Blancpain’s Villeret Turns the Golden Hour Into a Masterpiece

Blancpain has refreshed its most classical line with a quiet confidence that will resonate with collectors who prize craft, proportion and restraint.

The new Villeret Golden Hour pieces arrive in warm opaline and golden brown tones, with crisp dial work, a more revealing rotor and manufacture calibres finished to an exceptional standard.

The mood is one of calm luxury rather than noise, the product of a maison that knows exactly what to refine and what to leave untouched.

Three models, one language

The capsule comprises a 40 millimetre automatic three-hand with date, a 40 millimetre complete calendar with moon phase and a 33.20 millimetre moon phase date model.

Across stainless steel and 18-carat red gold, there are sixteen references in total, with selected 33.20 millimetre pieces offered with diamond-set bezels.

It is a concise collection that still caters to different wrist sizes and tastes for complications.

What you notice on the wrist

The dial treatments define the character of the collection. A finely grained opaline catches soft light, while the golden brown sunburst recalls late afternoon sunlight on leather.

Applied Roman numerals are sculpted in gold with satin finished tops and polished bevels, and the numeral at twelve gives way to the discreet JB emblem.

Slender hands now carry luminescent inserts, adding a subtle modern touch and improving legibility after dark. The date aperture is slightly larger for better balance at three o’clock. The design feels considered rather than decorative.

The moon phase is a scene that rewards a closer look. The aperture is larger, and the display sits on a ceramic disc.

The moon itself is domed gold with a gentle satin finish and Blancpain’s familiar expression. It lends the dial a quiet sense of theatre without disrupting its classical symmetry.

Cases, comfort and daily use

The 40 millimetre complete calendar reference 6654N benefits from a refined case design. A slimmer bezel, larger crown, lighter profile, and reworked lugs enhance poise and comfort while maintaining presence.

A quick change strap system debuts in rich shades of brown, blue grey, honey and a tactile beige nubuck velvet that will acquire a soft patina over time.

Functionality has also been improved. The 40 millimetre calendar models use under-lug correctors so the calendar can be adjusted with a fingertip, keeping the case flanks clean.

The 33.20 millimetre versions use traditional caseband correctors that preserve the familiar look at this size.

Movements worth a loupe

Turn the watches over, and the open worked oscillating weight in red or yellow gold reveals more of the bridges and gear train. The bevels catch the light and draw the eye into the movement.

The three-hand model is powered by the manufacture's calibre 1151 with a one-hundred-hour power reserve.

The complete calendar uses the calibre 6654.4 with a seventy-two-hour reserve and a safety mechanism that allows calendar corrections at any time. The 33.20 millimetre moon phase houses the compact calibre 913QL.P with a forty-hour reserve.

All movements feature silicon hairsprings for enhanced stability, and each watch is supplied with a five-year warranty.

Prices and positioning

Pricing is based on a line that celebrates traditional finishing and features precious metal detailing.

The 40 millimetre Ultraplate three-hand starts at CHF 9,900 in steel and CHF 20,500 in red gold. The 40 millimetre complete calendar begins at CHF 15,400 in steel and CHF 27,200 in red gold.

The 33.20 millimetre moon phase is available in steel and red gold, with diamond-set versions priced from CHF 16,400 and CHF 24,400, respectively.

A line with real provenance

Although the Villeret name was formalised in 2003, its spirit dates back to 1983 and the small complete calendar with moon phase that became a hallmark of the mechanical revival.

That watch established the codes that still define the family today. The Golden Hour release remains faithful to that legacy while refining it with restraint.

As Marc A. Hayek has said, the Villeret embodies both tradition and the belief that timeless elegance can always be reinvented with subtlety.