Miniature Works Of Art

These watches do more than tell time. They also showcase Blancpain’s savoir-faire in decorative art through the use of ancient techniques.

- Brian Cheong

BACK IN 1891, Blancpain purchased an old mill in Le Brassus and converted it into a workshop called The Farm; it was a place dedicated to producing grand complications such as the tourbillons, minute repeaters and complex calendars like the Equation du Temps Marchante—which remains true to this day. A haven for Haute Horlogerie, The Farm also serves as the base for the maison’s highly specialised artisans, responsible for the exquisite métier d’art collection. Each a handcrafted masterpiece, the skills that can be found here are a unique combination of traditional Swiss techniques such as engraving and enamelling, alongside ancient Japanese methods like shakudõ and binchõtan.

BINCHÕTAN

Binchõtan is pure charcoal which results from heating Ubamegashi oak in clay at high temperatures of up to 1,300°C. It has a smooth surface with the hardness of steel.