Established in 1735, Blancpain is the oldest watch manufacture in the world, renowned as much for its superlative watches, all created in-house, as for its calibres – 26 innovations over the past seven years. The new Chronographe Grande Date is no exception to this tradition. From the very first glance, the shimmering mother-of-pearl dial reveals two waves of 17 variously-sized diamonds rippling out from the centre. At 12 o’clock, the offset hour and minute display with Roman numerals on a mother-of-pearl dial creates a dynamic counterpoint to the Arabic numerals on the chronograph counters. Twin apertures at 6 o’clock frame the double-disc large date display. The red gold case with diamond-set bezel contains the Blancpain 26F8G calibre with its petal-shaped oscillating weight, visible through the sapphire crystal back.
SPECIFICATIONS
CASE
18k red gold, 38.6 mm
Bezel set with 40 diamonds (2.105 cts)
Sapphire crystal front and back
Water-resistant to 3 bar (3 ATM/30 m)
DIAL
White mother-of-pearl
Centre set with two wave patterns of 17 diamonds in various sizes (0.13 ct)
Offset hours and minutes at 12 o'clock on a mother-of-pearl disc with Roman numerals
12-hour counter, 30-minute counter and centre seconds hand
Large date at 6 o'clock with double discs
MOVEMENT
Mechanical automatic, 26F8G calibre, 495 parts, 44 jewels, 40-hour power reserve, petal-shaped oscillating weight
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, date and chronograph
BRACELET/STRAP
White ostrich with 18k red gold buckle