grand fue enamel, and its milky glow contrasts nicely with the red gold case. Measuring 45mm in diameter, it is not a watch that will quickly go unnoticed. Even its thickness of 17.8mm is impressive. It ensures that there is quite a bit of heft, constantly reminding you that you are wearing something special.
This watch is indeed special because next to the carrousel, it is also fitted with a minute repeater and a flyback chronograph. The minute repeater can be operated with the slide on the left side of the watch. For the chronograph, the traditional pushers are placed on the right side of the watch. Blancpain, fortunately, forgoes the usual sub-dials but gives the chronograph a centrally mounted minute counter. A far more elegant solution that ensures legibility but also doesn’t distract from the excellence of the rest of the watch.
It can not some as a surprise that such an imposing watch comes with a price tag to match, but the Blancpain Villeret Carrousel Répétition Minutes Chronographe Flyback is offered at $469,400, for which you will get a watch with a set of complications no other brand offers.
For more info, visit Blancpain, here
