Blancpain was established in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques. The founder’s first shop was located in his home in Villeret, which is presently Bernese Jura. Blancpain officially registered his property as a watch shop, and because of this Blancpain is the oldest watch brand in the world. Until 1932, the watch company was directed by the descendants of Jehan-Jaques Blancpain, and the watch company has produced some of the most prestigious and advanced timepieces in the world.
1815 marked the year Blancpain released the cylinder escapement, which replaced the traditional crown-wheel mechanism. The invention of the cylinder escapement was a ground-breaking innovation for Blancpain and the entire watch industry.
In 1926, Blancpain partnered with John Hardwood and produced the first automatic wristwatch in the world. The first models were released in France. Five years later, Blancpain released its first automatic rewind timepiece known as the Rolls. The Rolls was designed by Leon Hatot and was the world’s first automatic wristwatch for women. The following year marked the death of Frederic-Emile Blancpain, which caused the watch company to be managed under Rayville. Rayville produced watches primarily for diving.
Blancpain’s famous Fifty Fathoms watch was worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1953 during the filming of The World of Silence. The Fifty Fathoms was a highly-technical watch that was water resistant for up to 200 meters. By the end of the 1950s, Blancpain was manufacturing over 100,000 watches every year.
1970 marked the year that Rayville was acquired by SSIH, which was a Swiss watch manufacturer. The acquisition caused the Blancpain name to disappear from the watch industry temporarily.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Watch Review
1982 was the year a former watch craftsman at Omega, known as Jean-Claude Biver, purchased the Blancpain name from SSIH. Jean-Claude Biver was known for creating innovative ideas for Jacques Piguet, and the following year the watch manufacturer played a major role in the innovation of the modern wristwatch.
1989 marked an epic year for Blancpain with the creation of a new caliber. The unique caliber was an automatic chronograph with maximum depth indicator and date. The premier watch with the new caliber was the Blancpain 1735. The 1735 was a limited edition wristwatch with only thirty models released. The 1735 included a perpetual calendar, tourbillon, minute repeater, and a fly-back repeater. The unique 1735 was considered one of the most complicated and technical wristwatches ever produced.
In 1992, Blancpain was purchased by Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horlogerie, which was also known as the Swatch Group. However, Jean-Claude Biver was the head of the watch company’s board of directors.
Marc A. Hayek was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Blancpain in 2002. The new Chairman and CEO was determined to create innovative timepieces, so the company invested an ample amount of funds into research and development. The new direction of the company sparked an abundance of new movements. In 2008, the watch company brought new life to the classic Karrusel. The Karrusel was incorporated into a wristwatch for the first time, which combined classic watch craftsmanship with inventive watch designs.
Under the watch company’s new management, the classic Fifty Fathoms was brought back to life. The Villeret collection of watches was also imperceptibly redesigned and released under Hayek’s direction. Furthermore, watch manufacturer released the new Avant-garde-L-evolution collection during this period.
In 2010, Blancpain attained the Frederic Piguet watch company. The Frederic Piguet watch company was producing movements and pieces for Blancpain before the acquisition. The merging of the companies was another ground-breaking move for Blancpain.