What We Know
Today, Blancpain has downsized its ultra-thin Villeret Ultraplate dress watch, with new options in 38mm for greater wearability. The previous 40mm options of the ‘Golden Hour’ series, which I covered last October, remain, but the 38mm options are going to be much more appealing all around as proper dress watches.
The case still remains incredibly thin, especially for a self-winding watch, at 8.35mm, but the 38mm downsizing now offers a short 43.35mm lug-to-lug measurement for small wrists and those who prefer the more traditional proportion of how a dress watch should look on the wrist. Here, four options are presented within these new measurements: three with stainless steel cases, and one in 18K red gold.
The dial design continues the visual update introduced last October in the Villeret series, with simplified Roman numerals, the applied “JB” logo at 12 o’clock (standing for Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, who the brand credits as the founder), slim but still lumed leaf hands, and a skeletonized rotor.
In stainless steel, there are three dial colors available. Salmon is a first for the Villeret collection, with a copper-hued dial paired with anthracite-coated 18K gold numerals. My favorite of the lineup, the Villeret Ultraplate featuring a warm champagne-hued dial with 18K yellow gold numerals set within a steel case with a green nubuck strap, will be offered as a boutique exclusive. More classic pairings of white gold numerals in a steel case and red gold numerals with a red gold case complete the four new editions.
The Blancpain boutique exclusive model with yellow gold numerals.
Beating away inside these Ultraplates is the Blancpain Manufacture Caliber 1150 (originally known as the F. Piguet 1150), an incredibly thin movement at 3.25mm in height with an automatic rotor that gives the caliber an impressive 100-hour power reserve. A silicon hairspring offers a touch of modernity to the movement.
The three new Villeret Ultraplate models in stainless steel are priced at $12,700, and the red gold variant is priced at $26,100.
What We Think
The Villeret Ultraplate has always been a pleasant dress watch design in my eyes, but it’s impossible to imagine it as a proper dress watch thanks to its 40mm diameter and very thin case profile. My big critique (as I think many will agree) is around the date window. I’m not a date-window hater, but I think, on this 38mm dress watch specifically, it feels quite out of place, and the omission of a date would have been a nice differentiator between the more modern 40mm designs and these 38mm models. Alternatively, a date window at 6 o’clock may have better preserved a bit of symmetry.
I think the 38mm size is a logical next step in the evolution of the Villeret, especially given that much of Blancpain’s success as a revival under Jean-Claude Biver is thanks to the impressively small mechanical watches the brand was pumping out in the eighties and nineties. Though it will be hard to imagine the Blancpain of today producing 34mm-sized classic Villerets, I think the appetite among modern Blancpain consumers for those watches would be very limited. Compactness is a rich part of the brand’s revival. So, in that consideration, these are a nice follow-up to last year’s refresh, and perhaps we may see some downsizing in the future of the very interesting calendar Villerets as well.
The Basics
Brand: Blancpain
Model: Villeret Ultraplate
Reference Number: 6224N 1135 55B; 6224N 1142 55B; 6224NA 1142 55B; 6224N 3642 55B
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 8.35mm
Case Material: Stainless steel or 18K red gold
Dial Color: Gold-toned opaline
Indexes: Applied 18K gold
Lume: Yes, on hands
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Quick-release strap with folding clasp
The Movement
Caliber: 1150
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Diameter: 26.2mm
Thickness: 3.25mm
Power Reserve: 100 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 VpH (3 Hz)
Jewels: 28
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Silicon hairspring
Pricing & Availability
Price: $12,700 in steel, $26,100 in red gold
Availability: Blancpain retailers
Limited Edition: No, but the model with yellow gold numerals is boutique exclusive.
For more, click here.
