Blancpain is proud to unveil the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel, a masterful tribute to Chinese New Year in 2025.
As the lunar calendar shifts from the wooden dragon to the wooden snake on January 29, the iconic Swiss Manufacture celebrates its 14th consecutive year of merging Eastern symbolism with Western horological craftsmanship. The limited-edition timepiece, a harmonious fusion of tradition and innovation, debuts with a striking platinum case paired with a green Grand Feu enamel dial.
The snake takes pride of place on the 22K white gold rotor with its frosted finish. Brought to life in Blancpain’s Métiers d'Art workshop, the reptile has been delicately drawn by in-house artisans. This zodiac sign is accompanied by natural ruby and an engraving in Chinese characters indicating the words ‘serpent’ and ‘wood’.
Powered by Calibre 3638 and its 464 components, the traditional Chinese calendar features a complex mechanism going well beyond that of a perpetual calendar to resemble that of a minute repeater. Resulting from five years of research and development, it comprises three barrels providing an impressive seven-day power reserve.
The calendar is enlivened by a set of four hands, accompanied by two apertures. These display the five elements combined with Yin and Yang – linked to the sexagesimal cycle – at 3 o'clock; the Chinese days and months at 9 o'clock; as well as double Chinese hours at 12 o'clock. The apertures provide information on the Chinese leap month at 9 o'clock and the zodiac sign of the current lunar year at 12 o'clock.
In addition to this multitude of calendar data, a serpentine hand points to the Gregorian date, while the emblematic Blancpain moon phase appears at 6 o'clock.
Despite its complexity, the Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is very user-friendly thanks to its under-lug correctors. Presented as a world first and patented by Blancpain in 2005, these enable the calendar indications to be adjusted simply at the touch of a finger, without any need for additional tools. Discreetly positioned beneath the lugs, these small correctors free the sides from the ‘dimples’ usually found on calendar watches, without compromising the comfortable feel on the wrist.
In addition, if the wearer tries to set the calendar indications when the mechanism is automatically adjusting them – which could otherwise lead to mechanical damage – nothing happens, as the movement is secure.
Paired with a chocolate brown alligator leather strap matching the dial colour, this Villeret Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel 2025 is issued in a 50-piece limited edition.
