Swiss Watches
The oldest Swiss manufacture has just revealed some info regarding its new Blancpain Villeret Demi-Fuseau Horaire GMT (Ref. 6665-3642-55B) automatic watch that is going to be officially revealed at Baselworld 2011 trade show. As usual for this kind of classic-styled, vintage-inspired dress watches, the new timekeeper is offered in a compact body of only 40 millimeters in diameter and, thanks to its thin automatic movement, also quite slender for such a feature-packed model.
According to the Swiss company, the new watch will feature a not so co common variation on the GMT complication that will let you to set time in the second time zone in half-hour increments.
The function, which comes courtesy of the new BP Calibre 5254DF automatic movement, may come very useful if you often travel to countries like Australia, Venezuela (the country that has recently received its own special edition model from Vacheron Constantin), India, Afghanistan, Myanmar and even Canada.
Built of 321 components, the movement stores enough power to keep the watch animated for as long as 72 hours. Although, by current standards, a power reserve of 3 days is really nothing to brag about, it is still long enough for the Villeret Demi-Fuseau Horaire GMT to be a lot more practical than many other similarly styled timekeepers featuring just a tad lower (or sometimes even higher) price that are based on all kinds of ETA blank calibers.
Equipped with a rose gold winding rotor, the movement is meticulously decorated and is perfectly visible via a transparent display window, which is further protected by an engine-turned hunter case-back cover also made of rose gold.
The second time zone, which is displayed with the central hour and minute hands, is adjusted with a pusher on the crown’s tip. The button can also be used to quickly set the date, which is also quite useful for a GMT watch.
While the watch displays a lot of information, its guilloched opaline dial doesn’t look cluttered at all.
As you can see on the pictures, there is a reference time-zone indicator at 12 o’clock, a day/night indicator at 9 o’clock, a small date aperture at 6 o’clock, and even a time zone indicator at 4 o’clock.
All these displays enjoy enough breezing space so as not to distract your attention from your main focus of interest.
That’s all the info that we have at the moment regarding this rose gold beauty.
Stay tuned for more data.
WWR Verdict
Originality 4.5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Usability: 4/5
Overall Legibility: 4/5
Nighttime Legibility: 1/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
See also: Ulysse Nardin Executive Dual Time GMT Lady (Ref. 246-10-3/391)
Photos: Blancpain
Blancpain Villeret Demi-Fuseau Horaire GMT (ref. 6665-3642-55B) automatic watch specification
Price: $29,900 (Retail)
Movement: Calibre BP 5254DF, 321 parts, in-house, Swiss Made
Movement winding: Automatic
Jewels: 28
Movement frequency: 28,800 vph
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day/night indication, date, second time zone (GMT) indicator
Power reserve: 72 hours (3 days)
Case material: 18-carat rose gold
Bezel material: 18-carat rose gold
Case shape: Round
Bezel shape: Round
Case size: 40.00 mm
Lug width: 22.00 mm
Case height: 11.23 mm
Dial: Opaline, guilloched
Numerals: Roman (main chapter ring) and Arabic (“Home” time zone)
Hands: Gold, open-worked, polished
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Brown leather with folding clasp in 18-carat rose gold
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Case back: Sapphire with hunter case-back cover