This Swiss timepiece designer can trace its official lineage back to its formal founding in 1735 and its roots as a family’s farmhouse endeavor even farther. It ranks among the oldest and most prestigious name plates in its industry. They specialize in luxury mechanical timepieces, excluding all other movements in favor of this classic. Their products are made today much like they were in the beginning, each one the creation of a single craftsman and not the work of an assembly line. Every product is numbered and recorded in the company archives. This personal attention to the pieces themselves results in mens watches of only the highest caliber.
What We Love About Blancpain
The classic styling of this brand is clean and easy to read at a glance. Classic, crisp numerals and hour markers sit alongside beautiful complications placed on traditional round dials. Elegantly simple, these timepieces will never go out of style. The company is stubbornly committed to quality, using only the best materials in the construction of the timepieces all the way down to the buckles on the bands. They are also committed to making only mechanical movement timepieces. This decision has kept the company narrowly focused on improving and innovating in this single area. Without the distractions of other movements, they have been able to create some of the most complicated and accurate examples of this type of timepiece.
Its timepieces are created with a level of personal dedication and pride unrivaled in the industry. Each mens watch built by this brand can be traced by its number back to the master craftsman who made it. No assembly line can rival their quality. They are truly fine examples of the art and science of timekeeping, each one a masterpiece. Blancpain watches are collector’s items, both now and for the future. Owners will leave these timepieces as a heritage to generations yet to come.
Some Things We Don’t Like About Blancpain
Production is limited in this brand. Only around 10,000 are made each year. This practice keeps the product exclusive but it also makes it more expensive and harder to acquire. The brand is committed to making only mechanical movements and no other so if a buyer is looking for electronic or quartz they will be looking elsewhere. Styling is another area where Blancpain remains firmly, almost obstinately, footed in the classics. All of their cases are round; all of their models are traditional. Diamond embellishments and color are distinctly absent in this line. This is a line of high quality timepieces, not fashion accessories.
Company History
Blancpain began as many Swiss watchmakers did, as a family business. Jehan-Jacques Blancpain officially founded the company in his farmhouse in 1735. His second child, David Louis Blancpain, helped the company gain international renown. He would travel to Germany and France to sell each batch of six pocket watches. It wasn’t until after the First World War that wrist-mounted models were added to the line, marking a major innovation in the brand. The company had a period of decline beginning with the end of the founding family’s involvement in 1932 and lasting until 1983 when Omega’s Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet successfully revived the brand as a strictly mechanical, luxury line.
