BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar Edition

BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar 45 mm Limited Edition - 2021 Year of the Metal Ox

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An exceptional timepiece bearing
the emblem of an ox

Blancpain celebrates Chinese New Year with a limited series of 50 watches dedicated to this tradition and its festivities. The Year of the Metal Ox begins on February 12th 2021 and ends on January 31st 2022. Housed in a precious platinum case, the Traditional Chinese Calendar bearing the emblem of the ox features an exclusive complication appearing on an elegant Grand Feu enamel dial.

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With the Traditional Chinese Calendar, Blancpain took up the challenge of mechanically combining two different interpretations of time. Five years of research and development were required to associate within this timepiece the main indications of the Chinese calendar as well as the date based on the Gregorian calendar. Given that the basic unit of these two time-division systems is not the same, this represents a real technical feat. While the Gregorian calendar is based on the solar day, the lunisolar Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle, composed of 29,53059 days.

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A year of 12 lunar months is about 11 days shorter than a solar year. In order to maintain consistency with the seasonal cycle, a leap month is added to the Chinese calendar every two to three years. This distinctive feature is the reason behind the variability of the Chinese New Year date. But the complexity of this calendar does not stop there, since it uses a system of subdividing the day into 12 double hours, thus replacing the 24 hours composed of 60 minutes each featured in the Gregorian calendar. Each of these double hours is named, in successive order, after one of the twelve earthly branches and represented by one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac.

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Unlike the Gregorian calendar, whose unit of measurement is based on the solar day, the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar is based on the lunar cycle as well as exact astronomical observations of the sun’s longitude. Thus, in addition to the hours and minutes, date and moon phases, Blancpain's Traditional Chinese Calendar watch offers the main indications of the traditional Chinese calendar: double hours, days, months and leap months, zodiac signs, five elements and ten heavenly stems. The latter, combined with the 12 earthly branches – symbolised by the animals of the zodiac – produce 60 different pairs forming the sexagesimal cycle of the Chinese time measurement system.

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Despite their complex combination, these functions are clearly displayed on a dial with Roman gold numerals and hollowed-out sage leaf-shaped hands. The ox, the animal of the year 2021, appears in an aperture at 12 o'clock above the double-hour counter. Symmetrically positioned at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, two subdials respectively indicate the celestial stems and the five elements, as well as pointer-type month and date indications and leap months through a round aperture. In a manner typical of Blancpain's Complete Calendar watches, the moon phases that determine the months of the Chinese calendar can be read off at 6 o'clock, while a blued serpentine hand sweeps over the date numerals around the dial circumference.

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This timepiece, which is even more complex than a perpetual calendar, is driven by the self-winding 3638 movement. The latter is distinguished in particular by a seven-day power reserve made possible by the use of three series-coupled barrels, equipped with high-performance springs. It is secured against inappropriate manipulation of the functions and equipped with a silicon balance-spring.

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This exceptional movement is housed in a 45 mm platinum case featuring a crown and oscillating weight adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby. It incorporates five under-lug correctors – a patented Blancpain invention – enabling easy fingertip adjustment of functions without the need for a correction tool.

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This innovative complication, a genuine mechanical challenge whose development required five full years to master, is incorporated into the self-winding 3638 calibre. Endowed with a seven-day power reserve, this Haute Horlogerie movement is housed in a 45 mm case featuring a crown set with a cabochon-cut ruby. It is equipped with Blancpain's patented under-lug corrector system allowing easy function adjustments. The sapphire crystal case back enables one to admire the finishing of the movement and its white gold oscillating weight, engraved with the Chinese zodiac sign of the year

Blancpain's Traditional Chinese Calendar is also available in a non-limited version in red gold with a finely guilloché oscillating weight.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar Edition

References:  00888I-3431-55B - Platinum 45 - Edition
References: 00888I-3631-55B - Red Gold 45
 
Complications
Traditional Chinese Calendar
[double-hour indication, signs of the zodiac, date and month of the Chinese calendar. Indication of the
five elements, the celestial stems and the leap months]
Specificities

• ∙ Gregorian calendar
• ∙ Moon phases
• ∙ Under-lug correctors
• ∙ Secured movement
• ∙ White grand feu enamel dial
• ∙ Oscillating weight set with a Madagascar ruby
• ∙ Sself-winding

Case

• Platinum
• Red Gold

Case thickness:     15.00 mm
Case diameter:     45.00 mm
Water resistance:     3.00 bar
Between horns:     23.00 mm
Sapphire back
Engraved on the - "Chinese Calendar - № ХX/50 Piece"
Dial
Full fired enamel
White grand feu enamel
Movement
Calibre 3638
Reference:   3638   
Self-winding
Calibre thickness:  8.30 mm
Calibre diameter:  32.00 mm
Power reserve in hours:  168
Jewels:  39
3 mainspring barrels
Secured movement
Titanium free sprung balance with gold regulation screws
Components:     464
Strap/Bracelet
Alligator lined with alzavel
Black color strap
Platinum folding clasp
Brown color strap
Gold folding clasp

Platinum version - Only  Limited edition of 50 Piece


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Press release - 2020
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Blancpain S.A.
Le Rocher 12
1348 Le Brassus
Suisse
International PR: Lucie Notar
Tel.  (+41) 21 796 3619
Fax (+41) 21 796 3637
E-mail: pr@blancpain.com
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TUTIMA – Grand Flieger Airport Automatic

TUTIMA – Grand Flieger Airport 44 Automatic  2020

A Legend in a New Look  

Grand Flieger Airport by Tutima Glashütte with ceramic bezel and robust textile strap

New materials, exciting colour accents and 100% pilot’s watch DNA: Tutima Glashütte adds two chronographs and three-handed watches to its successful Grand Flieger Airport Series.

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This line’s distinctive hallmark – a bidirectional rotatable bezel with a red marking point – is now made of ultra-hard scratch-resistant ceramic for the first time. In Classic Blue or Military Green, it presents itself colour-coordinated with the dial and strap. The latter is crafted from resistant, durable textile and secured by a stainless steel deployment clasp. 

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As direct successors of the legendary Tutima pilot’s chronograph from the 1940s, these new models embody the traditional virtues of unconditional reliability, precision and optimal legibility that distinguished their predecessor as a milestone among pilot’s watches. 

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Furthermore, the stainless steel case with screwed crown is pressure tested to 20 atmospheres and is fitted with anti-reflective sapphire crystals both above the dial and in the back. The hour- and minute-hands, the indexes and the marker at the “12 o’clock” position on the bezel glow in the dark thanks to coating with Super-LumiNova luminous material.

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Clear contrasts, optimal legibility: Grand Flieger Airport Chronograph with ceramic bezel in Military Green with dégradé dial and robust textile strap. 43 mm stainless steel case. Self-winding Tutima Caliber 310. Date and day-of-week display. Ref. no. 6406-03.

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Tutima’s tried-and-tested self-winding Caliber 330, with a gold seal on its rotor and 25 jewels, ticks reliably inside the three-handed wristwatch. The chronograph mechanism of Tutima Caliber 310 powers counters for 12 elapsed hours, 60 elapsed seconds and 30 elapsed minutes. The movement also powers displays for the day of the week and the date.

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The new Grand Flieger Airport models are available with dials in Dégradé Green or Classic Blue and with a grey fabric wristband. 

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: Grand Flieger

 References

  6106-01 Classic Blue

  6106-03 Military Green

  6406-01 Classic Blue

  6406-03 Military Green

Movement
Automatic movement. Caliber . Tutima 330 with date and day-of-week display or self-winding Tutima Caliber 310 chronograph with date and day-of-week display

Rotor antique grey with gold seal. 25 jewels.
Polished screws.
Power reserve when fully wound 38 hours.
Functions: Date display. Hour, minute, sweep second, day of week.
Case
Diameter     43 mm
Case     Stainless steel
Water-resistant 20 atm.
Bidirectionally rotating, fluted bezel with luminous marking.
Domed sapphire crystal anti-reflective.
Screw-in crown.
See-through back with sapphire crystal.
Dial     Classic Blue
Band
Cordura® strap with folding clasp

Price: EUR 1,900 - Day-Date
           EUR 3,300 - Chronograph

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Press Release - 2020
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