BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar “Year of the Dragon” Edition

 

BLANCPAIN – VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar “Year of the Dragon” Red Gold 45 mm Limited Edition - 2024

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO

The Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar
enters its second 12-year cycle

In 2012, Blancpain achieved a world first when it debuted its Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar
wristwatch that spanned East-West with its combination of a complex Chinese calendar and a
Gregorian date and moonphase. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

This year, the Manufacture enters its second 12-year cycle with the introduction of a new limited edition of this grand complication featuring a dragon engraved on the red gold winding rotor in honor of the symbol of the new lunar year. This special limited edition for the first time is carried out in red gold with a green enamel dial.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Each year, Blancpain has offered a special limited edition recalling the legend of the Jade Emperor summoning twelve different animals to the gate of his palace. The order of each animal’s arrival has been memorialized in the 12-year Zodiac cycle of the Chinese calendar and the official animal of the year is celebrated in each Blancpain special edition.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

For the 2024 edition, the timepiece’s red gold winding rotor features this year’s animal, the dragon. Set against a frosted background the dragon is flanked by a red ruby and a Chinese character engraving of the words “dragon” and “wood”, the element of 2024. To inaugurate the new 12-year cycle, Blancpain’s artists refreshed the presentation of the Zodiac animal symbols with new portraits.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The mysticism of the Chinese calendar is displayed with an array of four dedicated hands, a window for the Zodiac, and a window for the leap month. Together these set out the Chinese hours (120 minutes in length); the 60-year cycle of the elements and Yin/Yang; the 12-year cycle of the Zodiac; the Chinese days, month and leap months. The Gregorian date is indicated via a traditional serpentine hand. Likewise, the moon phase is classically presented in a window at six o’clock.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO

Five full years have been devoted in the development of the movement, which comprises 464 individual components arrayed in six layers. Its complexity exceeds that of a perpetual calendar and approaches that of a minute repeater. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

This intricate construction is carried out in Blancpain’s Le Brassus grand complication workshop. The calendar mechanism is powered by Blancpain’s three mainspring barrel movement which achieves a seven-day power reserve.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The dial has been created in full fired grand feu enamel, its green color harmonizing with the 45mm red gold case. To facilitate setting of the calendar, the case features Blancpain’s patented under lug correctors which not only free the flanks from corrector dimples but allow finger tip changes. In keeping with other Blancpain calendar mechanisms, the Chinese calendar implements a secure design which eliminates the risk of damage if setting is performed during an automatic change.

This 2024 Traditional Chinese Calendar is limited to 50 pieces.

-----------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: VILLERET Traditional Chinese Calendar "Year of the Water Dragon"

 
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

  References:  00888-3632C-55B - Gold 45mm - Edition
 
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

18ct red gold

Case thickness:     15.10 mm
Case diameter:     45.20 mm
Water resistance:     3.00 bar
Between horns:     23.00 mm
Sapphire back: Engraved on the - "Chinese Calendar - № ХX/50 Piece"
Dial
Green grand feu enamel dial
Grand feu enamel
Movement
Calibre 3638
Reference:   3638   

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO

Frequency - 4Hz

Self-winding
Calibre thickness:  8.30 mm
Calibre diameter:  32.00 mm | 14'''
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
Gold folding clasp 

 

*Each bar corresponds to a 10-metre water column. Alligator leather straps - origin: Mississippiensis Blancpain reserves the right to modify this model and its technical characteristics.

Available in Blancpain Boutiques - Only  Limited edition of 50 Piece


---------------------------------------------- 
Press release - 2024
----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------
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
---------------------------------------------------
press.blancpain.com
------------------------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Blancpain
--------------------------------------------------------------
www.Blancpain.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre – MASTER Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel Blue

Jaeger-LeCoultre – MASTER® Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel Grand Feu Blue 40mm Gold Automatic - 2024

 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

 A DIAL OF BLUE GRAND FEU ENAMEL WITH SUNRAY GUILLOCHÉ SHOWCASES THE SKILLS OF THE MAISON’S METIERS RARES™ ATELIER

 With their elegant proportions and restrained styling, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin collection epitomises the sophisticated dress watch and, in 2023, it is enriched by a magnificent new interpretation of the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Contrasting with the fully polished pink gold case, the blue dial of the new timepiece provides a dramatic backdrop for the tourbillon and the date display, and reflected light dances across the sunray pattern of the guillochage with every movement of the wrist. The hand-guilloché pattern is a work of immense precision and skill: each of the 180 ‘sun rays’ required six passages of the hand-operated rose engine lathe, making 1,080 lines altogether. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Guided only by the eye and hand, the master guillocheur must ensure that every line is absolutely straight, evenly spaced and perfectly aligned, radiating out from the centre to the edges of the dial. In addition, the date sub-dial is hand-guilloché in a circular pattern (known in French as azurage) to create a subtle texture that contrasts with the sunray. This is another work of remarkable precision, representing more than 1,100 gestures in total by the guillocheur.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Once the guilloché work on the main dial is completed, the master enameller applies Grand Feu enamel in multiple layers – one layer at a time, followed by firing at 800ºC and carefully managed cooling – to create the desired intensity and depth of colour. This is a newly developed shade of blue, created by mixing pigments in various proportions and testing the results – a lengthy process of iteration made necessary because the nature of Grand Feu enamel means that the outcome of firing is highly unpredictable.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

In the lower half of the dial, a laser-engraved seconds counter provides a visual anchor for the tourbillon aperture; a mirror-polished pink gold bridge secures the tourbillon cage and draws the eye deeper into the mechanism, its transparency and lightness amplified by the contrast with the colour of the surrounding dial.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The strap is alligator in a shade of blue created to perfectly match the dial and, in a further touch of refinement, it is lined with small-scale alligator and fitted with a pink gold folding clasp.

Harnessing La Grande Maison’s Tourbillon Expertise

For Jaeger-LeCoultre, the tourbillon has been a key element in its pursuit of precision. Invented to counteract the impact of gravity on the oscillations of the escapement, it is a delicate mechanism consisting of the balance wheel and hairspring rotating inside a cage.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Since creating its first tourbillon movement in 1946, the Manufacture has invented many new tourbillon configurations and different hairspring shapes – the latter possible only because it is one of the very few Maisons to possess the highly specialised skill of crafting hairsprings in-house.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The movement powering the Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel is the latest generation of Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978, which won an international chronometry prize in 2009, the year of its launch. The calibre has been Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mainstay tourbillon movement ever since, and received a comprehensive update in 2019 to harness new technology. Comprising 77 components, including a titanium cage, it weighs less than half a gram and is equipped with a flat, two-level hairspring designed with a specific curve at the attachment points to help ensure that the oscillations are as regular as possible, thus delivering a high level of timekeeping accuracy.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

With its dramatically beautiful dial and sophisticated calibre, the new Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel is an eloquent expression of La Grande Maison’s philosophy of uniting technical virtuosity with enduring beauty and timeless aesthetics.

 ===================
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model: MASTER Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel

 Reference: Q13224E1

Movement
Automatic, self-winding,
Calibre: 978
Vibrations per hour:  28,800 vph / 4 Hz
Components: 271
Jewels: 33,
Barrel: 1,
Height: 6.50 mm
Power reserve: 45 hours
Case
Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats)
Dimensions: 40 mm
Thickness: 10.77 mm
Case-back: Open
Water resistance: 5 bar
Functions: Hours/Minutes, Tourbillon (with seconds display)
Dial
Sunray guilloché with blue Grand Feu enamel
Finish: Guilloché, Sunray
Gilded appliqué hour-markers
Recto Hands Dauphines
Strap
Dark blue alligator leather strap, with small-scale lining

   🔴 Price : / $ 119,000 / 118 500 € 💰

------------------------------
Press releases - 2024
-----------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Jaeger-LeCoultre
----------------------------------------------------------
www.jaeger-lecoultre.com