SUPERB

Blancpain has unveiled some superb looking dress watches this year in Basel.  Unlike the brand’s awful-ugly-dial L-Evolution watches, the dial work on this new Villeret “Demi-Fuseau 8 Jours” is quite nice, though there is one little thing bothering me about it as I note below.  A “demi-fuseau” or “half timezone” complication serves to adjust the second timezone on the watch in 30-minute increments and thus to ensure relaxed travel to countries with half-hour time differences.  The watch displays the reference time at 12 o’clock, the half-hour timezone is in the center, the day/night indication for the reference time at 9 o’clock, date window at 6 o’clock, and the date change or timezone indication at 4 o’clock.  My one critique is the largely cut-off “XII” at 12 o’clock….it looks bad and in fat could be a deal killer for a persnickety buyer.

Blancpain Villeret Demi-Fuseau 8 Days

42mm white or red gold case, Manufacture Blancpain automatic Caliber 5235DF with guilloché-worked oscillating weight

domed grand feu enamelled white dial with  painted hour-markers.

***