The world’s oldest watch brand has never produced a quartz watch. Nor will it ever do so. Since 1735, Blancpain has demonstrated that true innovation stems from a commitment to mechanical watchmaking.
Founded in 1735 in Villeret by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the manufactory holds the title of the world’s oldest watchmaker in continuous operation. For nearly three centuries, Blancpain has upheld an unwavering principle: it has never produced a quartz watch, remaining faithful to traditional mechanical watchmaking.
Every Blancpain watch is assembled by a single watchmaker, a philosophy of craftsmanship that reflects the brand’s commitment to excellence and innovation within the tradition.
Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, a farmer, schoolteacher, and watchmaker, officially registered his trade in the municipal records of Villeret, a small village in the Bernese Jura. He set up his workshop on the upper floor of his family farm, while the livestock occupied the ground floor. Thus was born what is considered the world’s oldest watch brand.
Blancpain's original farmhouse, which once served as a post office, still stands today.
Frédéric-Louis Blancpain, the founder’s grandson, transformed the workshops in Villeret. He redesigned the escapement and developed Blancpain’s first ultra-thin timepieces. His industrial vision laid the groundwork for the next generation to turn Blancpain into the largest watch manufacturer in Villeret.
In 1865, the family built a two-story factory along the Suze River, powered by water.
Blancpain partnered with British watchmaker John Harwood to launch the world’s first automatic wristwatch. This pioneering collaboration introduced the concept of automatic winding to wristwatches, decades before it became an industry standard.
Harwood patented the system in 1924; Blancpain was the first manufacturer to produce it commercially.
Jean-Jacques Fiechter, director of Blancpain and an avid diver, developed the Fifty Fathoms for the French Navy’s combat divers. Featuring a double-sealed crown, a unidirectional bezel, and water resistance up to 50 fathoms (91 meters), it is considered the first modern diving watch in history. Its name is inspired by Shakespeare’s *The Tempest*.
Captain Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, founders of the French combat diver unit, were the ones who commissioned the watch.
In the midst of the quartz crisis, Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet acquired the rights to the Blancpain name and made a bold move: to produce exclusively high-end mechanical watches in limited editions. Biver coined the motto that would define the brand forever and moved production to Le Brassus, in the Vallée de Joux.
Biver paid 22,000 Swiss francs for the brand. In 1992, he sold it to the Swatch Group for 60 million.
Blancpain presents what was, at the time, the world’s most complicated wristwatch: the 1735 Grande Complication. Featuring 740 components, it incorporates a one-minute tourbillon, a perpetual calendar with moon phase display, a split-seconds chronograph, and a minute repeater. Each piece requires more than a year of work by a single master watchmaker. Only 30 units were produced.
The name 1735 pays tribute to the year the brand was founded.
Marc A. Hayek, grandson of the founder of the Swatch Group, takes over as chairman of Blancpain. Under his leadership, the brand launches the Blancpain Ocean Commitment initiative, dedicating a portion of the proceeds from the Fifty Fathoms to ocean conservation. The brand establishes itself as a leader in environmentally conscious fine watchmaking.
Blancpain has sponsored more than 40 oceanographic expeditions since then.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms, Blancpain presents the Bathyscaphe collection, named in honor of Swiss explorer Auguste Piccard’s bathyscaphe. A modern reinterpretation of the iconic diving watch with a ceramic and titanium case, it brings the legend up to date for a new generation of underwater adventurers.
In 2017, a 38-mm version was launched, expanding the collection to appeal to a wider audience.
At the heart of every Blancpain movement beats nearly three centuries of expertise, where innovation embraces tradition without ever compromising the essence of true haute horlogerie.
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