Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet, now in Red Gold with Refined Blue Dial

The Villeret collection comprises some of the most classic, refined and timeless models of Blancpain. Elegant and discreet, these watches are often presented in a classic combination of gold cases with opaline or silver-toned dials. Still, colour isn’t excluded from this range and blue in particular is also offered, usually in limited series with a platinum case. This year, Blancpain adds a touch of colour and warmth to one of its most refined models, with a blue dial and a red gold case. We’ll have a look at the new version of this Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet 6654. 

The Villeret collection is named after the Swiss village where Blancpain was founded in 1735. With such a name, you can clearly expect a focus on traditions and classicism, which is exactly what this collection is all about. The Villeret collection is where timeless elegance and technical sophistication are merged, with some of the most refined and complicated models offered. Villeret at Blancpain means dress watches, complex displays and clever mechanical tricks too (we’ll see that later). And often, Villeret means a combination of silvery-white dials with gold (white or red) or steel cases. A classic, elegant combo that can’t be disputed, athough some could wish for more colours. And that’s what Blancpain offers today on one of its signature models, the Quantième Complet (or complete calendar).

The Villeret Quantième Complet is a watch with no surprises. It has been around for some years and is still one of the most balanced and desirable models in the collection. Certainly, it doesn’t have the same mechanical prestige as a perpetual calendar, but its design might be even more pleasant. It relies on an all-time classic display, often seen in the 1940s and 1950s, and known as the complete/full calendar. The idea with such a quantième is to display all the calendar indications – date, day, month and often moon phases – without the fragility and complication (the price) of a QP. However, mechanically, such calendars are simpler and don’t take into accounts the different length of the months. As such, it works as a classic date watch, with adjustments required at the end of months with 30 or 28 days.

Despite being mechanically simpler, such calendars, when executed in a classic way, benefit from a superb symmetry and balance, with the indications positioned in an elegant manner. For instance, on this Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet 6654, the display is composed of H-M-S in the centre, a pointer date with a beautiful serpentine hand displaying the date on an inner track, weekdays and months in windows at 12 o’clock and a moon indicator at 6 o’clock. All in all, it is balanced, easy to read and extremely refined.

For its newest version of the Villeret Quantième Complet, Blancpain has opted for a warm and colourful combination – which isn’t new to the brand but known to be striking. The 18k red gold case, with its rich colour and polished surfaces, is paired with a deep blue dial. The signature Roman numerals are carved from 18k red gold and so are the multiple hands running over this dial. Not only is the result beautiful but also easy to read, with great contrast.

This blue Villeret Quantième Complet, other than its colours, remains identical to all the other versions offered in the collection – it is available in steel or gold, with white, silver or grey dial, and with multiple strap options. It thus retains its nice proportions, with a 40mm diameter and 10.94mm height. This new blue dial version is offered on a 22mm blue alligator strap with a deployant buckle, or on a “mille mailles” mesh 18k red gold bracelet.

To power this watch, Blancpain relies on its in-house calibre 6654, an automatic engine with 72h power reserve and 4Hz frequency. This movement is beautifully decorated, with a gold guilloché rotor, bevelling and striping on all the parts. More important in this calendar context, it features two clever mechanical solutions. First, it is equipped with a safety system protecting it against any improper use of the functions. The watch owner is thus able to set the complete calendar at any time without any risk to the movement, unlike conventional calendar watches. Second, the Villeret Quantième Complet is also equipped with patented under-lug correctors, enabling all the information to be adjusted at the press of a finger and thereby eliminating the need for a pusher tool and unelegant recessed pushers in the casebands.

Price and availability

The Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet 6654 Blue Dial and Red Gold is now offered as a permanent model in the collection, not limited in production. It will be priced at CHF 24,000 on leather (ref. 6654 3640 55B) or CHF 42,000 on “milles mailles” bracelet (ref. 6654 3640 MMB). More details at www.blancpain.com.