Hands On: Blancpain Debuts the 38mm Villeret Ultraplate, and Reveals Plans for an Unforgettable Summer and Fall 2026  

We have arrived at a captivating inflection point, where the world’s oldest watch brand has chosen to enter a newly contested battleground.

Assuming an Aquatic Identity

Blancpain is the only surviving watch brand that can trace its unbroken lineage as far back as 1735, to an era when Swiss farmers spent harsh winter months crafting watch components as a side hustle. When Protestant reformer John Calvin banned the wearing of jewelry in Geneva in 1541, this nudged goldsmiths towards watchmaking, eventually leading to the outsourcing component production to the surrounding countryside, and giving rise to the établissage system.

Over the centuries, the manufacture was bolstered by industry vanguards and accomplished divers like Jean-Jacques Fiechter and Captain Robert “Bob” Maloubier, and sustained by the legendary workhorse movements of Frédéric Piguet.

Whe nhis son Jacques Piguet and Jean-Claude Biver acquired the brand in 1981, the duo thrust Blancpain’s high-end, anti-quartz mechanical roots back into the spotlight to immense acclaim. Industry insiders like to joke that the ‘JB’ logo on Blancpain watches actually stands for ‘Jean-Claude Biver’—and as with the best jokes, there is a kernel of truth to it.

However, after Blancpain was subsumed into the Swatch Group in 1992—and particularly after Swatch acquired Breguet in 1999—Blancpain was positioned heavily around its dive identity. The Fifty Fathoms became an enticing, high-horology alternative to the submersible watches of Rolex and Omega. In recent decades, Blancpain’s elegant dress watch heritage was celebrated far more quietly, partly to avoid overlapping with the demure, traditional aesthetic of its sister brand Breguet.

That changed in October 2025, when the relaunch of the 40mm Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate with subtle design updates, served as a surprising declaration of intent.

A Revolution of Restraint

For decades, Blancpain’s dress watch line took a back seat to Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe, calendar and moonphase models in both marketing and overall sales. However, recent releases signal a dramatic pivot—a direct response to the global market leaning back toward understated, throwback dress watches.

In the 2000s and 2010s, status was signaled by massive cases and hyped silhouettes—you know the usual suspects. In recent years, however, as enthusiasts have gravitated toward sub-40mm proportions—and secondary market demand for vintage-style round dress watches has soared—prestige is speaking softly again.

Blancpain has responded in kind with the new Villeret Ultraplate 38mm. For collectors hesitant to pay a premium for a Patek Philippe Calatrava, A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin, Vacheron Constantin Patrimony, or Piaget Altiplano, the revamped Villeret Ultraplate offers an exceptional alternative in both 38mm and 40mm sizing. It arrives architecturally modernized, intricately finished, and powered by the ultra-thin Blancpain Manufacture Calibre 1150—a movement directly descended from the high-precision calibers of Frédéric Piguet.

Priced at US$12,700 for stainless steel references and US$26,100 for the red gold iteration, the Villeret Ultraplate positions itself in direct competition with the recently relaunched Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control and Omega Constellation Observatory collections, in an increasingly popular segment of watch collecting. Measuring just 8.35mm thick with a compact 43.35mm lug-to-lug span, the Villeret Ultraplate features the brand’s classic sage-leaf hands and an openworked sapphire caseback.

The lineup spans four distinct variants. Three models have gold-toned opaline dials: a red gold reference with matching red gold numerals, a steel reference with white gold numerals, and a boutique-exclusive steel reference with yellow gold numerals. They arrive alongside a striking steel model with a sunburst salmon dial. All models feature Blancpain’s new tool-free quick-change strap system.

And this milestone is merely the opening act of an unforgettable summer and autumn for Blancpain. In August, a limited edition will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Bathyscaphe, channeling the original 1956 model’s design codes into a more compact case size. This launch will be followed by a new ladies’ collection in September, concluding with a new high complication in October 2026.

Andre Frois

Haute Time

Andre Frois, previously the Editor-in-Chief of Revolution Asia, brings a wealth of experience to Haute Time. A Singaporean of Portuguese-Chinese descent, Frois has been creating compelling watch content since 2010 for prestigious publications such as Tatler, World of Watches, and The Peak. Renowned for his ability to distill the technical, historical, and financial aspects of watches into accessible narratives, he has also made a mark with investigative stories for VICE and the South China Morning Post. A graduate of NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a specialization in biomedical engineering, Frois furthered his expertise with a specialist diploma in Sport Science.