Haute Complication: Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656
When you say Villeret, you touch the essence of Blancpain. This collection, named after the birthplace of the brand, played an important role in the revival of not only Blancpain itself, but that of the Haute Horlogerie as a whole. This is even more so with the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656, as the brand has been known especially since its rebirth in 1983 by Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, for its calendar watches.
Despite some classic design elements is the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 not a watch that dwells on the past. This Blancpain is modernly sized, with a diameter of 40mm. As the bezel is rather slim, it provides the designers with plenty of space on the dial to generously lay out the different functions of the watch. Interesting to note is that the leap year indicator doesn’t cover one cycle but two in a single rotation.
As is a tradition with Blancpain, does the moon have a face, and is it flanked by stars as it travels through its window. While Blancpain uses Roman numerals as well as classic leaf-shaped hands, they have restyled them, which makes them look more modern. The central second’s hand also aides in that. The Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 is powered by caliber 5954, which comes with a few unique features. For example, all the correctors to set the perpetual calendar are placed under the lugs, a novelty that Blancpain introduced in 2004. It combines this with the ability to set the calendar at any given time. This is unique as perpetual calendars tend to be quite delicate and cannot be adjusted in the hours before the date jumps. A gold rotor, 72-hour power reserve as well as a silicon hairspring form the finishing touch of the modern heart of this classic complication.
While Blancpain can most certainly accommodate your desire for precious metals, this particular version of the Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 is crafted from stainless steel. Especially over the last few years has the perception of using this material for esteemed complications such as a perpetual calendar changed. While gold may be nobler, stainless steel has the benefit that it can withstand the challenges of daily wear much better. That is also exactly what you want to do with this Blancpain, wear it every single day, because few perpetual calendars offer such a classic appeal in a modern day package!
