Basel 2008: Blancpain

[Jack Forster]

With its manufacture automatic caliber 1315 and manual wind cal. 13RO as the heart of its watches Blancpain presents the profile of a true manufacture, with pieces of great taste and beauty as well as a first this year- the first and only karrusel tourbillon in a wristwatch.

Originally implemented by the Dane Bahn Bonniksen in pocketwatches in the early part of the 20th century a karrusel (or carrousel as it is spelled on the dial of the Blancpain watch) is based on the same fundamental idea as the tourbillon and improves on the classic tourbillon through a more robust design. The original karrusel pocketwatches were superb rate keepers, many winning high ratings in observatory time trials and to implement the karrusel (or carrousel) in a wristwatch is certainly an achievement as the construction does not easily lend itself to miniaturization.

In addition Blancpain offers striking new variations on the Fifty Fathoms line this year.


















Blancpain Carrousel


Movement top plate

[horsefeathers]

Blancpain have definately come out with the goods this year!
Good to see a bracelet for the fifty fathoms, and the PVD FF looks fantastic.
-Ben

[Jack Forster]

Originally Posted by horsefeathers

Blancpain have definately come out with the goods this year!
Good to see a bracelet for the fifty fathoms, and the PVD FF looks fantastic.
-Ben

. . . is definitely one of the most technically interesting watches this year, in the quietly sophisticated idiom which is Blancpain's stock in trade and I have always felt that of the great, classic era dive watches the current version of the Fifty Fathoms is among the most beautiful. I really hope to be able to see the Carrousel in person as well, hopefully the boutique here in NY will get one in .

Jack

[High Noon]

Is outstanding!! Are the variations of the FF limited editions? How much extra is the metal bracelet?

[Sixties]

Thanks for your report, Jack. Among the diving watches the FF is a really beauty. The new bracelet makes it look very elegant, IMVHO. The black on black version looks really cool .

[Wimster]

Thanks Jack,

love the Carrousel and the FF bracelet! The black on black is ok...

cheers, Wim

[aptronym]

Oh my. That carrousel is quite lovely.....

Of the FF I probably only like the black one, though I think that it would have looked better with the date window at '3' or not at all.

[farar]

I have to admit that Blancpain took the second place in my own this-year's-Basel chart. The Fifty Fathoms is still a watch to kill for, other pieces were fantastic as well (even though I'm not THAT sure about Speed Command Chrono Flyback), the carrousel is a wonder itself and I especially liked the presentation given by their Master Watchmaker at the booth (the Mrs. who introduced our two-man contingent to him said, "he's our own Einstein" and as far as I could say, his exterior was pretty similar to big A. Unfortunately, I didn't catch his name and I was in too much of an awe to take his picture). He showed us the carrousel's workings in such a way even I undrestood it, which speaks for itself.

Blancpain took a giant leap forward!

is Willy Moret:



What an energetic man - impossible to get a picture without movement blurr from him!

Best,
Magnus

[Jack Forster]

. . . wow, if you were to call a casting agency and tell them you needed someone to play a watchmaker in a movie who really looked the part you'd just pray they'd send someone who looks like that!

Thanks Magnus!

Jack

In answer to the question about the new Fifty Fathoms models and the related Speed Command models which were introduced at Basel, none of them are limited editions.

The Carrousel is limited to 288 pieces.

Jeff

[quote=The Carrousel is limited to 288 pieces.
[/QUOTE]

The limitation of the Carrousel is a run of 188 pieces. Magnus

[ianwangyan]

I read from an article that Carrousel or Toubillon is just a sophisticated device but not practical. It's invented for pocketwatch. But it's beautiful anyway.